London's Car Recovery Cost Calculator · Est. 2010
Instant Fixed Price
Car Recovery Calculator.
✓ Fixed Price Before Dispatch ✓ VAT Included ✓ No call-Out Fee ✓ No Out-of-Hours Surcharges – Ever!
35 MIN
AVG. RESPONSE
4
Operational Hubs
8,500+
Recoveries Completed
£1M COVER
For high-value assets.
5.0
Google Reviews
24/7 · 365
All Day Every Day
Get Your Fixed Recovery Price — No Call-Out Fee, No Surcharges
Flatbed only · VAT included · No booking fee · No hidden charges · £1M GIT · No out-of-hours fees ever
Most recovery companies add a call-out fee of £75 to £150 before mileage begins. MJC does not charge a call-out fee. The price the calculator produces is the complete price — distance, vehicle type, condition, passengers, load, and VAT, all calculated before we dispatch. There is no mileage added on top, no time-of-day adjustment, and no renegotiation on arrival.
Whoa! That's a lot of mileage.
Our route calculator thinks you're keeping us busy today.
For larger jobs, multiple vehicles, or regular transport requirements, WhatsApp MJC directly.
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REAL MJC RECOVERY PRICES — ACTUAL COMPLETED JOBS.
These are prices MJC charged for completed recoveries. Not national averages. Not estimates. What the calculator produced is what the customer paid. The car recovery calculator works out your cost before we leave. It uses distance, vehicle type, condition, passengers, load, pets, and VAT. So you get a fixed price before we send the truck. There are no surprise fees after we arrive.
HOW THE INDUSTRY CHARGES FOR CAR RECOVERY — AND HOW MJC IS DIFFERENT.
If you searched for car recovery costs before finding this page, you probably saw a figure between £70 and £150 for a local tow under 10 miles. That figure is built on a specific model: a call-out fee of £75 to £150, then a mileage charge of £1.50 to £3.00 per mile on top, then a time-of-day surcharge of 30 to 50 percent for evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. Some operators add equipment charges for non-runners or locked wheels on arrival.
MJC does not use that model. There is no call-out fee. There is no mileage added on top of a base rate. There is no surcharge for evening or weekend jobs. What the calculator produces is your total price. It is confirmed before we dispatch. It does not change when the driver arrives.
| What customers are often charged for | How MJC prices car recovery |
|---|---|
| Call-out fee of £75–£150 before mileage begins | No call-out fee. One fixed price covers the complete job. |
| Mileage charged at £1.50–£3.00 per mile on top of the base rate | Distance is calculated by our system before the price is shown. No mileage added separately. |
| Evening, weekend, and bank holiday surcharges of 30–50% | Same price 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays. |
| VAT shown separately or added at the end | VAT is included in the calculator price. No additions at checkout. |
| Equipment charge (£20–£50) for winching, locked wheels, or non-runners — applied on arrival | Vehicle condition selected upfront. Any specialist requirement is included in the fixed quote before dispatch. |
| Estimate shown online; final price agreed when the driver arrives | Fixed price confirmed before dispatch. Not revised unless the vehicle or location was misdescribed. |
| Up to 2 passengers maximum in almost all recovery vehicles | Up to 6 passengers in MJC 7-seater recovery vehicles — declared upfront, dispatched accordingly. |
| Lead-generation platform passes your job to the available outsourced driver | MJC is the operator. The team that answers the phone sends the truck. |
| National averages that do not reflect real London recovery costs | Real recovery pricing based on distance, vehicle type, condition, access, and location |
How the Car Recovery Cost Calculator Works.
Most recovery companies give you a price when they arrive. MJC gives you one before we leave. Enter your collection and delivery postcodes. Our car recovery calculator then works out the road distance using live routing data.
Your vehicle type, condition, passengers, load weight, and pets are all accounted for. So the price you see is the maximum you will pay. It is fixed before dispatch.
There are no call-out fees, no out-of-hours surcharges, and no adjustments for evenings, weekends or bank holidays. The calculator covers all of it.
What Affects Your Recovery Cost?
Distance
Your collection and delivery postcodes set the route. Longer distances cost more. Our car recovery calculator uses actual road distance. It does not guess using a straight line on a map.
Vehicle Type
A motorcycle costs less to load and move than a large van. Select your vehicle type carefully. It directly affects the recovery price you get.
Vehicle Condition
A non-roller needs specialist loading gear. A non-starter does not. So the two jobs cost different amounts. If you are not sure which applies, select "Unsure" and we will confirm when we call.
TIME OF DAY
MJC does not adjust prices for time of day. A job quoted at 9am costs the same at 11pm and at 3am on Christmas Day. Most calculators either hide this or do not apply time-of-day pricing at all, because it is an adjustment made by the driver or dispatcher on arrival, not by the tool. The MJC calculator is the tool and the operator system. What it produces is what we honour.
