(Update April 2022: Due to recent pricing volatility we’ve updated our price guide for car respraying and car wrapping. The prices shown below were updated on the 8th April 2022. As the UK is experiencing unprecedented inflation, we urge customers to shop around and get at least three quotes for comparison.)

There are many reasons why you may want to respray a car; because you want to change the colour for purely aesthetic purposes, to put the car back to its original colour, to make good the paintwork on either the entire car or parts of it after repairs or alterations etc.

We’ve already published prices for car wrapping in 2022 but below you’ll see how much it costs to respray a car.

But first, can you answer the question below?

We first published this poll in 2019, and we asked our visitors how much they thought a car respray would cost.

Customers generally underestimate how much projects cost but you may find the answers insightful.

You can leave your own answer if you wish.

Have You Considered Car Wrapping?

If you’re thinking about changing the colour of your car for purely aesthetic purposes, don’t forget that the quality of car wrapping has come a long way in recent years.

Wrapping, which is a process that involves covering a car in vinyl material, is cheaper than a full car paint respray, you can be much more creative with the colours and the vinyl can be removed at a later date without damaging the original paintwork.

Do consider car wrapping for aesthetic alterations to your car, especially if you want to a little crazy with unusual and truly unique colour schemes that might otherwise make your vehicle difficult to sell at a later date.

See how much it costs to wrap a car here.

Just a Quick Heads-Up…

Car respraying and bodywork repair prices can vary by a huge margin.

Local one-man outfits can and often do significantly undercut larger firms with hefty overheads.

There’s also a big difference in the quality of both materials and workmanship out there.

If, like us, you decide to get lots of quotes for your car respray project, don’t be surprised if some of the prices you receive are up to double those at the lower end.

With the cost of living crisis in 2022 and rapidly rising inflation, we’ve seen even wider differences between the prices we received.

Car respraying is one of those projects where you can almost always get a cheaper price if you really want to spend the time shopping around.

The type of car you have also affects the price you’re given considerably; the paint for a run of the mill Ford Fiesta will cost much less than a limited edition BMW M4.

Also, the preparation work for some vehicles (such as most Fords) is quick and easy, while for others (such as Alfa Romeo) is far more difficult and time-consuming. It all depends on how the car is built, how easy the trims are to remove/refit etc.

Car Respray Cost – Example Prices

As with all our price guides here at Job Prices, we got in touch with dozens of firms and asked them for prices to respray a couple of cars and a couple of separate panels.

We sourced quotes from several locations around the UK and the figures below are a calculated average.

Use these prices as a guide to the cost of respraying a car.

We aren’t suggesting this is the car respray price you’ll pay, only that this is the average of the prices we received.

The prices below were updated in April 2022:

Want a Fixed Price For a Car Respray?

We hope you found our guide to car respraying costs insightful but the only way to get a truly accurate price is to take the vehicle to a body shop and let them have a look at it.

There could be repairs to the body, broken brackets that need replacing or other hidden extras that are impossible to consider without first looking at the vehicle.

Given that car respraying is an extremely competitive market, we recommend choosing local firms and getting at least three respray prices, preferably more.

FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Respray an Entire Car?

Assuming the bodywork is in good condition and the paint has been pre-ordered, you should expect to get your car back in about one week’s time. As the work is completed in stages, it may take longer. Anything longer than 3 weeks would be unusual.

What is a SMART Car Repair?

SMART stands for “Small to Medium Area Repair Technology” and is a process where a technician can repair minor dents, scuffs and scratches on-site without the need to take the vehicle to a body shop. Paint can be colour matched on-site, as can minor repairs such as straightening out dents and minor grooves.

Will The Colour Be Identical?

A reputable firm will use the specific colour code for the vehicle to ensure the paint is an exact match for the original.

This guide to car respraying costs was written by Danny Woodley and was last updated in April 2022.

You’ll find many cost guides in our motoring corner where we delve into the costs of car ownership and maintenance.

From car servicing and air-con recharges to window tinting and signage.

Visit our Motoring Corner today.