Brake Pads and Discs Replacement Cost
The short answer
Fitting brake pads costs £80 in labour per axle with SV Autos, and pads with discs together £100 per axle, plus a £20 call-out and the parts for your car. A brake fluid change is £80 labour, with the fluid itself about £10 to £15. We fit them at your home or work.
Brakes are priced per axle, not per corner, because that's how the job is actually done: pads are always replaced in pairs across an axle so the car stops evenly. Most brake quotes you get elsewhere are a single number with no breakdown. Here is ours, split into labour and parts, so you can see which half is which.
What it costs
| Job | Labour | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Brake pads, front or rear axle | £80 | Both sides of one axle, including cleaning and greasing the carriers. Pads quoted for your car. |
| Pads and discs, front or rear axle | £100 | Both sides of one axle, pads and discs together. This is the right job when the discs are lipped, scored or below minimum thickness. |
| All four pads | £160 | Two axles, so twice the per-axle labour. Worth doing together if both ends are close to worn. |
| Brake fluid change | £80 | Fresh fluid bled through the system for a firmer pedal. The fluid is about £10 to £15 on top. |
| Brake check | £20 | If you aren't sure whether they need doing, we can look and tell you honestly. This is our diagnostics fee, and it comes off the repair if you go ahead. |
Labour only, per axle. The £20 call-out and the pads, discs or fluid go on top and are quoted for your exact car.
How our pricing works
Labour
The prices above. Fixed for the job, not charged by the hour, so a job running long is our problem rather than yours.
£20 call-out
One flat fee to come to you, anywhere in our area. No mileage charges and no surcharge for being further out.
Parts
Quoted for your exact car. They vary too much between makes and models to publish honestly, so we price them properly rather than guessing.
You get the three added together, in writing, before any work starts. If the job changes once we are looking at the car, you hear it from us first.
What changes the price
Any price that starts with "from" needs explaining, or it is just a hook. Here is what actually moves the number for your car.
- Which axle
- Fronts usually wear roughly twice as fast as rears, because the front brakes do most of the stopping. Plenty of cars need fronts done twice for every one set of rears.
- Pads only, or pads and discs
- Discs have a minimum thickness stamped on them. If they're under it, or badly lipped or scored, new pads on old discs won't bed in properly and won't last.
- Your car
- Parts are where brake quotes really diverge. Pads and discs for a common hatchback and for a heavy 4x4 or a performance car are very different money.
- Electronic parking brakes
- Many newer cars need the rear calipers wound back electronically before rear pads can go in. We can do this; it's worth knowing because it's why some places won't touch rear brakes on a driveway.
Your questions
How much does it cost to replace all four brake pads?
£160 in labour with us, which is the £80 per axle done twice, plus the £20 call-out and the pads themselves. If the discs also need doing at the same time it's £100 labour per axle instead.
Can I drive with worn brake pads?
For a short while, carefully, if they're worn but not gone. Once you can hear grinding, stop driving and get them looked at: that noise is usually metal on metal, which ruins the discs and lengthens your stopping distance. Squealing is an earlier warning and gives you more time, but it still means book something in.
Do I need new discs as well as pads?
Not always. Discs have a minimum thickness and we measure them rather than guess. If they're above it and the surface is even, pads alone are the right job and the cheaper one. If they're lipped, scored or under minimum, new pads on top of them will wear out fast and the brakes will never feel right.
How long do brake pads last?
Anywhere between about 20,000 and 60,000 miles, which is a wide range because it depends almost entirely on how and where you drive. Town driving with a lot of stopping eats pads; steady A-road miles barely touch them. Mileage is a poor guide on its own, which is why they get measured.
Can brakes really be done on a driveway?
Yes, and it's one of the most common jobs we do. Brakes need the wheel off and the car safely supported, not a ramp. As long as we can get to the car on reasonably level ground we can do it where it sits.
Why is my steering wheel shaking when I brake?
Usually warped or unevenly worn front discs. The shudder comes through the wheel as the pad grips a surface that's no longer flat. It's not normally dangerous straight away but it won't fix itself, and it usually means discs as well as pads.
Prices on this page are labour from £20, plus the £20 call-out and parts. Confirmed with James and current at the time of writing.
Tell us what your car's doing
A clear price agreed before anything is booked. No obligation, no pressure.
We reply within 48 hours, and if it's urgent it's quicker to ring or send a WhatsApp. There's a flat £20 call-out and then a clear price for the work, agreed before anything starts. Nothing to pay up front, no cancellation fee, and you settle up once the work is done, by card, cash or bank transfer.