Car repair bills often turn out to be more expensive than expected. Sometimes, other emergency bills arise before you can cover the cost of the garage.

No matter the reason, if you can repay your car repair, it can put you in an awkward situation. 

In this article, we’ll explain what happens if you can’t pay for 

your options, and whether a garage can keep your car. It’s all going to be okay — now, let’s get into it. 

Yes, a garage can keep your car if you refuse to pay.

However, be aware that under UK law, mechanics can lien your car if you don’t pay the bill in full within 30 days. 

A lien is a legal claim on property, such as a car, which must be cleared before you can take it back. You might have to leave your car in the garage until the bill is fully paid.

To avoid that happening, you might want to put part of the bill on a 

credit card or consider a dedicated auto repair loan

Yes, if you can’t afford to pay your car repair bill, check your car insurance policy.

Your insurance might cover the costs if your repairs are due to accidents, vandalism, theft, or extreme weather (e.g. 

). However, this largely depends on your policy coverage level. 

What are your car repair financing options? 

If your auto repair bill is more than you expected and you can't afford to pay it, you have some options. Here are six ways you can tackle the situation: 

If a repair estimate seems high, politely ask about cheaper options.

Garages may use less expensive parts or adjust labour costs without compromising quality.

Can a mechanic use used parts to repair my car?

Yes, using reconditioned parts or parts from a breaker can often save lots of money on repair bills. 

Certain parts, such as AC compressors, alternators, gearboxes, and more, can be bought and used online. We advise against using used safety-critical parts like brakes or steering unless professionally reconditioned.

A good way to find second-hand parts for your car is to search on places like eBay. There, you can select ‘used’ under the condition filter and often find breakers listing the exact part.

You can search for general breaking ads, such as “Ford Fiesta 2010 breaking, if there isn't a specific item”. 

These items are usually listed for a token amount - say £1.00. From this listing, contact the seller to ask if they have the required component.

Garages often hesitate to fit used parts and may refuse parts they haven’t sourced. 

Explain your situation, but note this usually voids any warranty since the parts lack a guarantee. If you’re comfortable with this, the mechanic might agree to help.

If multiple repairs are suggested, ask to prioritise the most urgent ones. Spacing out the work helps manage costs, as long as deferring doesn’t pose a safety risk.

Not all car issues need immediate repair, but minor problems can worsen over time. Ask your mechanic if urgent repairs are needed and what might happen if they're delayed.

If the brakes, steering, suspension, exhaust, or engine are faulty, avoid driving until they're fixed. 

Paying this bill in instalments is better than not paying at all.

If you can’t clear your car’s repair bill in one go, ask the service centre if they’ll let you break it into multiple payments. 

Some garages will let you do this or may even offer their basic in-house financing for large repair jobs. 

Some garages are more expensive than others, depending on the time, tools, and expertise they have available.

If you’ve been quoted a large repair bill, gather the information the garage used to draft that quote, such as symptoms, tests conducted, etc., and phone around a few other local garages.

Can a specialist garage repair my car cheaper?

In some cases, a garage with no experience tackling your particular job may quote higher purely because they’re unsure 

Specialist garages, those that focus on your particular brand or type of car, may have much more experience and confidence and will be able to fix the problem cheaper. 

Credit cards are a simple way to cover any unexpected expense, though the interest can make an already hefty bill even bigger. 

For a big repair bill, using a credit card can work if you have a 0% APR deal and can repay quickly. Otherwise, standard interest rates will add to the cost.

In that case, the interest rate on a dedicated car repair loan might be more attractive.

In rare cases, selling your car and using the proceeds to buy a more affordable one is the most practical solution. 

When shopping for your next vehicle, take into account fuel efficiency and ongoing maintenance costs to find a cost-effective choice. 

Or check out the cheapest ways to buy a car here.

 is designed to cover unexpected car repairs, with a simple application process for quick access to funds. 

While good credit helps, specialist lenders often cater to those with poor credit, though this may mean higher fees or interest rates.

