How Fixtimate prices car repairs
Every price on Fixtimate's repair cost pages comes from one formula and the data below. The pages' text is written with the help of an AI model, but the model never writes or changes a number: prices, counts and dates are put in by our own code.
The formula
Price = hours of labour × the shop's hourly rate + parts + shop supplies + environmental fee, before tax.
- Shop supplies are taken as 7% of labour, up to $45, plus a $6 environmental fee.
- Dealerships are priced with the carmaker's own parts; independent shops and chains with aftermarket parts.
- We work out a spread of likely prices, not one number. "Low" and "high" on each page are the 25th and 75th percentiles (the middle half); "typical" is the median.
- Headline prices are for a compact SUV (a CR-V, RAV4 or Rogue, for example). Each page also lists other vehicle types.
Where the numbers come from
- Starting estimate. Hourly rates for eight Ontario regions and three kinds of shop, and the hours and parts each job takes, set by Fixtimate from general knowledge of Ontario repair pricing. It is a first guess, not a survey, and it is what a page shows until real data arrives.
- Published shop prices. An AI web search collects prices that Ontario shops publish online for each job, at most 10 websites per job, searched again when older than 30 days. They move the estimate but never replace it: the estimate counts as 2 sources, and published prices can move it to between 60% and 170% of the starting figure.
- Shared quotes and invoices. When a driver checks a quote, its prices are shared unless they switch sharing off. The shared price record has names, phone numbers, emails, plates, VINs and postal codes removed and isn't linked to an account; no quote or invoice is ever shown on these pages (see the privacy notice). A shared figure counts toward a page only once at least 5 invoices from at least 3 different shops back it, and each one pulls the estimate toward what people really paid.
Cities and regions
Hourly rates and shared invoices are kept for eight regions of Ontario, not for each city, so cities in the same region (Mississauga and Brampton, for example) show the same prices.
Confidence labels
- High confidence. Backed by at least ten shared local invoices, or by local hourly rates, hours and parts prices from real invoices.
- Medium confidence. Fixtimate's estimate, checked against prices that Ontario shops publish online.
- Early estimate. Fixtimate's starting estimate, not yet checked against enough real invoices or published prices.
Pages marked "Early estimate" are listed like any other, but their prices are Fixtimate's starting estimate only: treat them as a guide and check them against a written estimate.
How often prices change
Each page shows the date its prices were worked out. Pages are rebuilt when we publish new pages and every Monday, from the latest shared invoices and published prices. The written text on each repair-and-city page is reviewed by a person before it goes live.
What these prices are not
They are typical prices, not quotes. Fixtimate doesn't name shops on these pages or say any kind of shop overcharges. A shop's own price depends on your car and what it finds.
Repairs
Updated November 2026.