Last updated: July 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the named UK sources on 8 July 2026. Caught before failure, a wet belt change is £800–£1,200 and almost always worth doing. After failure, engine damage can push bills past £4,000 (Honest John), and on most affected cars that fails every repair-value test. … Read more

Last updated: July 2026. Figures checked against gov.uk, DVSA data and the named UK sources on 8 July 2026. Around 27% of cars fail their MOT at the first attempt (DVSA, April–June 2026), and most failures are cheap: lamps, tyres and suspension top the list. A fail is usually a repair bill, not a death … Read more

Last updated: July 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the named UK sources on 8 July 2026. Gearbox repairs average £330 in the UK; replacements run from £500 for a manual to £5,000 for some automatics. The spread is so wide that the diagnosis (repairable fault or dead box) decides the question … Read more

Last updated: July 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the named UK sources on 8 July 2026. A head gasket replacement averages £721 in the UK and can pass £2,000 on hard cases, and unlike a clutch, the repair does not always restore the car’s full value. This is the failure where … Read more

Last updated: July 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the named UK sources on 8 July 2026. A clutch replacement costs £400–£670 on average in the UK: £1,083 if the flywheel goes too. On any car worth over roughly £1,500 with a sound flywheel, repairing usually wins; on a sub-£1,000 car needing … Read more

Last updated: July 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the named UK sources on 8 July 2026. The working rule: if a repair costs more than half to two-thirds of what the car is worth, it is usually not worth doing. That is the threshold insurers themselves use: the AA cites “around … Read more