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A third of females think garages rip them off because of their gender

The ladies already have to pay more for razors, deodorant and various other high street items and it seems they are also being overcharged by garages for car maintenance.

That is according to a recent survey by Motoreasy, which found 29 per cent of females think they have paid extra for work done to their car purely because of their gender and assumed lack of car knowledge.

33.8 per cent of respondents aged 20 to 25 were most convinced gender was pushing up their car repair bills, followed by 26 to 35 (32.9 per cent) and 35 to 55 (26.9 per cent). Those aged from 56 to 70 were the least likely to think they had been overcharged, at 25.8 per cent.

Females living in Northern Ireland were found to be the most concerned their gender was making car maintenance more expensive, at 42 per cent.

The issue may provide a garage owner with short-term financial gains, but the survey revealed 31 per cent of women had stopped using a garage because they felt they had been taken advantage of ─ a figure that jumped to nearly half for those living in the East Midlands.

Men were found to be even more suspicious than women, with 47 per cent claiming they had been overcharged before, but admitted it was not necessarily because of their gender.

A separate survey from 2016 found that being a blonde female meant you paid the most for a garage repair, with brunettes paying an average of £61.54 for brake pads compared to £77.28 for blondes.

“Our research shows that this is compounded for female motorists, who also feel fearful of entering negotiations with garages in case they get overcharged or charged for work that is not actually needed,” said Motoreasy chief executive, Duncan McClure.

“The problem is even worse for young drivers, who don’t know as much about cars and are, therefore, even more open to being taken advantage of,” he added.

2,000 motorists took part in the survey undertaken by Motoreasy, a car maintenance and ownership service that wants to streamline aspects of car ownership such as getting an MOT.

Those concerned about being ripped off should use Google to find local garages that actually care about their customers and, where possible, bring along someone who knows about cars. Also consider looking for any car parts you need online – you may be able to save a few quid and/or avoid getting fleeced.

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