Best Auto Electricians in Palmerston North
We assessed 11 auto electricians in Palmerston North and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 1,025 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 3 September 2026. How we rank
Before you hire
Auto electrical faults can be difficult to diagnose. Ask whether they charge a diagnostic fee, what equipment they use to read fault codes, whether they offer a mobile service if the vehicle will not start, and whether they have experience with your specific make and model, particularly for EVs or vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems.
Top 5 Auto Electricians in Palmerston North
The top 5 auto electricians in Palmerston North are #1 Autokraft, #2 Mike Murphy Auto Electrical, #3 Autokraft 4x4, #4 Broadway Auto, and #5 Auto Electrical Solutions, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you book.
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1
Autokraft Electrical and Diesel
★ 4.9 252 reviews Top5 Score 1705★ 232 4★ 15 3★ 3 2★ 1 1★ 1Autokraft turns around battery replacements, dashboard electrical faults, and aircon removal on older vehicles, often fitting customers in the same day they call. They tracked down a discontinued Smart Bar indicator part from an Australian supplier and had it installed within two weeks, which gives a fair indication of how they approach awkward jobs.
691 Tremaine Avenue, Palmerston North Central, Palmerston North
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2
Mike Murphy Auto Electrical
★ 4.5 359 reviews Top5 Score 1635★ 282 4★ 41 3★ 8 2★ 7 1★ 21Mike Murphy Auto Electrical gets cars back on the road fast, covering battery replacements, reversing camera and stereo installs, aftermarket gauge fitting, and towing electrics. Technicians like Ryan take time to walk customers through the work and show how new equipment operates before they leave, which makes the handover straightforward even for unfamiliar upgrades.
97 Lombard Street, Palmerston North Central, Palmerston North
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3
Autokraft 4x4
★ 4.8 74 reviews Top5 Score 1505★ 66 4★ 4 3★ 1 1★ 3Autokraft 4x4 fits radio equipment, security systems, and house battery configurations to 4x4s and campervans, including work with imported parts that need on-site modification to mount correctly. Staff like Shane and Gary spend time talking through setup options before the job starts, and the team has sourced batteries and arranged same-session installs when customers turned up with urgent needs.
693 Tremaine Avenue, Palmerston North Central, Palmerston North
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4
Broadway Auto
★ 4.5 106 reviews Top5 Score 1465★ 82 4★ 11 3★ 1 2★ 4 1★ 8Broadway Auto covers alternator replacements, trailer wiring repairs, power window faults, battery diagnostics, alarm installs, and car scanning with fault code explanations, making them useful across a wide span of auto electrical jobs in Palmerston North. Technicians like Connor take the time to walk customers through what the scan found and show live what a fix would involve, so you leave understanding what was done and why.
944 Tremaine Avenue, Roslyn, Palmerston North
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5
Auto Electrical Solutions Ltd
★ 4.4 91 reviews Top5 Score 1425★ 69 4★ 9 3★ 2 2★ 4 1★ 7Auto Electrical Solutions picks up electrical faults that other shops have given up on, covering wiring problems, ignition repairs, heater diagnostics, horn faults, and trailer rewiring. Where a competitor spent three weeks on a heater fault without resolution, they identified the cause within half a day and had the part fitted inside a week.
21 David Street, Palmerston North Central, Palmerston North
Before you book an auto electrician in Palmerston North
Drawn from 169 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What do auto electricians typically charge in New Zealand?
Hourly labour rates at New Zealand auto electrical workshops sit between $90 and $150 plus GST, with Palmerston North shops generally landing in the mid-range of that band. A diagnostic fee is charged separately in most cases, running from $80 to $150 plus GST, and whether that fee is credited toward the repair cost if you proceed varies by workshop.
Common jobs such as alternator replacement, starter motor work, or central locking repairs will each carry their own parts cost on top of labour, so always confirm the full estimate before authorising work. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, any repair must be completed with reasonable care and skill, giving you a legal basis to dispute charges if the outcome falls short.
What should a proper auto electrical diagnosis include, and what does it cost?
A basic scan tool reading, which pulls fault codes from the vehicle's onboard computer, costs between $80 and $150 at most New Zealand workshops, but a fault code on its own does not confirm the exact cause of a problem. A thorough diagnosis goes further: the technician should carry out circuit testing, check live data, and physically inspect wiring and components before recommending a repair.
Reviews from Palmerston North customers show that some workshops moved straight to parts replacement or repeated scanning without resolving the underlying fault, while others identified problems that multiple previous shops had missed by doing deeper investigation. Before booking, ask whether the diagnostic fee is deducted from your repair bill if you proceed, and ask for a written explanation of what the scan found.
Are all auto electricians qualified to work on EVs and hybrids?
