Short answer
Check the licence first — mechanics need a licence for some work and not other work. Then check that the business is who it says it is: of the 6,189 Australian mechanics in this directory, only 6.5% publish an ABN you can confirm, and 4.5% list a phone number that contradicts the one on their own website.
Mechanics handle servicing, brakes, suspension, engine and transmission work, diagnostics and roadworthy inspections. This is what to check before you hand over your keys, and what the evidence says about the category as a whole.
Mechanics are licensed for some work and not others
Motor vehicle repairers are licensed in some states and not others — NSW, Western Australia and the ACT license repair businesses, while several other states rely on Australian Consumer Law alone. Two credentials are national and worth more than the licence question: anyone handling air-conditioning refrigerant must hold an ARC licence, which you can check yourself, and a roadworthy or safety inspection can only be issued by a workshop specifically approved to do it.
It depends on the state. NSW Fair Trading, Building and Energy in WA, and Access Canberra license motor vehicle repair businesses, and their registers are searchable online. For refrigerant work the register is national — the Australian Refrigeration Council publishes a public licence lookup. For a roadworthy or safety certificate, the approving authority is the state road agency: VicRoads, Transport for NSW, or your state's equivalent.
What 6,189 Australian mechanics actually publish
We check every business in this directory the same way, and publish the result whether it flatters the trade or not. For mechanics:
| What we checked | Mechanics | All trades |
|---|---|---|
| Publish an ABN we could confirm | 6.5% | 9.8% |
| Listed phone matches their own website | 33.1% | 39.2% |
| Listed phone contradicts their own website | 4.5% | 4.8% |
| Website responded when we checked | 52.1% | 64.7% |
| Corroborated by two or more sources | 93.8% | 94.1% |
| Median number of Google reviews | 60 | 29 |
What goes wrong with mechanics
- Work authorised verbally, then billed well above the estimate
- Air-conditioning regas done by someone without an ARC licence
- Old parts never offered back, so the replacement can't be verified
- A roadworthy certificate issued by a workshop not approved to issue one
What to ask before the work starts
- Will you call me for authorisation if the price is going to exceed the quote?
- Are you ARC licensed if the job involves the air conditioning?
- Can I have the old parts back when the work is finished?
A mechanic who answers all three of those without hesitating is telling you something useful. One who is vague about a licence number is telling you something too.
The median matters more than the average
The median mechanic in this directory has 60 Google reviews. That is the number to hold in your head when you see a perfect five-star rating: five stars from four reviews and 4.6 from three hundred are not comparable, and the second is almost always the safer hire.
It is also why the ranking here weights review volume more heavily than review score. A business cannot buy its position, and a handful of glowing reviews does not move it far.
Where the mechanics are
Melbourne (392), Sydney (332), Brisbane (265), Perth (262), Adelaide (200), Gold Coast (199). A shortlist for your own area is more useful than a national ranking — the best mechanic in the country is no help if they are four states away.
Where to check a licence, by state
There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state where the work is happening.
- NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
- VICVictorian Building Authority, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
- QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
- WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
- SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
- TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
- ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
- NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers
Common questions
- Do mechanics need a licence in Australia?
- Sometimes. Motor vehicle repairers are licensed in some states and not others — NSW, Western Australia and the ACT license repair businesses, while several other states rely on Australian Consumer Law alone. Two credentials are national and worth more than the licence question: anyone handling air-conditioning refrigerant must hold an ARC licence, which you can check yourself, and a roadworthy or safety inspection can only be issued by a workshop specifically approved to do it.
- How do I check a mechanic's licence?
- It depends on the state. NSW Fair Trading, Building and Energy in WA, and Access Canberra license motor vehicle repair businesses, and their registers are searchable online. For refrigerant work the register is national — the Australian Refrigeration Council publishes a public licence lookup. For a roadworthy or safety certificate, the approving authority is the state road agency: VicRoads, Transport for NSW, or your state's equivalent.
- What percentage of Australian mechanics have a verifiable ABN?
- 6.5% of the 6,189 mechanics in this directory publish an ABN we could confirm against the national register, against 9.8% across all trades.
- How many reviews should a mechanic have?
- The median mechanic here has 60. Treat a five-star rating from a handful of reviews with more caution than a slightly lower rating from hundreds.
Compare mechanics near you
6,189 mechanics, ranked on the evidence described above rather than on advertising.
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