This windscreen repair cost guide was published by Danny Woodley in the Motoring Section in April 2022.

Windscreen chips and cracks may not cost much to repair, but leave it too late and that tiny defect can spread rapidly until the entire windscreen is compromised.

Did you know that 7% of all MOT failures are because the windscreen is damaged?

During winter months when motorists use heated windscreens and warm fans to defrost the glass, the chances of that small chip suddenly expanding are greatly increased.

The cost to fully replace a windscreen can be very high, especially if it’s a heated windscreen or you only have limited car insurance cover or are hit with an excess charge.

Rules Regarding Windscreen Damage and MOT Tests

Before you get a price to repair your cracked windscreen, do consider this:

Your car will fail its MOT if:

• The chip or crack is wider than 10mm and in the driver’s direct line of vision – that’s a 300mm wide vertical strip in front of the driver.
• The chip or crack is wider than 40mm and is located anywhere else on the windscreen.

These two rules apply even to windscreen chips and cracks that have been repaired.

Also, even if the car’s MOT test isn’t due, you could be fined for driving a vehicle if the damage obscures the driver’s view.

You could also be prosecuted should you be involved in an accident and it was proved that a damaged windscreen obscured your vision.

Below you’ll see our windscreen repair cost guide, you have three options.

As you can see, getting your windscreen chip or crack repaired via your insurance company isn’t always the cheapest option.

Option 1) DIY Kits From £12.99

A cracked windscreen will cost from as little as £12.99 to repair when you purchase an easy-to-use kit that anyone with basic DIY skills can use on chips and cracks less than 40mm.

The powerful resin found in these kits holds the crack together, waterproofs the glass and prevents the damage from spreading.

Use this kit on almost all types of crack including half-moon chips, spiderweb and star-shaped cracks.

This kit is incredibly easy to use and the resin is identical to the one used by professional windscreen repairers.

There are also hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon from happy customers.

Option 2) Get a Price Direct From a Windscreen Repairer

We asked several windscreen repairers about how much it costs to repair a cracked or chipped windscreen.

The results of our research are posted below in this table:

As you can see Halfords are one of the cheapest and you can book online here.

We also found many local windscreen repair specialists and most of their prices were between £40 and £75.

Option 3) Contact Your Insurer (See Table Below For Prices)

Not every insurance policy covers windscreen damage, while some policies allow the insurer to get the windscreen repaired at no cost at all, some charge fees up to £75.

We contacted 20 of the leading car insurers and dug through the small print of the most popular policies.

Here you’ll find the results of our research into car windscreen repair costs charged by insurance companies:

Does Claiming a Windscreen Repair Affect Insurance Premiums?

Most insurers do not treat the cost of a windscreen repair as a claim so your future premiums shouldn’t rise as the result of a repair. You shouldn’t lose your no-claims bonus either but check with your insurer.

In fact, most insurers want their clients to repair chips and cracks rather than leaving them until they expand and the entire windscreen needs replacing, a process that costs the insurer much more than a chip/crack repair.

How Long Does a Windscreen Repair Take?

It takes about 20 minutes to repair a small windscreen chip or crack. This is just enough time for the resin to cure.

Can I Drive With a Cracked Windscreen?

If the crack is larger than 10mm and is directly in front of the driver or larger than 40mm anywhere else on the glass, then you should get the windscreen replaced as soon as possible. You should not drive with a cracked or damaged windscreen that obscures the driver’s view.

As windscreen repair prices are generally affordable, there’s no reason to keep driving with a small chip or crack.

Do Small Windscreen Cracks and Chips Get Bigger?

Yes, they often expand suddenly when the temperature of the windscreen changes, for example by driving into direct sunlight, turning on the heating or defrosting the glass via a heated windscreen element.

Driving over rough terrain and potholes can also cause cracks and chips to expand suddenly.

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

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