Should Motor Traders Show Prices Online?

When looking for services online, such as those offered by motor traders, a lot of consumers are trying to research a few key things about your business before they contact you, and one of those things is usually your price(s).

Motor Trade Prices

Of course, a lot of motor trade businesses simply won’t be able to provide a reliable and accurate quote for every service they offer, as it may differ from customer-to-customer, and vehicle-to-vehicle. For garages and body shops offering repair work, there’s not always a fixed cost for parts and labour, and therefore prices may vary between cars, models and even the parts used. 

There are however some motor trade businesses where prices are simpler and a little bit clearer, such as a valeter that has a set price for services, which may only increase depending on the vehicle size. There are other motor traders where the price of the product will be expected to be listed on the website, namely used car traders. If you are advertising cars for sale on your website or your social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram), people looking at used cars online will expect to see the vehicle price listed.

Motor Trade Quotes

A lot of the larger vehicle servicing sites often have quote calculators on their websites which can shed some light on the price that the consumer may end up paying, but whilst they do give an insight into the costs of the services you offer, they may be more hassle than they’re worth, and for small businesses the cost of getting this created and added to your site might not be feasible. For example, a customer may use a quote calculator to find a price, only to be told by the motor trader that the work that needs doing is a lot more extensive than the customer thought, or perhaps once the car technician begins work on the vehicle, more problems arise, which can often lead to irate customers. This could work the other way too, where a customer is put off by an online price when the actual work could end up costing them a lot less!

Estimate prices also have the same drawbacks, where a customer sees a range of prices and guesses their price to be at the lower end of the scale, whereas in reality the price they may pay is actually quite a lot higher due to a number of unknown factors. Any guideline or indicative prices put online may end up being more or less than the actual price which could either put customers off, or alternatively disappoint them if the price for their car is more than the advertised rate.

Is There a Compromise?

There could be a compromise. For services you offer that have a set price such as an MOT, service, and things like oil changes, then there’s no reason why you can’t display them on your website, especially if you offer lower prices compared to your competitors and/or national franchises, as this could help drive more business.

For services where it’s not practical to display a price (or an estimated price) online, you can always explain the reason why there isn’t a price listed, and provide alternative selling points as to why the customer should choose your motor trade business, inviting them to call or visit your premises to find out how much any work might cost. As long as you are managing customer expectations and not listing unrealistic or unobtainable prices online, then you should be fine!

Motor Trade Insurance Quote

Not every motor trade business is the same, which is why we don’t display prices online. Every Motor Trade insurance quote is bespoke and therefore we are unable to display a set price online. When we receive a call from a motor trader that needs an insurance quote, we take our time to understand their Motor Trade insurance needs, allowing us to offer the best Motor Trade insurance policy we can that matches their requirements. If you need a Trade Car insurance policy, you can call us on 0800 221 8077, or you can click ‘Get a Quote’ below, leave your details, and a member of our team of Motor Trade insurance experts will be in touch.