How Bumper can help if you can’t pay your repair bill

Bumper lets you split a hefty repair bill into smaller, easy-to-manage, interest-free payments. 

With one bill split every three minutes, 5,000+ partners nationwide, and a five-second response time, we’re always ready to help.

Here’s a quick step-by-step summary of the Bumper system:

The whole process takes a matter of minutes. 

Bumper lets you get the repairs you need quickly while deferring payments in easy interest-free instalments. Visit our 

 page to find out more or search for a trusted repairer near you.

What Happens If You Can't Afford Your Car Repair?

It’s been an interesting two-year stretch for the UK car industry. Shifting trends in automotive buying means this year’s list of the top 10 cars could surprise some industry observers. 

With COVID-19 upending supply chains, ongoing semiconductor shortages, and the Ukraine invasion set to disrupt production further, 2022 is hard to predict. But there are some signs of what’s to come. 

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says that more than 174,000 cars were sold in the UK as of 1

 March 2022. That’s a 23 per cent increase over the same period last year. 

 are also on the rise, jumping 150 per cent and accounting for nearly 15 per cent of all new car sales. 

Diesel, on the other hand, looks to be on the way out. Sales sank by a whopping 45 per cent from the same period last year, accounting for just over five per cent of total sales. 

Some things have stayed the same though. The Vauxhall Corsa leads the pack again this year in terms of individual model sales, while the Kia Sportage sits in second place and the Mini Hatchback holds the third spot on the podium. 

While there’s still lots of time for things to change, here’s our list of the top 10 cars for 2022 based on the most recent figures. 

Perennial favourite Ford Focus fell out of many top 10 lists last year, disappearing from the top ten off the back of a poor reception to its Vignale version. That said, the Focus is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in early 2022 ahead of an expected design facelift in June. 

The Focus has always been a critic’s darling and the 2021 model is typically rated on par with cars like the Volkswagen Golf. 

This one’s been a regular feature on dealer forecourts since early 2018 and holds firm as a favourite with both reviewers and car buyers alike. 

It's worth noting that both the petrol and plug-in hybrid models have had a better critical reception than the XC40 ‘pure’ electric model. They're seen to offer better value for money than their EV cousin. 

Oddly enough the Toyota Corolla is only the second car on this list to be built here in Blightly. While it dropped out of the SMMT’s top ten in February, strong sales figures in January have kept it aloft for the year-to-date. 

The Corolla comes as a hybrid-only and it's been gradually finding a firm niche in the UK new car marketplace. Many reviewers have noted how much of an improvement it represents over the former Auris, which it replaced on Toyota’s 2021 roster. 

Hyundai’s new Tucson has been a top sales performer and frequent fixture in many ‘best of lists’ since it launched in 2021. The good news and sales keep coming as SMMT figures indicate a strong start to 2022. 

The Vauxhall Mokka is the first car to feature Vauxhall’s ‘Vizor’ styling. Based on strong sales for the Mokka you can expect the firm’s new look to roll out across its range over the next few years. 

The Mokka comes in standard petrol and diesel models. There’s also the all-electric Mokka-e, which numerous awards last year in the Small SUV category. 

This one's been around a long time, but Kia’s legacy brand Niro shows no signs of losing steam. Strong sales in January and February suggest that the Korean car maker is doing just fine in sustaining a reliable supply of semiconductor chips for the car’s onboard systems. 

While we expect the current Niro to come to the end of its production life soon, Niro enthusiasts can look forward to an all-new model reaching British shores in the second half of this year. 

The Puma is another top performer, but its popularity began to wane at the end of 2021 after a sales surge in the first quarter. It's a similar picture so far for 2022, with strong sales in January followed by a slight dip in February. 

Car reviewers continue to heap praise on the Puma and give it top ratings in the ‘supermini’ SUV class. 

A strong showing in the first two months of 2022 suggests the Mini hatch could keep burning up the sales charts. It finished last year ranked third overall and has started this year strongly as well. It’s also the best-selling new car that’s made in the United Kingdom. 