Standard auto electrical training does not cover high-voltage hybrid and EV systems, and WorkSafe New Zealand guidelines mean anyone working on systems above 60V DC or 25V AC should hold specific competency training aligned with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) framework. The relevant pathway is the New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Engineering (Level 4), with high-voltage EV units increasingly delivered through Competenz, which is the Industry Training Organisation for the automotive sector in New Zealand. Before leaving an EV or hybrid with any workshop, ask directly whether their technician has completed recognised high-voltage unit standards, and confirm the workshop holds appropriate insulated tools and testing equipment, because a qualification without correct tooling does not guarantee safe practice.
What are the warning signs of an auto electrician you shouldn't trust?
- –Charging a diagnostic fee without telling you there will be a charge before work begins, as several local customers discovered only when they received the bill.
- –Proceeding with repairs without calling you first to confirm the scope and cost, which left some customers facing bills far above what they expected.
- –Returning a vehicle with a new fault that was not present on drop-off, such as a reverse camera that stopped working entirely after a partial-repair attempt.
- –Being unable to explain clearly what was done, or providing an invoice so vague it simply says "scanned vehicle" with no detail on findings.
- –Continuing to charge labour hours that do not match the time the vehicle was actually in the workshop.
- –Failing to fix the original fault after charging for the repair, with the problem returning within days of collection.
What should you ask before leaving your vehicle with an auto electrician?
- –Ask whether the diagnostic fee will be credited against the repair cost if you go ahead with the work, as this varies and is not credited at all workshops.
- –Confirm they will call you before carrying out any work beyond the agreed scope, and ask what your authorisation limit is before they proceed.
- –Ask how long the diagnosis is expected to take, so you are not left chasing the workshop for updates after an agreed timeframe passes.
- –Ask whether parts used will be genuine manufacturer parts or quality aftermarket alternatives, and what warranty applies to both the parts and the labour.
- –Request a written quote or at minimum a written estimate before any work begins, rather than relying on a verbal figure that can shift by the time you collect the vehicle.
Also recommended auto electricians in Palmerston North
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
Manawatū Auto Electrical Ltd
★ 5.0 22 reviews Top5 Score 1395★ 21 4★ 1Manawatū Auto Electrical wires accessories onto excavators and commercial equipment, diagnoses and fixes starter motors, sorts solar charging faults, and fits campervan stereos and auto doors. Isaac in particular takes on jobs at short notice when a customer is stuck, and works through problems until they are resolved rather than stopping at the obvious fix.
73 Keith Street, Roslyn, Palmerston North
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7
Deek Auto Engineering Co Ltd
★ 5.0 19 reviews Top5 Score 1375★ 19Deek Auto Engineering builds the kind of relationship where customers return for decades, with Bruce keeping people informed on expected costs and chasing better-priced parts before the work begins. Small jobs like tightening a battery terminal get done without a charge, which reflects how the shop treats people rather than just invoices.
667 Main Street, Palmerston North Central, Palmerston North
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8
Feilding Auto Electrical
★ 4.3 81 reviews Top5 Score 1325★ 59 4★ 10 3★ 2 2★ 1 1★ 9Feilding Auto Electrical covers battery replacements, alternator work, aircon faults, light repairs, and trailer wiring across cars, trucks, and forklifts. Customers with urgent problems regularly get their vehicle back within hours, and several report walking in without a booking to have a fault diagnosed and fixed on the spot.
71 Stafford Street, Feilding
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9
Precision Diagnostics LTD
★ 5.0 11 reviews Top5 Score 1305★ 11Precision Diagnostics zeroes in on check engine lights, dashboard warning faults, and wiring problems, with Russell regularly diagnosing and resolving issues within the same day a customer calls. Itemised invoices and clear explanations of options before any work begins mean customers know exactly what they are agreeing to and what it will cost.
4/204 John F Kennedy Drive, Milson, Palmerston North
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10
Pan Pacific Auto Electronics-Palmerston North
★ 4.7 10 reviews Top5 Score 1265★ 8 4★ 1 3★ 1Pan Pacific Auto Electronics stocks a broad range of auto electrical supplies and sources parts overnight when something is not on the shelf, making them worth calling before assuming a component is unavailable. Staff like Branden are proactive with orders and take the time to help customers work out exactly what they need.
55 Bourke Street, Takaro, Palmerston North
About this ranking
What the 10 auto electricians listed above hold, at the 3 September 2026 check.
Across the 14 locations we assess auto electricians in, the 128 businesses listed have a median rating of 4.7, and one-star reviews are 5.4% of their total.
How are the top auto electricians in Palmerston North chosen?
We build this page from Google Maps results for auto electricians in Palmerston North. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer?
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed?
We build this page from Google Maps results for auto electricians in Palmerston North. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.