Mechanics Alliance's annual survey of the profession — the rates, income, and economics no national dataset tracks. 2026 edition, now in the field.
The State of Mobile Mechanics is Mechanics Alliance's annual, methodology-backed survey of mobile automotive mechanics across the United States. It measures what mobile mechanics actually charge, earn, and do — the mobile-specific numbers that no government source or price aggregator collects. The 2026 edition is currently collecting responses. The 2026 field period closes November 14, 2026, and first results publish within two weeks of close.
If you search for what a mobile mechanic charges or earns, you will not find an authoritative number. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics groups every mechanic into one category and does not break out mobile work, and the price guides online are published by the companies that sell the service. That leaves a gap — and a trade association surveying the profession directly is the natural source to fill it. This report is that source.
| Metric | 2026 status |
|---|---|
| Median hourly labor rate (national + by region) | Collecting responses |
| Callout / travel fee norms | Collecting responses |
| Owner-operator annual income | Collecting responses |
| Flat-rate vs. hourly billing mix | Collecting responses |
| Service mix and specialization (EV, diesel, fleet) | Collecting responses |
| Startup cost and time to profitability | Collecting responses |
| Years in business and top challenges | Collecting responses |
The report is built on a direct survey of practicing mobile mechanics, run annually. Each edition publishes its sample size, field dates, and question wording so the numbers can be cited with confidence and compared year over year. Where a metric overlaps with public data (for example, general-mechanic wages from the BLS), we note the comparison and are explicit about what is survey-derived versus externally sourced. We do not extrapolate beyond what the sample supports.
How the sample is described. This is a self-selected online sample of people who identify as US mobile automotive mechanics, not a probability sample. We publish the field period, the number of completed responses, the screening questions and the regional breakdown so anyone can judge it. Responses are de-duplicated by email, and responses sharing a business name are reviewed before publication.
The State of Mobile Mechanics is free to cite with attribution to Mechanics Alliance. When results publish, this page will carry the headline figures, a methodology note, and a downloadable dataset. For interviews, data requests, or the press kit, see the Media Kit.
The report is only as strong as the mechanics who contribute. It takes about eight minutes, your answers are reported only as aggregates, and every response makes the published rate and income data more accurate. Data that helps the whole trade price and negotiate with confidence.
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