Auto repair pricing has traditionally been shrouded in opacity. Labor rates vary, markups are unpredictable, and consumers are left guessing. But for many women, this uncertainty goes beyond price—it becomes an experience tinged with mistrust, bias, and overall bad experience.
At Buckled, we understand the frustration that many women face. As you may have seen in many of our street interviews on our social media, women often avoid going to mechanics even if their vehicle is at the brink of falling apart.
In this article, we go over how this has been shaped and what we can do to change it.
The Hard Truth: Evidence of Gender-Based Overcharging
A landmark field experiment—Repairing the Damage: The Effect of Price Knowledge and Gender on Auto‑Repair Price Quotes—revealed the following patterns for the different types of callers:
- Informed callers (regardless of gender) received quotes $25–$35 below the average market rate (~$365) when they stated that they were aware of pricing benchmarks. (Edmonds)
- Women who appeared uninformed about repair costs were quoted higher prices—averaging $406—compared to men, who received quotes of around $383 in the same scenario. (The Atlantic)
- When callers mentioned a price, regardless of their gender, the price gap seems to have disappeared (HBS)
- In negotiation scenarios, women were more likely than men to secure a price concession—35% versus 25%. This may be attributable to a "chivalry effect" among service staff who were caught off guard by women advocating strongly for a better deal.
More recent survey data from the UK reflects a persistent sense of unfairness:
- 77% of women feel unable to trust auto repair quotes, and 45% say prices quoted to them are unfair or inaccurate. (Bodyshop Mag)
- This is a global pattern. In Australia, consumers have labeled it the “girl tax” when women report significantly inflated quotes until a man intervenes—sometimes cutting the cost dramatically. (Women’s News)
- These findings are consistent with broader consumer trends showing how women often pay a “pink tax” higher prices for products and services compared to men, even when the cost basis is identical.
Why It Happens: Legacy, Stereotype, and Systemic Inequity
1. Male-Dominated Industry Structure
Auto repair shops remain overwhelmingly male: industry data shows less than 10% of workers are women, and only about 2% are mechanics or technicians. This lack of representation could be one of the reasons behind the gender stereotypes that we see.
2. Gender Stereotypes and Presumed Ignorance
Researchers attribute the pricing disparities not to outright malice, but to statistical discrimination—service providers assume uninformed women are genuinely unknowledgeable and thus more easily charged extra. Men saying they are uninformed, by contrast, might be perceived as savvy or testing the shop’s honesty. (The Atlantic)
3. Systemic ‘Pink Tax’ Across Industries
Gender-based overpricing isn’t unique to auto repair. It can be found across sectors—including insurance, personal care, dry cleaning, and purchasing new vehicles. In many cases, women pay 7% to 13% more for similar services and goods.
How Women Around The World are Making an Impact
A widely shared post from Australia describes a woman receiving a $1,000 air‑conditioning repair quote only for another quote (from her male colleague’s referral) to come back at $300. She, and many others, now rely on male relatives to handle these transactions to avoid inflated pricing. She and other users dubbed this phenomenon the "girl tax."
Similarly, engineer-turned-mechanic Patrice Banks left a high-profile career after repeatedly being overcharged and dismissed as a “car‑airhead.” She now runs a female-focused auto clinic to help women skip the bias and get fair treatment. She went ahead to found the Girls Auto Clinic Repair Center, a Pennsylvania-based auto repair center that caters to women clientele, is staffed by women mechanics, and has a nail salon for manicure and pedicure services. (Wikipedia)
What Needs to Change—and How Buckled.io Is Leading the Way
Our core mission here at Buckled is to change the industry, and allow more transparency for the industry. We understand that the frustrations with the price discriminations are felt by almost all consumers, and we want to change that. Here are some of the ways we’re looking to change the industry for all:
1. Empower All Drivers with Transparent Data
If informed callers get better pricing—and women are penalized only when perceived as uninformed—then the solution is clarity anytime, anywhere. Buckled.AI provides real-time, vehicle-specific pricing benchmarks, instantly leveling the playing field.
2. Normalize Price Discussion
Stating an expected price upfront can equalize perceptions—making service providers treat women and men equally. Buckled.AI tools encourage drivers to do just that, based on data.
3. Build Trust Through Technology
The mechanic industry doesn’t need to be replaced—it needs balance and transparency. Buckled.AI supports honest shops and protects drivers from bias.
The Way Forward
Women shouldn’t need a companion—or data savvy—to avoid being overcharged. They deserve tools that speak truth to power: data-driven, impartial, and trusted. This goes for all users, regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, or any other factor. We are working to bring these tools to life for us all in order to build a better environment for people to maintain and take care of vehicles; and for the shops to provide a better experience for their clients.
