Alternator labor time

1.5 hrtypical

1.2 to 2.3hours on most vehicles

$225typical labor at $150/hr

Alternator takes about 1.5 hr of shop labor on a typical vehicle. Across 29,569 vehicle and engine combinations from 60 makes, most fall between 1.2 and 2.3 hours, and the longest take up to 4.5 hours. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi vehicles tend to take the longest; AMC, Opel and Suzuki the least. The exact time depends on your car, so look yours up below or pick it on the home page.

Shop labor rate

per hour

Enter a rate to see the labor cost of each job. Many US shops charge somewhere between $100 and $200 an hour.

At $150 an hour, labor for this job is usually $180 to $345, about $225 on a typical vehicle. Parts are extra.

How long it takes across all vehicles

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

Hours, in half hour steps. Each bar is how many vehicle and engine combinations fall in that range.

Alternator time on popular vehicles

2026 Ford F-150 2.7L V6 EcoBoost1.7 hr
2026 Ford Mustang 2.3L I4 EcoBoost1.2 hr
2026 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.5L I4 Turbo1.7 hr
2026 Toyota Camry 2.5L I4 Hybrid1.8 hr
2026 Ford Ranger 2.3L I4 EcoBoost1.2 hr
2026 Dodge Charger 3.0L twin-turbo Hurricane I6 (Standard Output), 420 hp – Charger Sixpack S.O.1.8 hr
2026 Ford F-250 6.7L V8 Power Stroke Diesel1.3 hr
2026 Hyundai Sonata 1.6L I4 Turbo1.2 hr
2024 Audi A4 2.0L I4 TFSI2.5 hr
2025 Subaru Legacy 2.4L Turbo H41.8 hr
2026 Audi A6 2.0L Turbo I42.5 hr
2025 Volvo S60 2.0L I4 Turbo+SC1.8 hr
2026 Porsche 911 3.0L Twin Turbo H62.2 hr
2025 Toyota 4Runner 2.4L Turbo I4 i-FORCE (T24A-FTS)1.2 hr
2026 Hyundai Elantra 1.6L I4 Turbo1.2 hr
2026 Ram 1500 5.7L V8 Hemi eTorque1.8 hr
2020 Ford Fusion 2.0L I4 EcoBoost1.2 hr
2026 Ford Explorer 2.3L I4 EcoBoost1.2 hr
2023 Chrysler 300 3.6L V6 Pentastar1.2 hr
2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6L V6 Pentastar1.2 hr
2022 Volkswagen Passat 2.0L I4 TDI 1501.7 hr
2026 Subaru Outback 2.4L H4 Turbo1.8 hr
2020 Chevrolet Impala 3.6L LGX V6 (305 hp)1.5 hr
2026 Ford Escape 2.5L I4 Hybrid1.5 hr
2026 Dodge Durango 6.2L V8 Supercharged2.1 hr
2026 Honda Civic 1.5L I4 Turbo1.2 hr
2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 3.0L I6 Duramax LZ01.7 hr
2026 Toyota Tacoma 2.4L Turbo I4 (T24A-FTS)1.2 hr
2026 Honda Accord 1.5L I4 Turbo1.2 hr
2026 Toyota RAV4 2.5L I4 PHEV A25A-FXS1.5 hr
2026 Honda CR-V 1.5L I4 Turbo L15B1.7 hr
2026 Jeep Wrangler 3.0L V6 EcoDiesel1.7 hr
2026 Ford Bronco 2.3L I4 EcoBoost1.2 hr
2026 Chevrolet Tahoe 3.0L I6 Duramax1.7 hr
2025 Nissan Altima 2.5L I4 (PR25DD, 188 hp)1.7 hr

Alternator time by make

Make	Typical	Most vehicles	Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz	2.5 hr	2.0 to 2.8	1,695
BMW	2.5 hr	2.0 to 3.2	1,167
Audi	2.5 hr	2.0 to 3.5	712
Porsche	2.5 hr	2.0 to 3.5	571
Jaguar	2.5 hr	1.8 to 2.5	256
Genesis	2.2 hr	2.0 to 2.2	48
Alfa Romeo	2.0 hr	2.0 to 2.2	86
Volvo	1.8 hr	1.5 to 2.5	459
Land Rover	1.8 hr	1.5 to 2.8	177
Studebaker	1.8 hr	1.5 to 1.8	40
Hummer	1.8 hr	1.5 to 1.8	17
Ram	1.7 hr	1.5 to 1.8	326
Mini	1.7 hr	1.5 to 1.7	133
Smart	1.7 hr	1.7 to 1.7	6
Chevrolet	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.8	3,102
GMC	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.8	1,455
Toyota	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.7	1,404
Volkswagen	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.8	1,039
Hyundai	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.7	640
Cadillac	1.5 hr	1.2 to 2.5	634
Mazda	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.5	617
Chrysler	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.5	597
Subaru	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.8	468
Lexus	1.5 hr	1.2 to 2.0	442
Mitsubishi	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.8	413
Fiat	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.7	308
Lincoln	1.5 hr	1.2 to 2.3	303
Isuzu	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.5	154
Saab	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.7	116
Saturn	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	108
Morgan	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	67
MG	1.5 hr	1.2 to 1.8	60
Peugeot	1.5 hr	1.5 to 2.5	48
Scion	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	43
Eagle	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	41
Geo	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	37
Daewoo	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	30
Renault	1.5 hr	1.5 to 1.5	28
Ford	1.3 hr	1.2 to 1.8	2,925
Dodge	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.8	2,250
Nissan	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.7	842
Pontiac	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.8	793
Buick	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.7	755
Jeep	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.7	693
Plymouth	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.5	660
Oldsmobile	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.7	546
Mercury	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.8	494
Honda	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.5	486
Kia	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.7	459
Acura	1.2 hr	0.8 to 1.5	238
Infiniti	1.2 hr	1.2 to 2.0	229
Suzuki	1.2 hr	1.2 to 2.5	151
Opel	1.2 hr	1.2 to 1.5	20
AMC	0.8 hr	0.8 to 1.2	166

Other electrical repairs

Wiper Linkage1.5 hr typical
Wiper Motor - Front1.2 hr typical
Side Mirror Assembly0.8 hr typical
Wiper Switch0.8 hr typical
Headlight Assembly0.6 hr typical
Washer Reservoir0.8 hr typical
Tail Light Bulb0.3 hr typical
Radio/Head Unit1.2 hr typical
Combination Switch1.2 hr typical
Subwoofer1.5 hr typical
Battery Cable - Negative0.5 hr typical
Battery Cables - Both1.0 hr typical

Hours are what a professional technician takes with the right tools, the same way shops quote jobs. Figures come from the Open Labor Project database.