We'd gone to 5 mechanics in the East Bay before finding Nathan back in 2014. Those other mechanics were 'ok', but couldn't compare with Nathan. Why? He's knowledgeable, honest, affordable, dependable... AND he's just a really nice person! He nurses our '99 Isuzu Oasis (aka Honda Odyssey) & when our '97 Volvo passed away (after 5 years in his care) he found us a great 2011 Prius. Whenever we introduce a friend to Nathan's care, they stay. Chronic mechanical 'problems' which their former mechanic may have had ! ouila! become minor (or disappear).YET Nathan will tell you if your car isn't worth fixing--or if a car you're thinking of buying, isn't a wise financial move.) PS: we're arranging to adopt him. read more

I've brought all my cars here for years. Nathan is honest, trustworthy, reliable and the best deal in town. He keeps my old Toyota pickup in perfect running condition, and is real about what work needs to be done. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a shop they can trust! read more

Three other mechanics could not figure out why we were getting the dreaded Red Triangle of Death error. Nathan recognized it, knew exactly what was wrong, and fixed it. He then did a thorough overhaul to our beloved 2004 Red Prius 5 (with leather interior) at 200,000 miles. She was going strong at 226K when the mean truck broke her frame. We will come back to Nathan as soon as we find a replacement Prius. read more

Nathan is a very knowledgeable mechanic, friendly, always happy to answer questions and all around nice person. He tells you exactly what you do and don't need, his prices are reasonable, work is great and he's fast. I feel confident that my car is in great hands whenever I bring it into his shop-- thank you! read more

I can't recommend Nate's Green Garage highly enough. He's easy to communicate with and will explain to you the specifics of what's wrong with your vehicle. Pricing is fair and he goes above and beyond to make sure you and your car are taken care of. You can tell that he loves what he does! read more

These guys are great. Full disclosure: I work at an auto parts store and know most of the shops up and down San Pablo Ave in the East Bay. I also work on my own cars and hadn't used a mechanic in about 12 years until I found these guys. The thing about Nate and Charlie is, I usually don't trust anyone else with my cars. When I drop off my car at Nate's, I know the work they do will be up to par. I'm not worried about some 18yo tire jockey screwing up my car, because they do the work once and they do it right. I still work on my own cars, but when I don't have the time or tools to do a job, I bring it to them and they knock it out quickly, for a great price, and I've never had to second guess the quality of their work. What else could you ask for? read more

I had a mechanical issue that needed attention. I made an appointment, issue was fixed. Highly recommend for anyone looking around. Communication abt my car was A1 read more

First....it was a little hard to find, the photo is very accurate, but it does not face the street, it faces another building so I got a little turned around...oops! I had to drive my daughter to Berkeley for an event that I was not attending....so I had some time to kill & thought I'd get my Subaru stuff done. I was impressed by the ULTRA-CLEAN WAITING ROOM, they even asked if I wanted the heater turned up, offered me coffee & cookies and were done in the 45min. they promised! I took a walk while they changed the oil & rotated the tires & did an overall inspection. Nate called after 20 minutes letting me know some things they found and that he suggested strongly that I change the air filter...something my other guys should have done maybe 1 year ago! He offered to change it for only the cost of the filter since he said it was looking at it anyways :) aaaaw so nice :) I was told about a few other things: trans & diff fluids that were much too dark and should have been changed out over 20K miles ago!!! I didn't hear that from my Subaru guys in Santa Cruz who I go to every 3 months??for the past 3 years??!!! When my hubby changed these fluids out the very next day he agreed that Nate was honest and gave me a great price and it was such good-old fashioned customer service for him to let me know how to better take care of my car, even though I was just passing through and he may never see me again :( Nate treated me like a friend and my car is much better now. If my Subaru is ever in Berkeley again....we are gonna visit NATEs Green GARAGE!!! Love NATE! He's Great :) read more

Nate is wonderful - he really knows his way around a Prius and he's fair and honest. Our 2006 Prius experienced a battery pack failure 1 day after the 10-year warranty expired (seriously - 1 day!). Toyota wouldn't budge on the warranty, so to save some money I found a company that specialized in rebuilt batteries. I saved a few bucks, but the batteries never lasted more than a few months (fortunately they had a 3-year warranty, unfortunately the company went out of business after 2 years). So now I'm back in the market for a Prius battery and Nate offers a great deal on installation of an authentic Toyota battery. He swears it should be as good as the original, so I'm excited to get my old reliable Prius back on the road without spending the outrageous sums of money that the Toyota dealership quoted. read more

