Front brake pads cost between £50 and £55, while the discs are around twice that amount – £110 or thereabouts.
Rear pads also cost between £50 and £55, but the rear brake discs are a shade more expensive at around £116. Of course, these are just the parts prices; you also have to factor in labour.
You can expect the replacement of a pair of brake discs and pads to take between one and three hours for the front and around the same sort of time for the rear.
Depending on where you are, the labour rates will be from £72 per hour outside London and up to £80 for London.
A look at how long it takes to change out a pair of brake pads and discs on different makes of car should give you a rough idea as to how much you might pay for your own car to have this service.
A front brake replacement in a Ford Fiesta should take around 1.5 hours while the rear pair will take around two hours.
In a Volkswagen Golf, the front brakes will take just over two hours, while the rear pair will take almost three hours to replace.
It seems that Audis are among the quickest cars to perform a brake replacement service on, as both the Q5 and the A4 are 1.25 hours for front brakes and just under two hours for the rear pair.
It’s easy to see how labour costs make up most of the bill you’ll pay, which is one of the reasons you should take your car to a reputable and experienced mechanic or garage for your brake replacements. AutoAdvisor can help you to find the best garage in your area. We have a UK-wide network of approved partner garages so you’ll know that the quotes you get are all reasonable and that your car will be in good hands, whichever quote you take up.
Everyone knows that brake pads and brake discs are some of the most important parts of any car. But how many of us know how much they cost?
Find out how much you can expect to pay for a brake pad replacement here, as well as:
If your brakes wear out, this could lead to MOT failure, so make sure that you have you brake pads and discs replaced at the appropriate intervals.
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A set of two brake pads cost £45.79 on average.
However, front brake pads are more expensive than rear brake pads. As they do the bulk of the braking, they are larger than rear pads. This helps them cope with the weight transfer and braking forces. There are also design differences, such as ventilation, which increase the cost.
This means that you will pay a different amount depending on what brake pads need replacing.
For all our brake pad average prices, we compared prices for 18 popular UK models on Eurocarparts. As many models had more than one suitable option, we took every available part into account when calculating an average.
A set of front brake pads costs £45.97 on average.
Make and Model Average Cost of Front Brake Pad Set Audi A1 £34.15 BMW 1 Series £74.61 Citroen C1 £23.10 Fiat 500 £51.81 Ford Fiesta £49.76 Ford Focus £33.49 Hyundai i10 £52.93 Kia Sportage £46.39 Mercedes-Benz A-Class £52.53 Nissan Micra £27.45 Nissan Qashqai £58.49 Peugeot 208 £32.46 Renault Clio £28.25 Suzuki Swift £50.98 Toyota Aygo £22.10 Vauxhall Astra £68.69 Vauxhall Corsa £55.34 Volkswagen Golf £64.98
A set of rear brake pads costs £45.61 on average.
Make and Model Average Cost of Rear Brake Pad Set Audi A1 £33.23 BMW 1 Series £73.74 Fiat 500 £53.65 Ford Fiesta £18.41 Ford Focus £39.77 Hyundai i10 £40.39 Kia Sportage £44.63 Mercedes-Benz A-Class £49.58 Nissan Qashqai £48.47 Peugeot 208 £27.95 Suzuki Swift £44.95 Vauxhall Astra £70.38 Vauxhall Corsa £54.77 Volkswagen Golf £38.69
*Prices unavailable for Citroen C1, Fiat 500, Nissan Micra, Renault Clio and Toyota Aygo.
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We compared brake pad replacements booked through BookMyGarage to calculate an average price for both front and rear brake pad replacements.
As of May 2023, it costs £128.19 to replace front brake pads and £117.25 to replace rear brake pads, on average.
If you're sick and tired of overpaying for car maintenance, you're not alone. Over 5 million UK drivers have used BookMyGarage to compare MOT, servicing and repair costs and save up to 70%! (when choosing one of the lower-cost options). Now it's your turn.
If you're looking for the best price on your brake pad replacement, enter your reg and postcode today to compare deals from garages near you. You can filter by price to find the cheapest brake pad replacement near you or sort garages by availability, distance or reviews and ratings if you're looking for the highest quality option. Whichever option you choose, you get instant prices and easy online booking. Plus, you deal with the garage directly after the initial booking process, there is no upfront payment and you can amend or cancel your booking at any time if your circumstances change.
