Alternator repair & replacement made easy

The alternator is an electrical generator driven by a belt off the engine to charge the battery of the car. It is vital that the alternator works effectively, seeing that the battery provides electricity to a range of components.

What does an alternator replacement involve?

Mechanic will inspect the car's battery charging system.
Mechanic will inspect the alternator's ancillaries (drive belt, cables etc.)
Mechanic will test the voltage output of the alternator.
If necessary, the mechanic will replace the alternator.
Mechanic will advise if any other parts of the electric system need to be replaced.
Mechanic will test the charging system and will test drive the car.

Can I replace my alternator myself?

Unless you are a qualified mechanic with the required skills, training and equipment to do the job, we strongly recommend an alternator replacement is only carried out by a professional mechanic. ClickMechanic can help get you a vetted and local mechanic to carry out the work. Just enter your postcode and your car's registration number at the top of this page and select the work needed to get an instant fixed price up front.

What are the symptoms of a bad alternator?

When the battery warning light on the car's dashboard has lit up.
When the battery is not being recharged

How long does it take a mechanic to replace an alternator?

On average, alternator replacement times can range from 1 hour to 2.5 hours with an average of just over 1 hour. The time that the job takes will depend on a number of factors, like your vehicle's make and model, year, as well as other factors. Select your car at the top of this page for information on job time and cost for your vehicle through ClickMechanic.

How often should I replace an AC Condensor?

Generally alternators only need to be replaced if there is an issue with them. Should you experience any problems like those listed it is important to have the battery charging system inspected and, if necessary, have the alternator replaced.

As the demand for more and more electrical equipment and devices on modern vehicles increases, the demand on the alternator is increased. Therefore whilst the units themselves have improved dramatically in design and reliability, this is outweighed by the increased reliance on it. So, alternator replacement is a frequent repair on most vehicles at some point.

What are the signs of a bad alternator?

If the battery light remains on with the ignition (and does not go out once the charging is in operation), or comes on with the engine running then there is an issue with the alternator generating power and the battery will not be recharged. It is important to get a professional mechanic to check the issue as soon as possible.

How can I extend the lifetime of my alternator?

Because it is not possible to turn the alternator off and it will therefore always be turning when the engine is running, there is little you can do to prevent wear and tear. Obviously as an electrical device, they do not like water, so avoiding flooding is important!

Can you drive with a bad alternator?

If you have a bad alternator then technically your car will likely still drive, but it is advisable to get help from a professional mechanic before running the vehicle again. Not addressing issues with the alternator will lead to your battery not getting charged and a flat battery, ultimately leading to your vehicle not being able to start again.

Should you replace battery with alternator?

Whether you will need to replace the battery with the alternator ultimately depends on the battery's condition. If you're not sure if it needs replacing we'd recommend booking with a professional mechanic to check the issue and advise on next steps.

How long will a battery last with a bad alternator?

There are a number of factors that would determine how long a battery would last if the alternator is bad and not charging it correctly. Primarily it will depend on how much energy your car consumes and the condition of the battery.

How much does an alternator replacement cost?

On average, a typical alternator repair costs £250, with prices ranging from £150 to £400. Ultimately, cost depends on your location, car and what parts your car's manufacturer recommends using for the replacement. Find out what you could save by having your alternator replaced by ClickMechanic by selecting your car at the top of this page!

Want to know how much you'd pay at a franchise dealer or independent garage?

Check out the ClickMechanic price for a Alternator repair. We use industry standard data & millions of data points so you know what you should be paying