The 5 star reviews are not lying. I had a straight forward and quick experience at Nate's Green Garage. Typically, I do not have great experiences with mechanics, and often feel like I'm being scammed. Nate was very transparent about each step (including costs), and did not try to convince me to do unnecessary work. He was more pleasant than other mechanics I've worked with. I will definitely bring my Prius back to his shop! read more

Nathan is absolutely amazing and I refer everyone I know to Nate's Green Garage. He is incredibly friendly. He answers all of my very ridiculous questions and is overall very thorough when explaining to me what is wrong with my car. I think he is the most honest mechanic I've ever met in my life! I've been going to him since I think 2016 or 2017 and he has done a wonderful job of keeping my car running in tip top shape. He has often over quoted me and when I come to pick up my car he delivers under budget. I picked up my car today after replacing some struts and central arm bushings and it feels like a completely new car it is driving incredibly well. Thank you so much Nathan, you are a gem. read more

Nate answered my questions thoroughly and was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!

My 2008 Highlander Hybrid broke down, and I automatically feared the worse, that something was wrong with the electrical part of the car, and that I'll have to sell a kidney to pay for whatever was needed to get it back on the road. Yelp led me to Nate's, and I'm sure glad I went. I had the car towed there and right away I felt comfortable with my car in his hands. He charges a reasonable fee to take a look at what's wrong, and I ubered home while anxiously waiting for his call. He called within a couple hours, told me exactly what was wrong along with the recommended fix, and also what else would need to get done given the age of the car. I admit that we've neglected this car a bit so appreciated him letting us know what was needed. While he's telling me what needs to be done, $$$ are going through my head, but when he told me the price, it was reasonable. Don't get me wrong, it was definitely high, but not really when considering how much work was going to be done. He let me know when it would be done, and it was actually completed in time. Ubered back there, picked up the car quickly, and couldn't wait to share my positive experience. Definitely will recommend to anyone but especially for those with a hybrid because its obvious that he's extremely comfortable working on them. read more

First all, I never write reviews, but I've been going to Nate for a few years now and if I had to rate one business on here it would be his. I have a hybrid and my aunt who had given me the car I had at the time suggested I take it to a shop that knew their way around hybrids. I've never looked back. The first few things I got done there I called around to get estimates and Nate's was always the cheapest. I had to get my hybrid battery replaced, he did it for less than half of what Toyota wanted and about 70% of the price of the closest offer - with a longer warranty than either. I had a slight problem with it a few months later, nothing major, and he replaced the whole thing free of cost (including labor). Nate's friendly, honest, timely and approachable which goes along way from someone who doesn't know a whole lot about cars. I live in San Francisco by the ocean and I still make it a point to drive into Berkeley to see Nate to get any work done. As long as his green garage is there, I'll be a customer. read more

Awesome location!... clean quality of care!... and reasonable prices! I'm a loyal customer. My opinion of Nate's green garage might be a tad biased because he's my friend... Hear me out... I watched Nate build his little empire out of thin air, into the streamlined thing of beauty that it has become today... A short summery of their story as follows: Nathan & Charlie are a father and son operation. Charlie the father with 30+ years automotive experience mentored his boy in dippers. Nathan the son built the business and studied electrical engineering. The Hutchison's are a family of Gear-Headed-Automobile-Therobreads. GO THERE. read more

I have been going to nate for all of my auto needs for years. Every time he has ever worked on my car he has always been quick and efficient getting straight to the issue, this guy is honest and the only mechanic I trust. If there is any other problem with my car he will let me know. I know without hesitation he isn't trying to tack on an extra buck, he is trying to save me from further inconvenience down the road. He has gladly shown me when a belt is worn or my brakes are getting close to the wire. Last time I brought my car into his shop I noticed an old VW bug being converted. Nate saw I was interested and gave me the quick lowdown on how he goes about converting. I could really sense his passion and immense knowledge of not only gas, but also electric cars. This guy is thorough and 100% professional, I always send my friends and family to him knowing he will take care of them as he does me. read more

