What it costs · 9 min read
In short
A bumper scuff repair typically costs between £80 and £350, with corner kerb scuffs at the lower end and larger flat face scuffs with cracked plastic at the higher end, but the only way to get an exact figure is a free no-obligation estimate.
To help private drivers who have kerbed or scuffed a bumper understand what type of scuff they have and what it is likely to cost to put right.
Two very different kinds of bumper scuff
Most bumper scuffs fall into one of two groups. Corner scuffs happen when a bumper catches a kerb, post or wall at an angle, and they are usually localised to one edge. Flat face scuffs happen when something scrapes along the front or rear of the bumper, often from a car park bollard or another vehicle, and they tend to run across a wider area.
Corner scuffs are often cheaper to fix because the damaged area is smaller and easier to blend into the surrounding paint, while flat face scuffs cover more surface and may need a wider colour blend or a full bumper refinish.
Kerbing damage in more detail
- Light kerbing often just transfers paint or leaves surface scuffing without cracking the plastic underneath.
- Harder kerbing can crack the bumper skin or push the corner out of shape, which needs more than a cosmetic repair.
- Repeated kerbing on the same corner can thin the plastic over time, making future knocks more likely to crack it.
Indicative price bands
| Type of scuff | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Light corner scuff, no cracking | £80 to £150 |
| Deeper corner scuff with scoring | £150 to £220 |
| Flat face scuff, wider area | £180 to £280 |
| Scuff with a crack needing plastic welding | £220 to £350 |
Plastic welding for cracks
Where a scuff has caused a crack or split in the bumper plastic rather than just surface scoring, plastic welding can often repair it from behind before the front is refinished. This adds labour time compared with a purely cosmetic scuff, which is reflected in the higher end of the price bands above.
Textured versus painted bumper sections
Many bumpers have a lower textured section, often black, alongside the painted upper section. Scuffs on textured plastic can sometimes be treated differently to scuffs on painted areas, and matching a textured finish correctly takes care, so tell us which part of the bumper is affected when you send photos.
Sensors and cameras add work
If your bumper carries parking sensors or a camera near the scuffed area, removing and refitting these adds time to the job, and some sensors need calibration afterwards. This is worth mentioning when you contact us, since it changes the scope of the work even though the scuff itself might be minor.
Lease return charges are worth checking
If your car is on a lease, check the fair wear and tear guidelines before it goes back, since many leasing companies charge more for a scuffed bumper at handover than we would charge to repair it beforehand. Getting a scuff sorted before your inspection is often cheaper than paying the lease company's end of contract charge.
How to get an exact scratch price
- 01Photograph the scuff from a couple of angles, including close up on any cracking.
- 02Send the photos to us on WhatsApp along with your vehicle make and model.
- 03We will give you a free no-obligation estimate and explain whether plastic welding is likely to be needed.
Bumper scuffs, boiled down
- Corner scuffs and flat face scuffs are priced differently.
- Cracked plastic needs welding before refinishing, adding to cost.
- Sensors and cameras near a scuff can add calibration work.
- Fixing a scuff before a lease return often beats the lease charge.
Questions people ask us
- Is a corner scuff always cheaper than a flat face scuff
- Usually yes, because corner scuffs cover a smaller area and blend more easily, but a cracked corner can still cost more than a large but unbroken flat scuff.
- Can a scuffed bumper be fixed without removing it from the car
- Often yes for cosmetic scuffs, though cracks needing plastic welding or work near sensors may require the bumper to come off.
- Do lease companies charge more than a repair would cost
- Frequently yes, so it is often worth getting scuffs repaired before a lease return inspection rather than paying the lease company's charge.
- Will my parking sensors need recalibrating after a scuff repair
- Only if the sensors themselves are removed and refitted during the repair, which we will flag before starting work.
Kerbed your bumper
It happens to almost everyone eventually. Send us a photo and we will tell you what it will take to put right, with no obligation to book.