These estimates may include Alternator

57 manufacturers for Alternator Repair

Name	Clickmechanic Click mechanic average	Independent garage estimate	Franchise dealer estimate
Alfa Romeo Parts costs: £191.99 - £389.99 Labour time: 0-3 hours # of quotes: 963	£350	£241 - £461	£328 - £662	Get exact price
Audi Parts costs: £211.69 - £509.29 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 5541	£404	£261 - £512	£352 - £683	Get exact price
Austin Parts costs: £142.62 - £213.50 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 14	£205	£167 - £227	£220 - £311	Get exact price
Bentley Parts costs: £355.65 - £610.29 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 10	£503	£405 - £605	£526 - £803	Get exact price
BMW Parts costs: £253.69 - £637.39 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 7504	£438	£303 - £597	£402 - £768	Get exact price
Cadillac Parts costs: £197.09 - £404.04 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 4	£339	£259 - £402	£361 - £534	Get exact price
Chevrolet Parts costs: £149.64 - £400.34 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 732	£323	£199 - £405	£277 - £542	Get exact price
Chrysler Parts costs: £291.99 - £551.45 Labour time: 0-3 hours # of quotes: 567	£471	£341 - £599	£448 - £829	Get exact price
Citroen Parts costs: £193.44 - £462.08 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 5256	£366	£245 - £478	£335 - £647	Get exact price
Dacia Parts costs: £173.59 - £307.19 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 64	£301	£231 - £343	£322 - £481	Get exact price
Daewoo Parts costs: £169.63 - £374.39 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 106	£289	£219 - £361	£301 - £472	Get exact price
Daihatsu Parts costs: £110.95 - £374.77 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 69	£276	£160 - £361	£231 - £473	Get exact price
Daimler Parts costs: £256.43 - £384.90 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 8	£357	£306 - £381	£406 - £504	Get exact price
Dodge Parts costs: £266.44 - £649.51 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 136	£424	£310 - £596	£407 - £758	Get exact price
DS Parts costs: £214.93 - £490.06 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 11	£332	£264 - £459	£356 - £590	Get exact price
Fiat Parts costs: £163.51 - £403.19 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 4816	£303	£213 - £407	£294 - £544	Get exact price
Ford Parts costs: £189.79 - £428.95 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 25448	£330	£239 - £417	£326 - £548	Get exact price
Honda Parts costs: £239.99 - £579.79 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 4147	£425	£289 - £570	£386 - £754	Get exact price
Hyundai Parts costs: £211.99 - £501.50 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 1802	£360	£261 - £478	£352 - £621	Get exact price
Infiniti Parts costs: £322.21 - £386.65 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 1	£361	£380 - £380	£502 - £502	Get exact price
Isuzu Parts costs: £293.68 - £441.84 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 43	£390	£343 - £439	£450 - £583	Get exact price
Iveco Parts costs: £235.19 - £427.29 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 58	£371	£262 - £405	£337 - £525	Get exact price
Jaguar Parts costs: £251.84 - £575.99 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 2915	£421	£301 - £545	£400 - £706	Get exact price
Jeep Parts costs: £260.97 - £660.13 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 464	£454	£305 - £605	£400 - £769	Get exact price
Kia Parts costs: £215.99 - £547.49 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 1095	£381	£260 - £511	£346 - £656	Get exact price
Land Rover Parts costs: £271.99 - £502.48 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 5034	£425	£321 - £522	£424 - £709	Get exact price
LDV Parts costs: £229.94 - £432.75 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 152	£339	£263 - £410	£341 - £531	Get exact price
Lexus Parts costs: £303.16 - £619.95 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 414	£457	£352 - £571	£462 - £729	Get exact price
London Taxi's International Parts costs: £229.94 - £275.93 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 1	£263	£279 - £279	£374 - £374	Get exact price
Lotus Parts costs: £182.99 - £251.99 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 2	£243	£232 - £259	£317 - £350	Get exact price
Maserati Parts costs: £513.31 - £705.30 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 5	£611	£573 - £649	£734 - £828	Get exact price
Mazda Parts costs: £197.09 - £501.36 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 1333	£376	£241 - £467	£323 - £599	Get exact price
Mercedes-Benz Parts costs: £277.39 - £639.65 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 5766	£477	£326 - £637	£431 - £846	Get exact price
MG Parts costs: £175.19 - £328.16 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 302	£280	£224 - £344	£308 - £469	Get exact price
MINI Parts costs: £226.09 - £473.03 Labour time: 1-3 hours # of quotes: 1967	£393	£286 - £505	£391 - £695	Get exact price
Mitsubishi Parts costs: £191.62 - £445.66 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 678	£351	£241 - £431	£328 - £565	Get exact price
Mitsubishi Fuso Parts costs: £186.14 - £223.37 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 1	£220	£241 - £241	£332 - £332	Get exact price
Nissan Parts costs: £197.99 - £522.54 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 2763	£369	£247 - £506	£335 - £664	Get exact price
Perodua Parts costs: £173.49 - £325.26 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 3	£268	£223 - £321	£306 - £425	Get exact price
Peugeot Parts costs: £192.09 - £472.16 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 6902	£376	£244 - £492	£334 - £668	Get exact price
Peugeot Talbot Parts costs: £204.61 - £280.40 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 28	£269	£226 - £283	£289 - £378	Get exact price
Piaggio Parts costs: £200.74 - £240.89 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 1	£229	£244 - £244	£327 - £327	Get exact price
Porsche Parts costs: £341.24 - £659.18 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 160	£547	£396 - £656	£518 - £872	Get exact price
Proton Parts costs: £139.19 - £607.74 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 18	£401	£188 - £558	£265 - £710	Get exact price
Renault Parts costs: £211.51 - £516.12 Labour time: 1-3 hours # of quotes: 5506	£413	£277 - £556	£384 - £766	Get exact price
Rover Parts costs: £190.84 - £352.41 Labour time: 0-4 hours # of quotes: 519	£342	£240 - £490	£327 - £744	Get exact price
Saab Parts costs: £231.77 - £475.95 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 1172	£379	£286 - £468	£387 - £617	Get exact price
SEAT Parts costs: £186.14 - £464.58 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 1530	£324	£235 - £447	£321 - £584	Get exact price
Skoda Parts costs: £193.44 - £472.92 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 1480	£348	£243 - £465	£330 - £614	Get exact price
Smart Parts costs: £214.73 - £542.22 Labour time: 1-2 hours # of quotes: 298	£414	£277 - £545	£383 - £727	Get exact price
Ssangyong Parts costs: £394.10 - £699.53 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 16	£558	£443 - £632	£571 - £797	Get exact price
Subaru Parts costs: £180.67 - £411.71 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 116	£288	£197 - £392	£249 - £510	Get exact price
Suzuki Parts costs: £204.39 - £437.50 Labour time: 0-1 hours # of quotes: 1037	£327	£253 - £414	£343 - £535	Get exact price
Toyota Parts costs: £208.72 - £447.15 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 5763	£347	£258 - £449	£348 - £599	Get exact price
Vauxhall Parts costs: £204.39 - £497.17 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 15330	£356	£253 - £480	£343 - £628	Get exact price
Volkswagen Parts costs: £209.87 - £482.77 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 9341	£373	£259 - £490	£350 - £657	Get exact price
Volvo Parts costs: £210.15 - £462.31 Labour time: 0-2 hours # of quotes: 3095	£376	£259 - £443	£350 - £576	Get exact price