The Sportage fell back to second place after a slow start to the year, all but vanishing from the UK sales charts in January. Will the next round of industry figures push it back to the top, or will supply chains problems prove too much for growing consumer demand? 

Holding on to the top spot again this year is the Vauxhall Corsa, after just making it over the finishing line in 2021 due to factory supply issues. For all its sales success, motoring journalists have found the car hard to love. Reviews are typically ho-hum for both the petrol and electric versions. 

Will its mid-quarter 2022 sales figures signal more good news for the year ahead, or will the current global upheaval bring new supply chain struggles?

What Are The Top 10 Cars For 2022 

Bumper joined National Park Rangers in woodland near Calver for a unique day of volunteering. The team worked together to collect hundreds of vintage glass bottles and ceramics that were found when the site was recently cleared due to Ash Dieback Disease. It's believed that the area was on the site of an old Victorian tip.

The Team found old Heinz bottles and Bovril glasses. Items that looked of interest were sent to archaeologists for analysis.

It was important for the team to clear this glass to protect the safety of the wildlife and members of the public with four-legged friends who enjoy what the Peak District has to offer. Glass can also be a wildfire hazard as heat from the sun can cause devastating damage.

The Team was extremely efficient and filled all the containers before the proposed finished time – this was probably propelled by a meal booked in the local pub after!

Bumper is supporting the Foundation after signing up for its Peak Partner scheme, which allows businesses to care for the National Park while meeting their Corporate Social Responsibility goals.

 said: “The Peak District National Park is an incredible area, right on the doorstep of our Sheffield office.

“This partnership allows us to work closely with an amazing local organisation, but also to have a positive impact on the environment. Here at Bumper, our corporate social responsibility has always been a priority for us. Working in the automotive industry, we’re acutely aware of the progress our industry needs to make toward solving the climate crisis and we know we need to be doing all we can to support this.

“We’re proud residents of Sheffield and love the area surrounding our office there. The Peak District National Park Foundation not only works to conserve the environment but is also a great asset for Sheffield.

Becoming a Peak Partner was a no brainer for us, and we’re thrilled to be working with the Foundation. We really enjoyed our day clearing the woodland, meeting the staff who work in the National Park and talking about our CSR goals.”

The Foundation’s fundraising development officer Claire Barlow said: “We’re delighted to welcome Bumper as a Gold Peak Partner. It was great to meet the team out in the Peak District, we’d like to say a huge thank you to them for their help and look forward to working with them in the future.”

The Peak District National Park Foundation

The Foundation is an independent charity that cares for the Peak District National Park. Its aim is to work towards a Peak District that is conserved and enjoyed by everyone. It funds projects that care for the landscape and wildlife in the park, help fight climate change, and connect people from all backgrounds and situations to nature and the outdoors.

Bumper volunteers with Peak District National Park

Team Bumper attended the first Motortec Madrid 2022 event following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The event, held annually, is one of the largest Automotive industry events in Europe. Described as a space for industry experts and innovators to exchange knowledge and best practices, Motortec sees over 700 companies exhibit annually. 

Across four days, Bumper showcased their interest-free monthly payments for after-sales invoices. A digital solution that allows customers at dealerships and garages to apply for finance in just a few clicks.

Co-founder, Jack Allman said, "Motortec Madrid marks the start of Bumper's expansion into the Spanish market. With a widely established presence in the UK and a recent launch into Germany, we're in a strong position to expand in Spain.

“Our talented and experienced sales team are engaging with dealerships and garages here in Spain about how Bumper can drive increased sales volume and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction”.

Team Bumper received an exciting reaction to their innovative solution at Motortec and has secured many connections to propel them further into the Spanish market. 

Founded in 2013, Bumper provides an interest-free digital payment platform for vehicle repairs and services, enabling owners to spread their costs. It also delivers an instalment financing solution using proprietary AI-enabled technology to facilitate real-time lending decisions.

Bumper enables dealerships and garages to sell a larger proportion of red and amber work, reducing workshop downtime, with no risks or liabilities, while also creating greater customer loyalty.

