Almost a quarter (23%) of people felt ripped off by the price they were quoted when they last visited a car mechanic, according to ClickMechanic.

The research, which surveyed over 2,000 members of the UK public, looked into attitudes towards car workshops. It found 23% are stressed out by the whole experience of visiting a mechanic, and 25% feel nervous about even entering a garage.

45% had no idea how much common repairs on an average household car should cost, with a third of consumers feel uncomfortable with questioning a quote.

ClickMechanic has launched a price estimates tool which uses the genuine manufacturer approved repair times to price all jobs, from vetted qualified mechanics.

Co-founder and chief executive of ClickMechanic Andrew Jervis said: “Most mechanics are reliable and trustworthy, but there are a minority of cowboys taking advantage of the fact that most consumers just don’t know how much their car repairs should cost. Consumers are paying a lot of money to keep their car on the road and in times of austerity there is an obligation on the mechanic to be honest about the average price of repairs and establish a level of trust.

“Price comparison and peer-review websites are already helping consumers find the best car insurers and extended warranty providers, so there’s nothing to stop online tools helping just as much when looking for a respectable car mechanic and how much it should cost. Approaching car repair as you would any other supplier will go a long way towards helping consumers trust their local mechanics more. This is exactly why we have launched our price estimates tool.”