Gate motor prices
What decides the cost of a gate motor fitted: the gate, how hard it works, backup power and the extras. Send a photo and we will quote your gate.
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What a gate motor costs to fit
The motor itself, while the most important part of the setup, does not make up the whole cost of the installed system. The gate the motor has to move is the biggest driver of the overall price, along with what is already in the ground and what you want it to do when the power goes off. Two houses on the same street can be very different in price for the same job.
What decides the price
- The gate. Weight and length decide the motor specification. A long solid timber swing gate needs a different and more powerful motor than a light steel sliding gate, and fitting a motor too small for the gate is the most common reason we are called in to perform repairs or to undertake a reinstallation on someone else's job.
- How hard it works, meaning how many times a day the gate opens and closes. A residential gate that opens a few times a day and a complex gate that opens a few hundred times are not the same job, and they do not need the same motor.
- What is already there. Existing power at the gate, a sound concrete plinth and a straight rail all take cost out. Having to run power, pour a plinth or install a new track contribute to the overall final price.
- Power backup. A battery that carries the gate through load shedding, or a solar setup for a gate with no reliable supply.
- The extras. Safety beams, the number of remotes, a keypad, an intercom button, a magnetic gate lock. Each is a line of its own, so you can see what you are paying for and leave out what you do not need.
Where the price comes from
Gate motors are not priced by the installer. The manufacturer publishes a price list carrying a recommended retail price for every motor and every accessory, and reissues it as costs move, sometimes more than once in a year.
What an installer can actually sell a motor for depends on their equipment supplier and their relationship with the manufacturer. That is why two quotes for the same motor are not always the same price, and it is why a figure published on a page in March can already be wrong by July.
We work to keep our prices as low as possible so that the right motor is within reach, and that the customer gets the best solution for their specific needs. When it is out of reach, the temptation is to fit something smaller and hope.
What it costs, fitted
Indicative ranges for a Centurion sliding gate motor supplied and fitted, including VAT. They are ranges rather than prices because the motor that suits your gate, and the state of the gate itself, decide where in the band you land.
| Gate size | Motor | Supplied and fitted |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 450 kg | D3 or D4 Smart Plus | R7,000 to R10,000 |
| Up to 600 kg | D6 Smart Plus | R11,500 to R13,500 |
| 1,000 kg and above | D10 or D20 Smart Plus | R19,000 to R23,000 |
Each range covers the motor, the controller, the charger, the batteries, the rack and a standard installation on a gate that is ready for one. What sits outside it is the work the gate itself sometimes needs first: running power to the gate, pouring a plinth, replacing a worn track, or straightening a gate that does not run freely by hand. Extra remotes, a keypad, safety beams and a solar kit are priced separately so you can choose them. Figures include VAT and were checked in July 2026.
Why saving a few rands costs more
Fitting a motor that is under-specified for the gate is the most expensive saving in this trade. The motor runs closer to its limit on every cycle. It works harder, runs hotter and wears faster, and a gate that should have given you years of quiet service starts giving trouble instead. The call-outs follow, and the money saved at the start is gone by the second or third one.
It is also a safety question. A motor working beyond what it was built for is a motor whose behaviour you cannot rely on, on something that weighs several hundred kilograms and moves across a driveway where people walk and children play.
The short version is that the cheapest quote and the cheapest installation are rarely the same thing. We would rather tell you what the gate actually needs, explain why, and let you decide.
Getting a quote for your gate
Every installation is slightly different, so the only figure that means anything is the one for your gate. Get in touch and we will quote yours specifically, tailored to what it actually needs rather than to a standard package, and the quote carries both an equipment guarantee and a guarantee on our workmanship. A photo of the gate, taken far enough back to show the whole thing and where it runs, is usually all we need to start.
If what you have is a motor that has stopped rather than a gate with no motor, start at gate motor repairs: a repair is very often the cheaper answer.
Not sure which motor suits the gate? See sliding gate motors, swing gate motors, or the full range on gate motors and automation.