Free calculator
Average repair order calculator
Shop revenue comes from two numbers: how many cars you service and what each ticket averages. Find your ARO, then see what a few dollars more per ticket or a few more cars a week adds up to over a year.
Last month
Sales minus parts cost and tech pay, as a % of sales.
What if…
One approved inspection item on a few tickets adds up fast.
Your average repair order
$405
On $1,020,000 a year of sales today.
- +$30 per ticket, per year+$75,600
- +2 cars a week, per year+$45,215
- Added sales per year+$120,815
- Added gross profit per year+$62,824
Raise ARO with proof, not pressure
In MyAutoShopPro the tech photographs what they find, the customer approves line by line from a text, and declined work stays on the vehicle for the next visit. ARO and car count are on the dashboard every day. Inspections and texting come with Starter. Start on the Free plan and upgrade when you're ready.
ARO and car count: the only two levers
Sales = car count × average repair order
Every growth plan for a repair shop is some mix of these two. More cars means marketing, reviews, fleet accounts and keeping the bays scheduled. A higher ARO means finding and selling the work each car already needs. The calculator above shows why most shops start with ARO: the cars are already on the lift, so a higher ticket doesn't cost you any advertising.
It also shows how small changes compound. At 210 tickets a month, $30 more per ticket is $75,600 a year in sales. You get there with one approved air filter or wiper set on a fraction of tickets and an occasional brake job that would otherwise have gone to the shop down the road.
How to raise your average repair order
- Inspect every vehicle. A consistent multi-point inspection on every car is the foundation. Our free vehicle inspection checklist is a starting template.
- Show, don't tell. A photo of a cracked belt sells it. A line item reading "serpentine belt" usually doesn't.
- Prioritize honestly. Split findings into safety now, soon, and watch. Customers approve more when they trust you aren't selling everything at once.
- Follow up on declines. Declined work is a future appointment. A reminder in three weeks converts a surprising share of it.
- Price correctly. A matrix on parts and a labor rate that covers your costs lift ARO on every ticket. See the parts markup calculator and the labor rate calculator.
Measure it the same way every month
Use sales before tax, count every closed repair order including warranty and comebacks, and compare the same month year over year so seasonal swings don't fool you. If your ARO is climbing while your effective labor rate is falling, you're selling more work at a bigger discount. That's worth catching early.
ARO FAQ
Average repair order questions
Q1What is ARO in auto repair?
ARO stands for average repair order: the average amount a customer spends per visit. It's your sales for a period divided by the number of repair orders you closed in the same period. Most shops calculate it on sales before tax.
Q2How do you calculate average repair order?
Divide total sales (labor plus parts, before tax) by the number of repair orders for the same period. $85,000 in a month over 210 repair orders is an ARO of about $405.
Q3What is a good average repair order for an auto repair shop?
It varies widely with what the shop does. A quick-lube-heavy shop might sit near $100, a general repair shop commonly lands in the $350–$600 range, and European or diesel specialists run higher. The useful comparison is your own ARO against last year's, and against what your inspections say the cars actually need.
Q4What is car count?
Car count is the number of vehicles (repair orders) your shop services in a period, usually tracked per day or per week. Revenue is ARO multiplied by car count, so those are the two levers for growing sales.
Q5How do I increase my average repair order without overselling?
Inspect every car and show the customer what you found, with photos. Recommend work by safety and urgency rather than pushing all of it today, and follow up on what they declined. Approval rates go up when customers can see the worn part on their phone, and the declined work becomes next month's appointment instead of a lost sale.
Free tools
More free shop calculators
- parts markup calculator A tiered parts pricing matrix that lifts margin on every ticket.
- effective labor rate calculator Make sure a higher ARO isn't coming from bigger discounts.
- vehicle inspection checklist A free printable multi-point inspection sheet.
- digital vehicle inspection software Photo inspections customers approve from their phone.