How Much Does an Air Con Regas Cost?

Oh, air con. If your car has it, you’ll probably never be willing to return to a car that doesn’t. And if your car doesn’t have air con at all, well, those summer drives to the beach can get pretty unbearable. Not to mention the fact that your air conditioning is a very effective demister on cold mornings.

If you can believe it, the first air conditioned cars appeared in 1939, and it was popularised in the 1950s, with over half of cars produced by 1969 being equipped with air conditioning. You might be surprised to learn that something invented so long ago has only become common in most cars in recent years.

Not only do petrol and diesel cars require air con regassing, both electric and hybrid cars should have their air conditioning systems maintained and gas replaced to ensure they’re working optimally. The air conditioning system is important for electric cars because it helps with thermal management.

But how much does it cost?

Air con regas prices

It can cost anywhere between £69.95 and £200 to get your air con regassed, depending on the type of vehicle you have and where you get it done.

Most cars in the UK use one of two types of refrigerant in their air con systems - R134A and R1234YF. This refrigerant gas is what keeps the whole system working and your air con blowing out cold air, so if you notice your air con isn’t doing what it should, it’s likely that your refrigerant needs refilling.

To find out which type of refrigerant your car uses, you can type in your registration number on our air conditioning tool. As a rule of thumb, vehicles manufactured before 2014 will use ??R134A, however due to its effects on global warming it has been phased out and vehicles manufactured after January 2017 have been using the more eco-friendly R1234YF.

The pricing depends on the refrigerant; with Kwik Fit, for R134A gas the cost to recharge is £69.95, and for R1234YF gas the cost is £134.95 to recharge.

Use our handy online tool to book your air conditioning regas and service.

How do I know if my air con needs regassing?

While manufacturers recommend you get your air conditioning refilled every 2 years, it’s perfectly likely that you will run out sooner if you use it regularly. Air conditioning levels are not usually checked or regassed as part of an MOT test or vehicle service, so it’s important to add an air con regas to your maintenance routine.

You’ll know if your air conditioning needs regassing because:

• it doesn’t work consistently
• it blows out warm air

If your air con system is blowing out warm air, getting it refilled will also help you save on fuel as the system won’t have to work so hard to blow cold air.

However, if you have consistent issues with your air con or you find it runs out soon after regassing, it might be that there’s another problem with the system.

If this is the case, book in for a free air conditioning check so that one of our technicians can diagnose the problem.

Can I do the air con regas myself?

Whilst it is possible to do an air con regas yourself, there are a lot of elements to consider. For one, it’s important to make sure that you have the correct refrigerant for your vehicle and you understand how to handle it.

The cost of the refrigerant and equipment to undertake the task can cost as much as taking your vehicle to a garage, so if you’re not 100% confident on how to do it or you’re worried about potential issues with your air con, we recommend that you take your car to an expert.

Stay cool with a Kwik Fit air con recharge

As well as running out of refrigerant, there are other reasons why your air con might not be up to scratch.

It’s possible that if your vents emit a bad odour, your car could benefit from an air con cleaning service - cleaning out any bacteria, fungi, or mould that may have built up over time. Find out more about our air con debugging service.

To ensure your air con runs as efficiently as possible, book in for a recharge service today at your local Kwik Fit centre. In the meantime, don’t forget to keep up-to-date with the latest motoring news, advice, and trends by checking out our blog.

* prices correct at time of publication