So happy I took my 1967 mustang to Nate's Green Garage! Nate and his father, Charlie, took excellent care and went above and beyond in the problems that I needed addressed. They fixed me up with a new clutch and radiator, as well as some minor electrical stuff, all for a great price, and all the work is top notch. It's hard to find a good mechanic that you trust, and I'm lucky I found these guys! I also love Nate's work with electric vehicle conversions! So cool! I would bet they could fix anything from an old truck to a space age EV. If you are looking for a place to take your car/truck/spaceship, you just found it. Take it to Nate's! read more

So glad I decided to have my Prius serviced here instead of a dealership. I will definitely be coming back. Shoutout to the woman at the front desk whose name I cannot remember. She was super friendly and helpful, guiding me through everything that would be done. Definitely recommend if you drive a hybrid vehicle - Nate knows what he's doing! read more

It's great to see this auto repair shop flourishing in their new location on San Pablo. Nate's Green Garage (originally Hutchinson Electric) literally saved my car! And at a very reasonable price too!!! Though at first I was a bit suspicious considering that they (they being the dyanmic father-son duo) have the lowest labor rate in the area, but I can see now that other auto repair shops charge waaaaaaaaaaay too much and that most other mechanics take advantage of their customers. Yes they are also an environmentally conscious shop; hence the name Nate's Green Garage, who also work on electric cars and can even convert conventional cars into electric cars. A shop with a sense of stewardship, amazing right?!?! Come by and check out their new beautiful shop and also some of their rad electric projects While you wait try some barbacoa tacos from Casa Latina!! read more

I went here for an oil change and check up on my hybrid, and Nate was so lovely! As others have said, Nate is kind, honest, trustworthy, and very fair with his pricing. He's a dear soul - here for service, both of cars, and the planet. Go to this guy. You won't regret it. read more

SALAM GUYZ !! SO ....I did say I'd re-review once using this shop. I did go in the very same day I wrote the last review. NATE was very helpful and diagnosed my alternator for free saying " charge a bit low " , but putting out. Why not drive it and see - looks okay !!! I drove for about a week and the alternator light started to come on. So I returned to him. His shop rate is like $ 89 an hour. He said it'd take an hour or a i'il more as he couldn't figure out from plugging in if it was the altntr., wiring issues or relays. I left the car with him. He called back first thing next morning. It was the alternator ! He said Serpentine Belt was cracked - will replace if I approve free of add'l. labor. I requested to check timing belt n brakes. Said yes when I take the cover off will do. I called in and he said " Yeah I ckd. it.was stamped as changed @ 114k n your car has 144k on it - so probly good for another like till 160-170k. BRAKES - " do squeal due to cheaper pads below manufacturer recommended , but rears have 50-60% and fronts like 60-70 %. HE DID REPLACE A REVERSE LGHT BULB 4 free - diagnosing by himself. As we can tell - he seemed upfront and honest and willing to negotiate the " inspection fees " downwards although it took them " well over an hour to test everything" - he stated. I asked for my old parts back - and he readily agreed. I later decided I did not want to insult his integrity - telling him so. He was " totally professional " saying he wasn't in the least ' offended' . I decided against carrying the parts as suggested by someone. Thanks a ton Nate - and like I said " Hope we don't have to see each other anytime soon " :-))) !!! LOL ..... read more

I've been going to Nate's green garage for a few years, even before they landed this awesome new location. My office manager (who also owned a Subaru) recommended them and all I can say is thanks for the hook-up Sarah! Nothing beats a good mechanic.. Nathan and his dad are not only experts in converting terrible old petrol driven cars into fast, sleek electric vehicles, they're also regular (internal combustion driven) car experts as well, especially in Subarus, which coincidentally happen to be my car of choice. While Nathan is quick, efficient and relatively inexpensive for the level of service he provides, the real reason I take my car here is because I trust him and that is the very best thing you could ever find in a mechanic. PIECE OF MIND, worth it's weight in gold. read more

First time here. Honest and straightforward in estimates. Was able to straighten out my spare key situation in good time and fair price. The shop is neat and clean. Waiting area homey with a couch and plenty of natural light. Now I have 2 non-dealer auto shop options I feel comfortable having work done at! read more

