How we chose
We started from the sixty car air conditioning firms on our Telford candidate list. Scheme memberships were sourced from the REFCOM register, the DVSA authorised tester network, each firm's own website and motoring platforms [3] [5] [6]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Twelve firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score — the star rating itself, since beyond a small handful of reviews volume adds nothing — then qualifications, then trading history and stated cover, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated September 2026.
How to hire
Match the garage to the job first. A recharge tops up the refrigerant; it does not fix leaks, compressors or electrics, so describe the symptom when you enquire rather than ordering a regas by name. Most cars take one of two refrigerant gases: broadly, cars built before 2014 take the older gas and cars built since 2017 take the newer one, and the two are not interchangeable [8]. If your air con blows warm, a check comes before a refill, since a system that keeps emptying has a leak that gas alone will not fix.
The person matters more than the badge. The technician handling the gas must hold a personal F-gas qualification for mobile air conditioning by law, even when employed by someone else [1]. A garage company does not need its own F-gas certificate for car and van air conditioning [2], so treat a REFCOM company listing as reassurance rather than a requirement, and search the REFCOM register for the business name yourself [3]. Where a site states Institute of the Motor Industry approval, that points to assessed technician standards [4].
Most garages in this round are authorised MOT test stations, so folding the air con check into an MOT or service saves a second visit. Cars need their first MOT by the third anniversary of registration and yearly after that [5]. When you enquire, give the registration, the symptoms and which gas you think the car takes, and ask whether the visit covers a leak test or just a refill. Sunday opening at several branches helps if weekdays are difficult.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same scope so you compare like with like. Each quote should name the gas, whether a leak test and tracing dye are included, the labour charge, whether VAT sits on top, and the guarantee terms. Treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain, and ask for anything vague to be spelled out [9]. A deposit for ordered parts is normal, while full payment before completion is not.
Book in the way that suits you. Some branches take online bookings by registration with branch, service and time slot, while independents tend to run callback forms, quote forms or email instead. Either route is fine if it ends with a written confirmation of the scope, the price and the slot. Ask how long the car is needed and whether you wait on site or leave it.
Pay nothing in full before the work is done. At the end, keep the itemised invoice showing the gas, the labour and the VAT, plus the guarantee terms in writing and the MOT certificate where one applies. If the air con fades again within weeks, take the invoice back and ask for the leak test the first visit skipped.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford figures run like this: national motoring guides put a standard regas between £50 and £200 [7], with the older gas around £65 and the newer gas around £130 [8]. Firms in this round publish starting figures from £74.95 for the older gas and £119.95 to £139.95 for the newer gas when booked online. A leak test typically adds about £20, sometimes deducted if the repair goes ahead, and an anti-bacterial clean runs £20 to £30 [8].
What moves the price most is the gas your car takes: the newer gas costs the garage far more per kilo and needs different handling equipment, which is why every published price list charges it higher [8]. Leak tracing and parts move it next — small leak repairs typically run £100 to £300, while a failed compressor can exceed £400 [7] — alongside labour time, travel across Telford, and whether extras such as a clean or a check are folded in. Telford usually sits below London and South East prices [8].
Ask whether the quote includes VAT on top or inside the figure, since published starting prices rarely say. Firms in this round publish recharge figures but almost no labour rates, so treat any single fixed price for repair work with no breakdown as a question, not an answer. Get the scope in writing before work starts — the gas, the leak test, the labour, the VAT and the guarantee terms — agree payment stages, and keep every quote and invoice together [9].
Red flags
Regasses a system that keeps emptying without looking for the leak first.
Cannot say which gas your car takes, or claims the two gases are interchangeable.
Quotes a recharge with no split between gas, labour and VAT.
Cannot name the F-gas qualification held by the technician doing the work [1].
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms.
Publishes no address, landline or opening hours, only a mobile number and a form.
Will not put the scope, price and guarantee terms in writing before touching the car.
The bottom line
For most Telford drivers, start with EAC Telford: online booking by registration, monthly plans that spread the cost, and approved status on record. Its recharge prices are unpublished, so confirm your figure when you book. If you want the price before you commit, Kwik Fit Plus and Halfords publish recharge figures for both gases with Sunday slots on the rota.
Match the garage to the job: Mr Tyre where the gas is uncertain, Jacko's for a Madeley local with a quote form, Court Autos for a family-run all-rounder, and Service My Vehicle where itemised comparisons matter. Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, and keep the invoice showing the gas, the labour and the guarantee terms.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.