How much does an answering service for an auto repair shop cost? About $49 to $2,100 a month, or Sharrk from $99
By Sharrk Team · October 16, 2026
An answering service for an auto repair shop costs about $49 to $2,100 a month at published prices: roughly $49 to $500 for AI plans and $99 to $2,100 for live-agent plans. Sharrk answers every shop call 24/7 with an AI voice agent from $99 a month on Sharrk Core, with no contract and no setup fee.
The right number depends on how many calls your counter gets, whether you want people or AI on the line, and whether the service can book drop-offs instead of just taking messages. Here is what shops actually pay, what those calls look like, and how to pick a plan.
What calls does an auto repair shop actually get?
Most shop calls fall into five groups. Any service you pay for should handle all of them without a service advisor stepping away from the counter or a bay.
| Call type | What the caller wants | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes and price questions | "How much for brakes on a 2017 Silverado?" | Gives your posted ranges or diagnostic fee, captures year/make/model, offers a booking |
| Status checks | "Is my car ready?" | Captures name and vehicle, live-transfers to the advisor or takes a clear message |
| Booking and drop-offs | Oil change, inspection, check-engine light, tires | Books a drop-off time on your calendar and confirms by text |
| Towing and breakdowns | Car won't start, stranded on the highway | Captures location, vehicle and callback number, transfers to a person right away |
| Hours, directions, warranty | "Are you open Saturday?" "Do you honor my warranty?" | Answers from the details you set, every time, day or night |
Quotes and bookings are the calls that turn into repair orders. Status checks are the calls that eat your advisors' morning. A good answering service handles the first two completely and routes the rest without anyone getting a voicemail.
How much does an auto repair answering service cost?
These are published monthly prices from each company's own pricing page, checked October 16, 2026. Sharrk is listed first.
| Service | Type | Published monthly price | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharrk | AI voice and text agents | $0 (Free) / $99 (Core) / $449 (Complete) / $999 (Complete Plus) | Core: 47,500 credits a month (about 316 AI call minutes), 1 phone number, every feature; no contract, no setup fee |
| Rosie | AI answering | $49 to $299 | 250 to 2,000 minutes a month |
| Goodcall | AI answering | $79 to $299 | 100 to 2,000 unique customers a month; minutes not metered |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | AI answering | $0 to $500 | Free covers 25 calls; Pro starts at 75 calls; Enterprise starts at 300 calls |
| Ruby | Live receptionists | $250 to $1,725 | 50 to 500 minutes a month |
| PATLive | Live answering | $99 to $1,499 (plus a $49 pay-as-you-go plan at $2.99 a minute) | 50 to 1,000 minutes a month; $1.69 to $2.29 per extra minute |
| AnswerConnect | Live answering | $350 to $575 on standard plans (larger tiers above) | 200 to 400 minutes a month; $1.85 to $2.50 per extra minute |
| Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists | Live receptionists | $300 to $2,100 | 30 to 300 calls a month |
Shop-management platforms are adding phone answering too. Shop-Ware, for example, offers an AI receptionist for booking, common questions and after-hours calls, with pricing given through a demo rather than on the page.
The pattern is clear: live-agent plans are priced per minute or per call, and the bill climbs fast once your phone is busy. At 200 minutes a month, Ruby lists $720 and PATLive lists $349. Sharrk Core covers roughly 316 AI call minutes for $99.
For the bigger picture on staffing the phone yourself, see what it costs to hire a receptionist.
Should an auto repair shop use AI or live agents?
Live agents are a familiar choice for shops that want a human voice on every call, and they price that in. AI answering has moved past message-taking: a modern AI voice agent answers on the first ring, has a natural conversation, books the drop-off and sends a text confirmation, and it costs a fraction of a per-minute plan.
For most independent shops, AI wins on three counts:
- Volume. A busy Monday morning does not change the price per call on an AI plan the way it does on per-minute live plans.
- Booking. The goal is a booked bay, not a message slip. Sharrk books straight onto Sharrk's calendar, Calendly or Cal.com, or into ServiceTitan.
- After hours. Breakdowns happen at night and on Sundays. An AI agent answers at 2 a.m. the same way it answers at 10 a.m.
When a caller needs a person, such as a stranded driver or an upset customer, Sharrk's live transfer puts them through to your advisor or on-call phone.
What should you look for in an auto repair answering service?
Use this checklist before you sign up with anyone:
- Published pricing. You should be able to see the monthly price and what it covers before you talk to sales.
- Booking, not just messages. Ask whether the service books a drop-off time directly or only emails you a note.
