Someone has left a dent on your car. Maybe it was a supermarket trolley, maybe it was another car door in a tight car park, or maybe you have no idea how it got there at all. Either way, you want to know one thing first: how much is this going to cost?
The honest answer is that it depends. A car dent is not one single job with one single price. It changes depending on the size of the dent, whether the paint is broken, and which panel it is on. This guide gives you the typical UK prices for each type of damage, so you have a real number in mind before you ring anyone.
The three things that decide the price
Every dent repair quote comes down to three questions.
How big is the dent, and how deep? A small, shallow dent takes a technician far less time to work on than a large one, and time is most of what you are paying for.
Is the paint still in one piece? This is the biggest factor of all. If the paint has not cracked or chipped, a technician can often push and pull the metal back into shape from behind the panel without touching the paint at all. This is called paintless dent removal, and it keeps the cost down a lot. Once the paint is broken, the panel needs filler, sanding, primer and a fresh coat of paint to match the rest of the car, and that pushes the price up.
Which panel is it on? A dent on a flat door panel is usually cheaper to fix than one on a curved wing or a bonnet, simply because flat metal is easier to reach and easier to reshape.
Small dents with the paint still intact
This is the cheapest and most common type of repair. Think of a shopping trolley ding, a small door knock from a car parked too close, or a little dent from hail. If the paint has not cracked, a technician can usually use paintless dent removal to push the metal back from behind the panel.
For this kind of job, most UK bodyshops charge somewhere between £50 and £150, though it can run a little higher if the dent is trickier to reach. Our guide on paintless dent repair cost and how it works breaks this down further, panel by panel, if you want the fuller picture.
Bigger dents, and dents with a crease
A larger dent, or one with a sharp crease rather than a smooth rounded shape, takes more work. A crease means the metal has folded rather than just pushed in, and that is harder to coax back into its original shape. If the paint is still fine, paintless dent removal is often still possible, just at a higher price because of the extra time involved.
For a bigger dent or one with a crease, expect a price somewhere between £150 and £700, depending on the size and how the panel needs to be worked. Our article on how large dent removal prices are worked out in the UK goes into more detail on exactly what pushes a quote to the higher end of that range.
When the paint is damaged too
If the dent has cracked, chipped or scratched through the paint, the job changes completely. The panel now needs filler where the metal has been reshaped, careful sanding to get it smooth, primer, and then a colour-matched coat of paint sprayed and blended in with the panels next to it. Metallic and pearlescent paints take extra skill to match, so they usually cost more than a plain, solid colour.
Paintwork like this typically costs somewhere between £200 and £900, and the panel itself makes a real difference to where in that range you land. Our breakdown of car dent paint repair cost by panel shows how a bonnet, door, wing or bumper each carry a different price for the same size of damage.
A quick price guide
Here is a simple summary of what to expect, based on the type of damage.
| Type of damage | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Small dent, paint intact (paintless dent removal) | £50 to £150 |
| Larger dent or crease, paint intact | £150 to £700 |
| Small dent with paint damage | £200 to £450 |
| Larger dent with paint damage, full respray of the panel | £450 to £900+ |
These are general figures. Your own price will depend on your car, the exact panel, and how the damage looks in person, which is why a proper bodyshop should always look at the car before giving you a firm number.
Should you claim on insurance, or pay for it yourself?
For a small dent, most drivers are better off paying out of pocket than making an insurance claim. Claiming usually means paying an excess first, and a claim can affect your no-claims bonus, which often ends up costing more over time than the repair itself.
If the dent happened in an accident involving another vehicle, the rules are a little different. GOV.UK’s guidance on what to do if you’re in an accident explains that you must tell your insurer about the accident even if you do not plan to make a claim. It is worth reading before you decide which way to go, so you know where you stand either way.
Getting an accurate price for your dent
Every dent is different, so the only way to get a real price is to have someone look at it. A written quote, checked against the car in person, will always be more accurate than any number you read online.
We offer free, no-obligation assessments at our workshop, and we handle everything from small paintless dent removal jobs to full paint repairs. Find out more about our professional dent removal service in Essex and East London, or come and see us at Unit 12 Barking Industrial Park, Alfred’s Way, Barking, London IG11 0TJ. Call us on 020 8798 2590, and we will give you a straight answer on price, with no pressure to book anything on the spot.
FAQ:
Can I pop out a dent myself? A small, shallow dent is sometimes worth a go with a plunger-style dent puller, but pushing too hard can stretch the metal or crack the paint, so it is worth getting a free look from a professional dent removal service before you try.
Is it worth claiming on insurance for a dent? Usually not for a small dent, since the excess you pay and the hit to your no claims bonus often add up to more than paying for the repair yourself. Our insurance-approved accident repair team can tell you honestly if your situation is different.
What dents cannot be removed with paintless dent removal? Dents with cracked paint, a sharp crease, or damage right on a panel edge, along with most dents on aluminium panels, usually need traditional filler and paint work instead. Our guide to what makes a car a good paintless dent removal candidate explains why.
Will fully comprehensive insurance cover a dent? Yes, fully comprehensive cover usually includes accidental damage such as dents, though you will still pay your excess and it may affect your no claims bonus, so it is worth weighing that up against our dent removal prices first.