OptiTech Automation · Original research · August 2026
What UK electricians charge for a call-out in 2026
We read the published prices of 31 UK electrical firms. Of the 20 that state a standard-hours figure, the median minimum is £92, the highest of the core trades. Published rates run from a £30 attendance-only fee (then charged by the 15 minutes) to £171 plus VAT for the first hour. Out-of-hours work adds about 1.33×, the smallest emergency premium we measured. Every figure below links to the firm’s own page.
By Cristian Moise, founder · Data accessed 18 August 2026
Where electricians sit against the other trades
The chart below puts the electricians median in context with the other trades in the study. The full national picture (regional differences, the out-of-hours premium and the VAT question) is in the main study.
Every firm we recorded
The 20 firms below publish a standard-hours figure. Each links to the page it came from, accessed 18 August 2026. “Out-of-hours” is the published evening/weekend or emergency minimum where the firm states one.
| Firm | Town | Standard | Out-of-hours | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grip Electric Limited '£30 call-out fee'; '£63 per 15 minutes'; excluding VAT. National multi-location site | Newcastle upon Tyne | £30 | £30 | ex VAT |
| Electrician Glasgow Services '£45.00 – £65.00 per hour' (midpoint 55); out-of-hours £85-£120 | Glasgow | £35 | £85 | not stated |
| Emergency Electricians 247 (Wolverhampton) First half hour '£57', subsequent half hours '£49'; out of hours first half hour '£73', then '£65' | Wolverhampton | £57 | £73 | not stated |
| Smart Electricians '£60+vat per hour' first hour, then '£35+vat per hour' | Sheffield | £60 | £60 | ex VAT |
| Able Electricians Manchester & Salford '£60 for the first hour including callout'; 'Between 5pm and 8am our standard callout charge is £100 for the first hour' | Manchester | £60 | £100 | not stated |
| Farthing Electrical Ltd '£80 plus vat, which includes the first hour of labour' then '£40 plus VAT per hour thereafter' | Solihull | £80 | n/a | ex VAT |
| Brighton City Electrical Ltd '£80.00 + Vat call out fee including first hour then £40.00 + Vat per hour thereafter'; Sat £120 + VAT | Brighton | £80 | £120 | ex VAT |
| JP Electrical & EV Solutions '£85' weekday call-out, '£120' evening/weekend, '£150' bank hol/late night; labour '£75/hour' | Leeds | £85 | £120 | no VAT on domestic work |
| LMG Electrical Ltd '£85.00 - Minimum attendance fee'; '£45.00 - Hourly rate for scheduled work'; '£165.00 - Hourly rate for emergency wor… | Hassocks (Brighton) | £85 | £165 | ex VAT |
| KDC Electrical '£90 for the first hour then £40 per hour after'; £105 first hour 9PM-12AM; £120 first hour 12AM-5AM | Belfast | £90 | £120 | not stated |
| Leeds Bradford Electricians 'No call-out fee' but first hour '£95' + VAT then '£65 + VAT per hour' | Shipley | £95 | n/a | ex VAT |
| Sparky Leeds In hours £95 'First hour includes callout and diagnosis'; evening/weekend £180 then '£75 per additional hour' | Leeds | £95 | £180 | not stated |
| Sky Electrical Ltd 'Initial Hour / Call Out: £97.50 + VAT', 'Subsequent Hours: £85 + VAT per hour' | Twickenham | £98 | n/a | ex VAT |
| Electric11 Ltd '£110 + VAT (minimum charge, includes up to 1 hour)'; out of hours '£165ph' | Attleborough | £110 | £165 | ex VAT |
| My Local Electrician 'Call-Out Charge £120 + VAT' 'includes the first hour of work'; hourly '£95 + VAT' | London | £120 | £150 | ex VAT |
| Vero Group '£120 + VAT (1st hour), £80 each hour after'; '£165 + VAT (1st hour), £100 each hour after' out of hours | Whitstable | £120 | £165 | ex VAT |
| Lewin Electrical Services '1st Hour on-site/Call Out £130.00' Mon-Fri; electrician £65/hr; plus VAT | Leicester | £130 | £60 | ex VAT |
| PBW Electrics Ltd '£140/ hour (First) then £70 every other hour' PL7; '£180/ hour (First) then £90' other postcodes/weekends; inclusive… | Plymouth | £140 | £180 | inc VAT |
| MJP Electrical Services Ltd '£171.00 Plus VAT' in-hours; '£228.00 Plus VAT' out-of-hours | Bristol | £171 | £228 | ex VAT |
| MJP Electrical Services Ltd (Cardiff branch) Same firm as Bristol row. 'urgent call-out charge is £171.00 plus VAT which includes the first hour'; 'standard hourly… | Cardiff | £171 | £171 | ex VAT |
Download the data
Every figure in this study, by firm, with the exact wording and a link to the source page. Free to reuse with a credit and a link back to this page (CC BY 4.0).
Method
A census of published prices, not a survey of charged prices. We located UK trade businesses via web search on 18 August 2026 and recorded only figures visibly stated on the firm’s own website; directory listings and third-party price guides were excluded. Where a range was published, the midpoint was used and the range kept in the notes. Firms that publish are self-selected towards transparency and the confident end of pricing, so read these as published, not average, prices. Prices are as displayed and not VAT-normalised, and medians are rounded to the nearest pound (exact values are in the dataset). All figures were correct on the access date; websites change.
OptiTech Automation builds booking and job-management software for UK trade businesses. This study is independent of any customer relationship; no firm in the sample was contacted or is a customer.
The fee that’s already paid is never disputed.
Whether or not you charge a call-out fee, the argument at the door happens when the customer didn’t know the number. OptiTech Automation puts your price on the booking page, repeats it in the confirmation, and takes it as a card deposit at booking, into your own account.