- Live transfer rules. Towing calls and urgent breakdowns should reach a person immediately.
- Your shop's details. Diagnostic fee, hours, warranty policy, makes you service, loaner or shuttle policy. The agent should answer these the same way every time.
- Text follow-up. Customers who called for a quote and didn't book are easy money. Automated follow-up by text and call brings them back.
- No long contract. Month-to-month plans let you prove the value before committing.
If you also get web form requests or buy leads, reply fast: Sharrk answers new leads in under 30 seconds by call or text.
What does Mako do for a repair shop?
Mako is the AI assistant inside Sharrk that builds your agents, follow-ups and campaigns for you from plain English. Tell Mako something like "Answer calls for [Shop Name], we're open 7:30 to 5:30 weekdays, diagnostic fee is $[amount], book drop-offs in the morning, and transfer towing calls to [Advisor Name]," and Mako builds the voice agent, its booking rules and the transfer. Mako asks before applying any change, so you approve every step. You can test the agent in your browser on the free plan before you connect a number.
A simple call script for your shop's agent
Here is a starting point you can hand to Mako and adjust:
"Thanks for calling [Shop Name], this is the virtual assistant. Are you calling to book service, check on a vehicle, or something else?" Booking: "What's the year, make and model? And what's going on with it?" ... "I can get you in [day] at [time] for drop-off. Does that work?" Status check: "Can I get your name and the vehicle? I'll connect you with your service advisor now." Towing or breakdown: "Are you somewhere safe right now? What's your location? Let me get you to a person right away." Close: "You're all set. You'll get a text confirmation shortly."
How Sharrk handles this
Sharrk answers every call to your shop 24/7 with an AI voice agent, books drop-offs onto Sharrk's calendar, Calendly or Cal.com (or into ServiceTitan), and live-transfers towing and urgent calls to your team. New leads from web forms, Angi, Thumbtack and webhooks get a reply in under 30 seconds by call or text, and Strikes follow up on quotes that didn't book with calls, texts and emails inside 8am to 8pm quiet hours. Every lead lands in the built-in CRM with pipelines, and Hunts can reactivate old customer lists you have consent to contact.
Sharrk Core is $99 a month (or $990 a year) with 47,500 credits, one phone number and every feature. There are no contracts or setup fees, you can cancel anytime, and the first payment has a 30-day money-back guarantee minus usage. If you plan to text customers, carrier registration is a one-time $5 brand registration and $20 campaign vetting plus the carriers' small monthly campaign fee. See all plans on the pricing page and the AI receptionist for auto repair page.
Start free and have Mako build your shop's agent today, or book a demo.
Sources
- Rosie pricing (checked October 16, 2026)
- Goodcall pricing (checked October 16, 2026)
- Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing (checked October 16, 2026)
- Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists (checked October 16, 2026)
- Ruby plans and pricing (checked October 16, 2026)
- PATLive plans and pricing (checked October 16, 2026)
- AnswerConnect plans (checked October 16, 2026)
- Shop-Ware AI Receptionist (checked October 16, 2026)
Related on Sharrk: AI receptionist for auto repair · AI answering service · Speed to lead · Lead reactivation
Frequently asked questions
How much does an answering service for an auto repair shop cost?
About $49 to $2,100 a month at published prices, checked October 16, 2026. AI plans from Rosie, Goodcall and Smith.ai list roughly $49 to $500 a month, live-agent plans from Ruby, PATLive, AnswerConnect and Smith.ai list roughly $99 to $2,100, and Sharrk Core is $99 a month.
What is the cheapest way for an auto shop to answer every call?
An AI answering service is the lowest-cost way to answer every call 24/7. Sharrk Free lets you build and test an agent in your browser with no card, and Sharrk Core is $99 a month with about 316 AI call minutes, one phone number and every feature.
Can an AI answering service book auto repair appointments?
Yes. Sharrk's AI voice agent books drop-offs onto Sharrk's calendar, Calendly or Cal.com, or into ServiceTitan, and can live-transfer callers who need a person, such as towing and breakdown calls.
Is a live answering service worth it for a repair shop?
It depends on call volume, because live services price by the minute or call. At 200 minutes a month, Ruby lists $720 and PATLive lists $349, while Sharrk Core covers roughly 316 AI call minutes for $99 and transfers calls to your team when a person is needed.
Does Sharrk require a contract or setup fee?
No. Sharrk has no contracts and no setup fees, you can cancel anytime, and the first payment has a 30-day money-back guarantee minus usage.