Garage door prices can range anywhere from £200 for cheap, manually operated doors to well over £1,000 for high-end, automatic models, so how is the homeowner to choose? Many garage door companies claim to offer a bargain, but the savvy shopper knows that it is important to compare prices form a variety of different companies to find the best product for the lowest cost.

The price of your garage door will primarily depend on the type of door you are looking for. The cheapest style of door is the up-and-over. As their name implies, these doors open by lifting from the ground to slide along the ceiling of your garage. The cheapest of these doors is the steel variety. Market value for manual steel up-and-over garage doors is about £300–£500, but you can find bargain and sale prices as low as £199. Wooden doors—or even fibreglass doors with wood effects—will be more expensive, though, for higher quality finish. Prices for these doors will range from £700 to £1,600, though bargain hunters can often find doors for a price comparable to high-end steel doors.

Sectional garage doors open in much the same way as the up-an-over variety, but instead of a single piece, sectionals will “bend” at specific points as they travel upward, like an accordion. This style of door is slightly more expensive, with prices from £700 to £1,000 being common. However, bargain garage doors of this style can be found for as low as £500, so it is especially beneficial for the customer to shop around for the best price.

The third variety of garage doors – roller doors – open by rolling the door onto a spool like a tube of gift paper, pulling the door straight up and over the doorway. Like up-and-over and sectional garage doors, roller doors come in both manual and automatic, with manual steel doors available at the cheapest price. Manual steel doors can be found for around £500–£800, while manual wood grain doors are available for £600-£900. Automatic doors of this variety will be more expensive, usually close to £1,000 if not more.

Side-hinged doors open like a regular door—side-to-side rather than up-and-down—and while these doors can be found for just as cheap as other varieties, they are one of the more luxurious models, particularly in wood. Budget steel doors can be purchased for as low as £500 or £600, but the customer should be wary of quality in these cases. A more common price will be £700-£1,100 for steel doors, and as much as £2,000 for wooden. However, if you’re willing to search for a sale, you may be able to find wooden side-hinged garage doors for less than £1,000.

When shopping for bargain garage doors, it is important to know what you are looking for in terms of style, variety, and materials. Simple steel or plastic manual garage doors will generally be the cheapest, and many of these doors can be painted or otherwise made to look like more expensive wood or fibreglass varieties. Automatic doors will be more expensive, and will also require additional purchases of motors and remote controls. Shop around with a variety of online retailers, and you are certain to find a great deal on your new garage doors!