When your laptop, a portable computer used for work, school, or personal tasks. Also known as a notebook, it stops working, the first question isn’t ‘Can it be fixed?’ — it’s ‘How much will it cost?’ A cracked screen might run you £150. A failing battery? Around £50. But if the motherboard’s dead, you could be looking at £300 or more — and that’s before labor. Most people don’t realize that laptop repair cost, the total price to diagnose and fix hardware or software issues in a laptop isn’t just about parts. It’s about age, brand, availability, and whether the shop charges for diagnostics up front. Some places will quote you £80 just to look at it, then add £60 an hour to fix it. Others bundle it all in. You need to know what you’re paying for.
It’s not just about the laptop repair, the process of diagnosing and fixing hardware or software problems in a laptop itself. The real decision is whether to fix it or replace it. If your laptop is over five years old and the screen’s cracked, spending £200 on a repair might not make sense — a new entry-level model starts at £350. But if it’s a three-year-old business machine with a bad keyboard, replacing the keys for £70 is a no-brainer. laptop repair vs replace, the decision-making process between fixing an existing laptop or buying a new one comes down to three things: how much you use it, how much it originally cost, and whether the fix will give you at least another year of reliable use. A £120 SSD upgrade can breathe new life into a slow laptop. A £250 motherboard replacement on a £400 laptop? That’s throwing money away.
And don’t forget the laptop repair parts, individual components like batteries, screens, keyboards, and motherboards used to fix laptops. Not all are created equal. Some shops use cheap knock-off screens that fade in six months. Others use OEM parts that match the original. Ask what kind of parts they use. Check if they offer a warranty — even a 30-day guarantee means they stand by their work. Also, avoid places that say ‘We fix everything’ without showing you specific repair examples. Real technicians can tell you exactly what’s wrong, why it happened, and how long the fix will last. If they can’t, walk away.
Most laptop repairs are simple — a dead battery, a loose charger port, a dusty fan. But if your laptop won’t turn on at all, or keeps crashing with blue screens, it’s probably deeper. That’s when you need someone who’s seen it before. Don’t guess. Don’t trust the guy at the mall kiosk who says ‘It’s the RAM.’ Real repairs need testing, not guesswork. The best repair shops don’t just swap parts — they explain why it broke and how to avoid it next time.
Below, you’ll find real-world breakdowns of common laptop issues, actual repair prices from local technicians, and clear advice on when to walk away. No fluff. No upsells. Just what you need to know before you hand over your laptop — and your money.
The most expensive part to repair on a laptop is the motherboard. Learn why it costs so much, when repair makes sense, and how to avoid costly damage before it happens.