How much does it cost to respray one panel in the UK?

Budget £300 to £500 for a solid colour, £380 to £650 for metallic and £500 to £850 for pearl or tri-coat finishes, including preparation, painting and lacquer.

How much is a full respray?

A same-colour full respray on a family car typically runs £2,500 to £6,000. Changing colour means painting door shuts, jambs and the engine bay, which pushes it to £4,000 and well beyond.

Why is car paint so expensive now?

Two-pack paint, primer, lacquer and booth energy costs have all risen, and colour matching on modern pearls takes real skill and time. Materials alone on a single metallic panel can run to £100 or more before any labour.

Is a smart repair as good as a full respray?

For a small, contained scuff on a bumper corner or door edge, a good smart repair is excellent value and often invisible. For damage crossing body lines or covering a large area, a full panel respray gives a far better result.

Will the new paint match my car exactly?

A bodyshop mixes to your paint code, then adjusts for fade. On anything more than a few years old, blending into the adjacent panels is what makes the match invisible. Always ask if blending is included.

Car respray cost UK: paint repair prices (2026 guide)

Typical UK paint and respray prices

These figures assume a professional bodyshop working at roughly £80 an hour, using two-pack paint in a heated booth, with the panel prepared, primed, painted and lacquered. Cheap mobile jobs undercut them, but rarely last.

Job	Typical UK cost
Small localised paint repair (smart repair)	£150 to £300
Single panel respray, solid colour	£300 to £500
Single panel respray, metallic	£380 to £650
Single panel respray, pearl or tri-coat	£500 to £850
Bumper respray including prep	£350 to £600
Blending into adjacent panels (per panel)	£150 to £300
Half respray (one side or front end)	£1,200 to £2,500
Full body respray, same colour	£2,500 to £6,000
Full colour change respray	£4,000 to £10,000+

What affects the cost

Paint type and colour

Solid white or black is the cheapest. Metallics need more coats, and pearls or tri-coat finishes such as Range Rover and Mazda reds need test panels and careful blending, which is why they cost the most.

Preparation and damage

Paint is only as good as the prep. Filling, sanding and priming dents or rust often takes longer than the spraying itself, and rust repair can double the labour.

Blending into neighbouring panels

A perfect match on an aged car usually means fading the new colour into the panels either side. That is extra labour and materials, but without it the repair is visible in daylight.

Bodyshop standard

A manufacturer-approved bodyshop with a heated booth and warranty costs more than a back-street sprayer. For a car you plan to sell or a lease return, the better finish pays for itself.

When paint work is worth doing

Scratches deep enough to catch a fingernail, which will start to rust.
Stone chips on the bonnet or front wings showing bare metal.
Lacquer peel on the roof or boot lid, common on older reds and blues.
A mismatched panel from a previous cheap repair.
Before selling or handing back a lease car, where paint damage attracts charges.

How to pay a fair price

Paint quotes for the same car can differ by hundreds of pounds. Ask whether the price includes blending, whether the paint is two-pack in a booth, and what warranty comes with it. Getting three bodyshop quotes through RepairRadar means you can compare finish quality and price side by side rather than guessing.

Compare local quotes

Car respray and paint repair cost in the UK

Typical UK paint and respray prices

What affects the cost

Paint type and colour

Preparation and damage

Blending into neighbouring panels

Bodyshop standard

When paint work is worth doing

How to pay a fair price

Frequently asked questions

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