A light scratch that only marks the clear coat costs about $150 to $300 at a body shop, or $10 to $30 if you fix it yourself (Byers Collision). A scratch that reaches bare metal is a different job. Expect $800 to $1,500 or more per panel, because the panel has to be primed, painted and blended.
Depth sets the price far more than length. A long, shallow scrape can be cheaper than a short gouge.
Check how deep it is first
Run a fingernail across the scratch. If your nail glides over it, the damage is probably in the clear coat only, and polishing may remove it (AutoBodyShopNear).
If your nail catches, the scratch has gone into the color coat or deeper. Gray means primer. Silver or shiny means bare metal on a steel panel. Black or textured usually means bare plastic on a bumper.
Car paint has four layers: clear coat, base (color) coat, primer, then metal or plastic. Each layer you go through adds a step to the repair.
How much to fix scratches on a car in the US
Most shops price by depth, then adjust for panel and paint type. These are the ranges two US sources publish.
Scratch depth | Typical repair | Shop price |
|---|---|---|
Clear coat only | Wet sand and machine polish | $150 to $300 |
Into the color coat | Touch-up paint and blending | $300 to $600 (AutoBodyShopNear), $400 to $1,000 (Byers) |
Down to primer | Sand, re-prime and repaint the panel | $500 to $800 per panel |
Down to bare metal | Full panel prep, prime, paint and clear | $800 to $1,500 (Byers), up to $2,500+ per panel (AutoBodyShopNear) |
Any depth, DIY | Scratch remover kit or touch-up pen | $10 to $60 |
The two sources disagree at the top end. That gap is real. A key scratch along a whole door on a pearl-white SUV is not the same job as a 6-inch mark on a silver hatchback.
What a scrape on a car costs
Scrapes are usually bumper or lower-door damage from a curb, post or parking garage wall. Jerry puts a bumper scratch at about $50 to more than $200, and a replacement bumper at $200 to $450 if the cover is cracked. AutoBodyShopNear lists a bumper scrape at $150 to $600 and curb rash at $150 to $500.
Plastic bumpers are often cheaper to fix than steel doors. They don't rust, and a scuffed cover can be sanded, filled and resprayed without touching the metal behind it.
UK prices for scratch repair
UK prices run a little lower than US body-shop quotes, mostly because smart repair (a small-area spot repair, often done by a mobile technician) is very common there.
Damage | UK price | Source |
|---|---|---|
Light surface scratch, clear coat only | £70 to £150 | BookMyGarage |
Scratch through the colour coat | £120 to £300 | BookMyGarage |
Deep scratch to primer or metal | £300 to £600 | BookMyGarage |
Light bumper scuff | £100 to £300 | BookMyGarage, Start Rescue |
Smart repair, deeper scratch | £150 to £300 | Start Rescue |
Respray, small panel (door, wing, bumper) | £200 to £400 | Start Rescue |
Respray, large panel (bonnet, roof) | £400 to £600+ | Start Rescue |
DIY kit (T-Cut, Autoglym, Turtle Wax) | £10 to £30 | Start Rescue |
The booking site Bumper.co lands close to these figures: £60 to £150 for a small scratch at a repair shop, and £200 to £500 for a deep one.
Bumper scratches that damage parking sensors or radar units cost more. Start Rescue says heavy bumper damage with integrated devices can reach £1,300 or more.
What makes one scratch cost more than another
Four things move the quote, in this order.
- Depth. Polishing a clear-coat mark is mostly labor. Anything into primer means painting and blending into the next panel so the color match doesn't show.
- Paint type. Metallic, pearl and three-coat colors add about $100 to $200 (AutoBodyShopNear). BookMyGarage says they take more work to match in the UK too.
- Number of panels. A scratch that crosses from the door onto the rear quarter is two panels to paint and blend.
- The car. AutoBodyShopNear puts luxury cars 50 to 80% above a mid-range baseline, and trucks and SUVs 15 to 30% above a comparable sedan.
Dealers charge more than independent body shops. Chase notes that dealer prices for a hood or door repair can be up to twice as much, and recommends getting at least three estimates.
Can you leave it, and for how long
Yes, if it's only in the clear coat or color coat. It's cosmetic, and the car is safe to drive indefinitely.
Bare metal is the exception. Exposed steel starts to rust, and rust spreads under the surrounding paint, which turns a $300 touch-up into a panel respray (Byers). If you can see shiny metal, at least dab touch-up paint on it this week to seal it, even if the proper repair waits.
Bare plastic on a bumper won't rust. It can wait until you're ready to pay for it.
Should you claim on insurance
Usually not, for a scratch. The non-collision part of a policy can pay for vandalism such as keying, falling objects and some other damage, but you still pay your deductible, and a claim may raise your premium (Chase).
If your deductible is $500 and the quote is $600, claiming saves you $100 and may cost more than that at renewal. It's only worth it for keying across several panels or damage that also hit sensors or trim.
DIY or shop
DIY works for clear-coat scratches. A polishing compound or a $15 to $50 scratch remover kit takes about an hour, and Chase says light surface scratches are the easiest to fix yourself.
Touch-up pens fill deeper chips and stop rust, but they rarely look invisible on a long scratch. Order the exact paint code from your door jamb sticker; dealers can match paint to your VIN.
For anything your nail catches on a visible panel, get a shop or mobile smart-repair quote. Bad DIY sanding can turn a $300 job into a full respray.
More cost guides are in our repair costs section.
What to do today
- Wash the area and do the fingernail test in good light.
- If you can see bare metal, seal it with touch-up paint matched to the code on your door jamb sticker.
- If it's clear coat only, try a polishing compound or scratch remover kit before paying anyone.
- For deeper damage, get at least three quotes, including one mobile or smart-repair technician. Photograph the scratch with a coin next to it for remote quotes.
- Compare the lowest quote to your insurance deductible before deciding whether to claim.
Sources
- Byers Collision: Is It Expensive to Fix Scratches on a Car?
- AutoBodyShopNear: Car Scratch Repair Cost
- Jerry: How much does it cost to fix a scratch on a car bumper?
- Chase: How much does it cost to fix a scratch on a car?
- BookMyGarage: Scratch repairs
- Start Rescue: How much does a car scratch repair cost?
- Bumper: How much does it cost to repair a scratch on a car?
Featured image: Man keying a car by Ivan Radic, CC BY 2.0. Source
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