Prices could not be created for 24 models. Show ∨

Microcar
Metrocab
Hummer
Reva
Asia
TVR
Ferrari
Morgan
Buick
Lamborghini
Pontiac
Carbodies

Moskvich
Ford US
Aixam
FSO
Maybach
Rolls-Royce
Santana
Tata
Great Wall
Aston Martin
Lada
Lancia

Estimates on repair costs, such as the above results for an alternator repair, are created by combining data from multiple third-party sources. The actual cost of using your local repair providers may be outside of the estimated range. We provide estimates on repair costs for information only and accept no liability for any inaccuracies or errors. If you think an estimate is incorrect, please contact us to let us know.

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Mechanics that undertake alternator work

1st 4 Servicing & Tyres Ltd, Basingstoke
A-Z Fast Fit Centre Ltd, Rotherham
A49 Auto Engineering, Dinmore Herefordshire

C J AUTOS, Cullompton
CURBSIDE REPAIRS, Caerphilly
City Mot Dobbs Street Limited, Wolverhampton

H.S Autos, Gloucester
LP Automotive Engineering Ltd, Aldershot
Lc Autotech, Purley

T20 Auto Services, Chelmsford
That Car Guy, Ashford

Recent Alternator repair quotes

These recent quotes were taken from our quote engine which uses third-party industry standard data on repair times, along with a live parts retailer, and a regional labour rate to build an accurate free quote. We are constantly improving our quote engine, so please let us know if a price seems incorrect.

£166.34

Alternator replacement

Renault Clio

Horley

£248.91

Alternator replacement

Audi A4 Cabriolet

Pontypridd

£408.18

Alternator replacement

Mercedes-Benz M-Class

Wrexham

£229.16

Alternator replacement

Ford Fiesta

Milton Keynes

Alternator repair & replacement made easy

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Want to learn more about Alternator repairs?

What does an alternator do?

What does an alternator replacement involve?

Can I replace my alternator myself?

What are the symptoms of a bad alternator?

How long does it take a mechanic to replace an alternator?

How often should I replace an AC Condensor?

What are the signs of a bad alternator?

How can I extend the lifetime of my alternator?

Can you drive with a bad alternator?

Should you replace battery with alternator?

How long will a battery last with a bad alternator?

How much does an alternator replacement cost?

Want to know how much you'd pay at a franchise dealer or independent garage?

Check out the ClickMechanic price for a Alternator repair. We use industry standard data & millions of data points so you know what you should be paying

Alfa Romeo

£350

£241 - £461

£328 - £662

Audi

£404

£261 - £512

£352 - £683

Austin

£205

£167 - £227

£220 - £311

Bentley

£503

£405 - £605

£526 - £803

BMW

£438

£303 - £597

£402 - £768

Cadillac

£339

£259 - £402

£361 - £534

Chevrolet

£323

£199 - £405

£277 - £542

Chrysler

£471

£341 - £599

£448 - £829

Citroen

£366

£245 - £478

£335 - £647

Dacia

£301

£231 - £343

£322 - £481

Daewoo

£289

£219 - £361

£301 - £472

Daihatsu

£276

£160 - £361

£231 - £473

Daimler

£357

£306 - £381

£406 - £504

Dodge

£424

£310 - £596

£407 - £758