Named 21st fastest-growing fintech in the 2022 FT1000 rankings of Europe’s fastest-growing companies, Bumper works with over 3,000 dealerships and garages across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, helping over 160,000 drivers to fund their servicing and repair bills.

Bumper operates from the UK, Spain and Germany.

For more information on how Bumper can grow your aftersales volume contact our sales team at sales@bumper.co.uk. 

Team Bumper attend Motortec Madrid 2022

Bumper has launched its digital payment platform for car repairs, servicing and add-ons in Germany.

This marks UK-based Bumper’s debut in continental Europe, following last year’s launch in Ireland, and is part of an expansion plan which will shortly see it roll out across other key European markets.

The service is launching with D+S Automobile, one of Germany’s most prominent Jaguar Land Rover retailers, following the recent Series A funding investment in Bumper by JLR’s InMotion Ventures investment arm.

“We’re delighted to partner with D+S Automobile and offer its customers access to our portfolio of interest-free Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and PayNow services,” said 

“As Europe’s biggest automotive market, Germany will play a pivotal role in the growth of Bumper across the continent.

 on German roads has increased to 9.8 years and is likely to continue to rise with the ongoing disruption of new car supplies. As these vehicles age the risk of major repairs becoming necessary also increases. 

“Our team in Germany is already talking to dealers and OEMs about how the Bumper platform is helping workshops in the UK and Ireland take the pain out of servicing and repair bills, prompting customers to authorise more work and building loyalty and satisfaction,” said Allman.

The international expansion follows the Financial Times ranking Bumper as one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies in the 

Bumper launches digital payment platform in Germany

Bumper is offering LEVC taxi owners in London access to interest-free credit for servicing and repair bills.

The Bumper service is being promoted through LEVC’s London Central dealership in Islington and marks the first collaboration between Bumper and a specialist electric vehicle manufacturer.

Owner-drivers using the funding facility are able to spread the cost of servicing and repairing their taxis over six or nine monthly instalments, up to a total of £3,000. Also covered are accessories, extended warranty, GAP and tyres.

Ryan Warren, service manager at LEVC London Central says the introduction of Bumper’s payment platform has been welcomed by taxi drivers eager to spread costs and minimise downtime. 

“Since the introduction of Bumper we have been able to assist even more of our customers, helping to get them back on the road as quickly as possible,” he said.

“Many of the drivers appreciate the option of using this service following the uncertainty of the last two years and the impact it's had on taxi drivers. The option to use Bumper gives drivers peace of mind and helps them balance their finances.”

Bumper is reporting a high uptake for the facility, especially from taxi owners wishing to spread the cost of GAP products.

“We’re delighted to be working alongside LEVC and the team at London Central to enable London taxi owners to spread the costs of their bills and get their vehicles back on the road as soon as possible,” said Jack Allman, COO and co-founder, Bumper.

“We have already proved how dealers offering our interest-free Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) platform can convert more aftersales work and achieve higher average invoice values because customers are empowered to finance all the work they need doing, not just what they can afford at the time.

“The aftersales taxi market is an important area of growth for us and we’re planning to rollout to owner-drivers across the UK and into Europe,” he said.

Bumper offers LEVC taxi owners in London access to interest-free aftersales payments

 has significantly expanded its executive team with four new appointments as the fast-growing business prepares the next stage of its growth in automotive payments.

All four bring a wealth of experience from some of the UK’s leading, FinTech disruptors, tech unicorns and financial services businesses and take up newly created positions within the business following the completion of its Series A funding round in December.

“We’re delighted to welcome Francisca Gutierrez, Leah Ellis, 

 and Matt Williams to the expanded executive team,” said James Jackson, CEO and co-founder, Bumper. 

“They’re all super talented and highly regarded in their respective fields with collective experience in FinTech and fast-growing disruptive start-ups, which will help us achieve our ambitious growth strategy as we increase our share of digital payments and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) in the UK and across Europe,” he said.