Nate responded to my query via Yelp within just a few hours. I got an appointment for regular inspection of my 2006 Prius for the next day. Left my car at the agreed time, got it back in an hour with a couple of suggestions for maintenance. No hidden costs, very reasonable price, and very pleasant interaction. Thank you! read more

my husband got to nerd out on all things EV with this fellow son of a mechanic. we did some preventative maintenance and got a full check up and clean bill of health for our 2015 prius c. Our new go to whenever we're in town. cheaper than the dealer and better quality labor! happy to support a small business. read more

So far this is great as it gets for me. Close by and honest with environmental consciousness. I trust Nate and his team. Especially now that I plan to take my car in soon and want to make sure I get the usual astounding service. read more

I love Nate's Green Garage. I started bringing my 2007 Prius to Nate's when it topped 100,000 miles. Nate is a Prius expert. He'll advise you on how to meet all the recommended service milestones and suggest ways to keep your high mileage car healthy and on the road. He does high quality work and stands by his warranties. Plus, he's really nice. When the underside of my car got partially yanked off by a curb (oops!), he crawled under, put it back together and didn't even charge me. That's how he treats his loyal customers. That's why I will keep bringing my car to Nate's when it needs service. I'm on a mission to reach 200,000, and with Nate's help, I think I'll get there! If you are looking for a reliable, friendly, honest mechanic, who specializes in hybrids and does high quality work, bring your car to Nate! read more

Bottom line: honest, helpful, great customer service, and great prices on labor. I just moved here and was already dreading having to find a new mechanic (I loved my old one in Seattle!) when my check engine light came on and the car started acting very funny before the appointment I had scheduled with a different mechanic. Nathan was able to get me in that afternoon and diagnose my problems quick. He explained how everything worked (I don't know a ton) in a helpful, not condescending way. Love mechanics who make sure you understand and are straight up! When it turned out that my car needed a slightly different part than they had in hand, Nathan offered to have me bring the car back in for ghetto second (less urgent) repair so j could have it over the weekend, and didn't charge me for the extra 20 minutes of labor to put it back together and take it apart again. Nathan is awesome and I felt like my car was in great hands! I am glad I found a new mechanic so soon! read more

Nate's garage is a thumbs up for me. I checked the yelp post and seemed like a good one, and surprise surprise it is. I took my 2017 Prius2 In with questions about the braking system and was very impressed with the knowledge and extra mile they'll go for you. The gentleman at the counter tested and took the time to thoroughly explained how these complex brakes work at no cost. I'll definitely be taking my car here for service. read more

Amazing! This place is always a great experience and the owner is very honest. It never feels like they're trying to squeeze in extra work that is unnecessary. Why can't all mechanics be like this?! read more

So knowledgeable - such a great experience! I called Nate and he really made the process so easy.

Nate has worked my classic Ford and my modern Subaru. Nate's green garage always goes above and beyond. The service, parts used and quality of work performed are second to none. read more

I've been coming to Nate's for over 3 years. He is hands down the best, friendliest, and most honest mechanic in the East Bay. He's been servicing with fair prices and real knowledge. Nate and the other mechanics are really skilled and care about the work. With his help, I even made a cross-country trip with it to Austin TX possible. He's been working on my 1978 Toyota Pickup for years now, and I wouldn't go to anyone else (except now I'm in Texas so I have to). Thank you Nate! read more

Charlie and Nathan are a great team. Nate knows more about hybrids and electric, Charlie has been fixing my various gas-powered cars for years, even before they started this new business. He has what is basically worth a black belt in mechanics. I came to Nate's Green Garage (previously Hutchison Electric) because of Charlie, but now I trust them both with my vehicle, they are both super awesome mechanics and nice people. They go out of their way to make sure you've got the best. They gave me advice when I was buying a new hybrid a few years back. Charlie even advised me on a negotiation with the sales guy, which brought the price of my lease payments on a new Honda Insight from $300 to $200 per month! Since then I sold that car partially due to his suggestions and now have a Honda CRV. I would trust both of them with my car over any dealership. Dealerships are about trying to continue making money off of people, Nate's Green garage is about helping people. The reason their labor is so cheap is I guess seeing as they are working towards creating a new friendly neighborhood business, they need to be competitive. Love these guys. Five stars hands down. They made a good move on making the shop eco-friendly. Looking forward to seeing the business bloom! Congrats to them! read more

