Collision & body repair
Body shops quote from the same damage and land thousands apart. These guides show the ranges real shops charge, what drives the number up, and which line items on an estimate are worth questioning — before you sign.
See the cost ranges
Typical ranges
National ranges compiled from published shop pricing in 2026. Your quote depends on the vehicle, the damage, and local labor rates — which run anywhere from $47 to $215 an hour.
Bumper
$300 – $1,000
Scuffs and cracks repaired in place. A full replacement runs $1,000–$2,000 or more, and if the bumper carries parking sensors or a forward camera, add $250–$1,200 for ADAS recalibration — a line item that surprises most people.
Dents
$195 – $4,000
A single door ding starts around $195. Multi-panel hail damage runs $1,200–$4,000 or more. PDR only works while the paint is unbroken; once it cracks, you are paying for filler and refinishing instead.
Paint
$1,000 – $10,000
Advertised specials start near $1,000; quality work reaches $10,000 and beyond. Kelley Blue Book puts the average around $4,000 for a mid-tier sedan. The gap is prep time and how many panels get blended.
Before you authorize
Both are legitimate. The price difference is real and so is the fit difference, and your policy may specify which one the insurer pays for.
Cameras and radar behind a bumper or windshield usually need recalibrating after the work. If it is missing from the estimate, it is either coming later as a surprise or not being done.
Rate times hours is most of the bill. Both are negotiable in a way the parts line usually is not, and both should be written down.
Hidden damage is normal once panels come off. Agree in advance whether a supplement needs your approval before the work continues.
Cost guides
Ten guides. Each breaks the work into tiers, shows what drives the number, and flags the line items that turn up as surprises. Every figure is sourced.
Bumper
The seven-tier ladder from a $150 scuff to a $5,000 luxury replacement, and why ADAS calibration adds $250–$1,200 that many estimates leave out.
Dents
Why the same door ding costs $195 or $900, what puts a dent out of reach of paintless repair, and when a claim is worth filing.
Paint
A basic respray is $1,000–$1,500 and quality work reaches $10,000. Prep is the difference, and prep is labour.
Sensors
Cameras and radar need recalibrating after the work. It runs $250–$1,200+ and is the item most commonly left off an estimate.
Insurance
What your deductible really does to the payout, why supplements appear, and when filing costs more than paying cash.
Value
The 17c formula caps offers at 10% of market value. What it typically pays, and when a claim is worth pursuing.
Total loss
The threshold is state law, from 60% in Oklahoma to 100% in Texas. Both inputs to the calculation are arguable.
Parts
Aftermarket saves 20–50%. Where that is a sensible saving, and where it can cost you a calibration.
Shops
Labor rates run $47–$215 an hour. What the spread buys, and the questions that separate a good shop from a cheap one.
Timeline
Minor work is 1–3 days, major structural repair 2–4+ weeks. Parts availability causes most of the delay.
Free guide
Current ranges for the most common collision repairs, plus the estimate checklist above in a form you can take to the shop.