Francisca Gutierrez has been appointed chief product officer, joining the company from Experian where she served as domain leader and senior product manager. 

Gutierrez is managing the international launch of the Bumper platform into continental Europe, starting with Germany, followed by Spain, then Netherlands and Portugal. She is also leading the development of a new white-label customer app which will be offered by dealer groups to help improve aftersales retention. 

Paul Edgecombe has joined as chief compliance officer from Selina Finance, where he was head of risk and compliance. Edgecombe has worked in compliance across FinTechs as well as challenger and high street banks, with senior roles at Barclays, Santander and Harrods Bank.

He will be responsible for implementing and managing Bumper’s compliance programme, ahead of the introduction of new regulatory rules in the BNPL market. He will also oversee the extended regulatory compliance as Bumper launches into new territories.

Matt Williams joins in February as chief growth officer from Trainline, where he was head of growth technology, prior to which he was strategic analytics director with Jellyfish and head of analytics and optimisation at Rightmove.

A specialist in analytics and marketing, part of his remit will be to lead an expanded team of marketeers to grow Bumper’s B2C proposition.

 has joined as interim chief people officer having amassed considerable experience in managing staff growth at tech start-ups, most recently at Goodlord, the property lettings platform, and Eve Sleep, the online sleep brand. 

She will manage the rapid employee growth Bumper is planning, which will take its headcount from 40 to over 100 staff within the next 12 months.

Bumper expands executive team with all-star appointments, as it ramps up growth plans

With the cost of owning a car skyrocketing, new research conducted by vehicle repairs service 

 has found that, of those who needed repairs, UK drivers spent an average of £803 last year on car repairs.

The research asked 2,320 UK drivers over the age of 18 if they have needed vehicle repairs in the last 12 months. Almost two-thirds (64%) of those questioned said they did have to fork out for repairs in the past 12 months, with an 

 (the lowest repair cost stated was just £37, while the highest was £1,796).

The latest National Travel Survey conducted by the Department for Transport* estimated that they are approximately 35.9m driving licence holders in the UK. When multiplied by the average cost that drivers admit spending in the past year on vehicle repairs, this would mean that drivers who required motor repairs in the past year collectively spent an estimated £18.5bn.

The results found that the below cities were home to the motorists who had to shell out the most on their car repairs:

Meanwhile, the cities which reported the lowest repair costs were found to be Liverpool (£37), Newcastle (£61) and Cardiff (£85).

The survey also asked respondents what repairs they needed to pay for over the past year. The most common answers were:

Interestingly, drivers in the South West were more likely to need tyres replaced that the rest of the country, with 73% saying they needed this repair done. Meanwhile, in the North of England, the most 

 reported was windscreen repair/replacement (59%).

“We all know that maintaining a vehicle can be expensive, but this new research really highlights just how much vehicle owners might need to spend every year. High repair costs can leave some road users feeling unable to maintain a vehicle and therefore unable to travel for both essential reasons, such as work or childcare, and also to do the things they love, such as visit friends and family or even go on holiday.

“Since the start of the year, we’ve seen the cost of living increase rapidly, particularly in the motoring sector with the cost of fuel reaching record highs. It’s more important than ever that drivers are aware of the cost of repairs and different ways to manage the financial strain of this. From putting aside a little bit of money for future repairs every month to looking into affordable buy now, pay later services, there are many ways to stay on top of your vehicle costs so that you’re not left stranded.”

Founded in 2013, Bumper (formerly Auto Service Finance) provides an interest-free digital payment platform for vehicle repairs and services, enabling owners to spread their costs. It also delivers an instalment financing solution using proprietary AI-enabled technology to facilitate real-time lending decisions.

 fastest-growing fintech in the 2022 FT1000 rankings of Europe’s fastest-growing companies, Bumper works with over 3,000 dealerships and garages across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, helping over 160,000 drivers to fund their servicing and repair bills.

Bumper is based in London and Sheffield, with a tech development centre in Ankara, Turkey.

Alastair Shephard

Content Writer