Don't settle for an expensive brake pad replacement ever again. Enter your reg and postcode to compare garages near you and save up to 70% when you choose one of the lower-cost options through BookMyGarage today.
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For all our brake disc average prices, we compared prices for 19 popular UK models on Eurocarparts. As many models had more than one suitable option, we again took every available part into account when calculating an average.
A set of front brake discs costs £80.83 on average and a set of rear brake discs costs £72.98 on average.
Make and Model Average Cost of Front Brake Disc Set Average Cost of Rear Brake Disc Set Audi A1 £77.14 £66.60 BMW 1 Series £124.85 £114.94 Citroen C1 £68.85 N/A Fiat 500 £83.08 £36.62 Ford Fiesta £94.60 £35.86 Ford Focus £90.76 £80.16 Ford Puma £149.98 N/A Hyundai i10 £82.14 £71.45 Kia Sportage £107.34 £102.26 Nissan Micra £69.79 N/A Nissan Qashqai £118.38 £105.07 Peugeot 208 £82.22 £128.79 Renault Clio £91.64 N/A Suzuki Swift £98.98 £67.90 Toyota Aygo £68.85 N/A Vauxhall Astra £110.70 £58.98 Vauxhall Corsa £82.38 £88.60 Volkswagen Golf £107.60 £96.56 Volkswagen T-Roc £106.95 £96.40
However, if you need a brake disc replacement, the mechanic will also replace your brake pads. Generally, brake pads don't last as long, so they will advise replacing both for your safety. But how much does this cost?
We compared brake pad and disc replacement costs from garages on BookMyGarage and found that the average cost for front pad and disc replacement is £274.15 and £272.02 for the rear, as of May 2023.
This includes the cost of labour. In the UK, the average garage charges around £50 an hour - so it's easy to see how it can quickly add up!
If you've been quoted well over the average from another garage and you're fed up with paying through the nose for your brake repairs, compare garages near you through BookMyGarage now. We offer instant, transparent prices from thousands of UK garages and you can save up to 70% on the cost of your brake pad and disc replacement when you choose one of the lower-cost options.
Join over 5 million drivers who have compared and saved on their MOT, servicing and repair costs by entering your reg and postcode into our online comparison site now. See how much you can save on your car maintenance by using BookMyGarage today.
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A full brake pad and disc replacement takes between 1 and 3 hours, no matter if you need the front or rear brakes changed.
Changing brake pads on their own takes between 30 minutes and 1 hour.
You should change your brake pads every 40,000 miles. They last between 25,000 and 60,000 miles, so they may last longer if you drive smoothly, but you shouldn't expect it. Front brake pads experience a lot of wear and tear because they bear the brunt of the braking process. A mechanic will inspect your brake pads during a car service, so you'll always get an update on their condition when you book one.
Brake discs generally last a little longer than brake pads, but we recommend changing them together anyway. If your brake pads are heavily worn, there's a good chance that your brake discs are reaching the end of their life as well. You should change brake discs every 50,000 miles, even though they can also last longer than this.
Your safety is most important, so forking out for brake pads and discs more regularly is a necessary evil. If you can make your driving style smoother, you'll put less pressure on your brakes and increase their lifespan.
In most modern cars, there is a brake pad warning light that alerts you when you need to replace your brake pads. Generally, this warning light gives you around 1,000 miles of efficient braking to book a replacement.
You shouldn't ignore this warning light.
If you see it, it means you have about 3mm wear left on your brake pads. Brand new pads have 8-12 mm of wear, so this much wear makes them very unsafe. Book a brake pad replacement at a garage near you as soon as possible. If your brakes stop working, you will lose control of your car and could have a severe accident.
The brake pad warning light looks like this:
The brake pad warning light can appear as yellow or red. As usual, yellow means 'it's okay to drive but get to a garage as soon as possible' and red means 'stop driving and get to a garage using your recovery provider'.
Book an appointment at a local garage as soon as you see this warning light.
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