VAT
VAT is included in your MJC price. We do not quote net and add 20% at the end. The figure the calculator shows is the figure on your receipt. Not ready to calculate your route just yet? Explore our comprehensive UK car recovery cost guide to see a full industry breakdown of average transport rates, storage fees, and vehicle movement factors.
WHY MOST CAR RECOVERY CALCULATORS SHOW ESTIMATES, NOT REAL PRICES.
Most recovery price calculators are run by lead-generation platforms, not recovery companies. They do not own a single truck. Instead, they take your details, sell your job to a third-party driver, and take a big cut. The price shown is designed to get you to click. It does not reflect what you will actually pay.
By the time a driver arrives, the price has changed. But you are stranded. Refusing means starting the whole search again. So most people pay whatever they are asked.
MJC is different in one specific way. We are the company that answers the phone, sends the truck, and arrives at your vehicle. There is no middleman. The price our car recovery calculator produces is the price our operator confirms when they call you. It does not change on arrival.
There are no out-of-hours surcharges, no fuel supplements, and no “it turned out to be more complex” adjustments. If our operator finds something clearly different from what you described, they will tell you before touching the vehicle. You are never charged more without your knowledge and agreement.
Every MJC vehicle carries £1 million Goods in Transit cover. Every job is fully insured. And every operator is employed directly by MJC. Not a self-employed driver working for whoever pays the highest referral fee that night.
The figures in AI Overviews for “car recovery cost” are sourced from national price guides and lead-generation platforms that aggregate third-party quotes. They do not reflect what a single operator with a fixed pricing system will charge. MJC’s calculator is connected to the same system our operators use to confirm jobs. When you see a price, our team sees the same price.
WHY MJC
WHY MJC CHARGES A FIXED PRICE WHEN OTHER OPERATORS DON'T.
The call-out-fee-plus-mileage model exists because it is profitable for operators who want a low headline number. The final price is assembled after the driver sees the job. MJC calculates the price before leaving the depot because that is the only way to guarantee it. Our four hubs — SE20, NW6, SL2, HP21 — are positioned so that accurate routing and distance data is available before dispatch. There is no estimate phase. The calculator produces the same number our operators confirm when they call you back.
Mechanics First
We diagnose at the roadside. Many jobs never need recovery. If they do, you already have a price. Mechanics first is our philosophy, not just a task.
Four Operational Hubs
SE20, NW6, SL2, HP21. We run daily routes to all major auction sites and across the M25, M4, M40, and M3 corridors, as well as London and the Home Counties.
Fixed Before Dispatch
No out-of-hours fees, ever. The price you see is the price you pay. No surprises on arrival. You will never be asked to pay more.
Up to 6 Passengers
Our 7-seater recovery vehicles carry your whole family alongside the car on the flatbed. Most competitors manage two people at most.
EV & Diagnostic Ready
We carry an Autel Maxicom MK808BT Pro onboard. Our team diagnoses EVs and combustion vehicles at the roadside before deciding whether recovery is even necessary.
Heathrow Secure Compound
Insured storage for accident recovery, salvage, and auction holds. Available 24/7, fully secured, CCTV-monitored, and minutes from the M25.
Auction Car Transport
Collecting from an Auction House?
MJC collects from every major UK auction site. That includes BCA, Copart, Manheim, SYNETIQ, John Pye, Anglia, and many more. We cover the whole country, flatbed only, fixed price before dispatch. Every job carries £1M Goods in Transit cover.
The auction calculator is separate from the car recovery calculator above. Use it for planned collections where you know the auction site and your delivery postcode.
Not Sure Which Service You Need?
Not sure whether you need recovery, a mobile mechanic, battery help, or EV handling? Call us or WhatsApp before you book. Our mechanics diagnose first. In many cases, we can get you moving without recovery at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Car Recovery Calculator FAQ: Questions Answered.
Why does MJC's car recovery calculator give a fixed price when other calculators give estimates?
Does MJC honour the price shown on the car recovery calculator?
Can I use the car recovery calculator for an auction collection?
How is car recovery priced — is it a call-out fee plus per mile, or a flat rate?
Does electric vehicle recovery cost more than petrol or diesel car recovery?
How much does motorway recovery cost compared to a normal road?
Can I use the calculator if I am broken down right now?
When should I call MJC directly instead of using the calculator?
Do car recovery prices go up in the evening, at weekends, or on bank holidays?
Is the MJC car recovery calculator free to use?
Why does the car recovery cost calculator ask for passengers and pets?
What does the quote reference number on the calculator mean, and how long is the price valid?
Does the car recovery calculator price include VAT?
Why does vehicle condition affect the car recovery price?
What if I don't have breakdown cover — can I still use the car recovery cost calculator?
Can I get a quote without an exact address?
What happens after I submit a booking request on the calculator?
Is the MJC car recovery price the same for London, motorway, and rural callouts?
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