Highly recommended! Brought my car in for an airbag light. Nathan is super knowledgeable, friendly and honest. I told him that the buttons on the steering wheel stopped working a few months ago as well and he was able to determine what it was, in combination with the scanner. He got the part ordered and three days later, my car was fixed! Fast, great and efficient service! read more

I don't take a lot of pleasure in writing this review, but I figured that if Yelp led me to using Nate's Green Garage, I should contribute and report back my experience using Nate as my mechanic. I took my 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid to Nate for a simple check up. Nate inspected the car for $95 and told me that there were two main pressing issues: my brake fluid was gross and needed to be changed and my tie-rods were rather old and needed to be replaced. We agreed to replace the brake fluid immediately and save the tie-rods for another time. Upon receiving my car back from Nate with new brake fluid, the car drove properly to the Berkeley Hills. However, coming down the Berkeley hills (on Cedar St), and this is why I am leaving the review, my BRAKES LOST RESPONSIVENESS. I panicked, and using the E-Brake, and jamming my brake pedal incredibly hard, was able to bring the car to a stop. I was saved by the fact that I was going slowly, and was able to pull directly into a parking spot with no one in front of me. I don't want to think about what would have happened had I been on a busier road, let alone a freeway. It could have been SO BAD. I immediately called Nate, but as it was a Friday, I didn't hear back from him until Monday. While I do believe Nate is a good dude, he didn't really handle this situation in the best way. First off, he told me that he could not recommend me driving that car into the shop, and suggested that I use MY roadside assistance to bring the car to him. I firmly believe he should have offered rather than put the onus on me to call AAA and use one of my free tows to fix a problem that didn't exist when I brought my car to him in the first place. Secondly, his attitude was moreso one of confusion and befuddlement ("whoa that's so weird, I wonder what happened") rather than apology for letting my car leave the shop in that condition. I've talked to friends of mine who work in the auto industry and their universal reaction is "Holy $h**, I cannot believe that happened to you, that is so negligent, do NOT take your car back to that mechanic". I got the car back to Nate, and he was able to report that there was indeed still air in my brake fluid even though he and his crew had performed the service, and this was the cause of my brake failure. He and his crew then replaced the brake fluid again, and called me to tell me the car was now fine. He was a nice guy about it, but very nonchalant about the whole ordeal, meanwhile I still struggle to have full faith in my car because of this ordeal. Needless to say, I did not take my car back to Nate for the tie-rod work and I cannot recommend him for your car. It bums me out because I genuinely like Nate, but I can't personally trust his quality of work. TLDR; Nate and his crew serviced my brake fluid, and the night I picked it up, my brakes gave out coming down the Berkeley Hills. Nate was nice enough to fix it, but his negligence put me in a frightening situation, and as such, I can't recommend that you take your car here. read more

I only went in for a quote and still feel compelled to write a letter. They were quick and to the point. And no bs, because I was quite worried that they were going to try to jack up the price on me. Had a young man come and greet me upon arrival and he went to helping​ right away. No preamble. read more

There aren't enough stars to rate Nate and Nate's. He is very knowledgeable, very helpful, very talented, and very generous with his time and advice. We have a 12-year-old Prius that needed a new catalytic converter because someone felt they needed ours more than we did. Our insurance covered most of the cost of replacement, and Nate did all of the negotiations with them. We filed a claim, and Nate did the rest: discussions about cost, what exactly needed replacement, etc. Next thing we knew, our Prius was back on the road, and passed its smog test, no worries! We will be bringing all two of our Toyotas to Nate from now on. Top-notch, amazing, responsive, excellent -- all of these adjectives apply to Nate, and his business. I only wish there were a Nate for everything in our lives. Maybe he could work on getting us all a vaccine? read more

Nate is the guy I would trust with any car, hybrid or not. Super down to earth and shares his knowledge with you. Reasonable prices and trustworthy shop. read more

Nate's is everything you could ask for in a family business. I told them they should change their signage to read "We Rock!" Nate and Charlie are talented, friendly, honest and helpful. I feel so lucky to have mechanics I trust and really like as people so close by. I do some comparative shopping before spending on a major expense and Nate's consistently quotes fair prices and delivers quality service. After 20+ years of driving, they are the best mechanics I've ever had. read more