What it costs · 7 min read
In short
The cost depends on the dent size and depth, its position, access behind the panel, paint condition and whether refinishing is needed. A free, no-obligation estimate confirms the cost for your vehicle.
For a driver whose car has picked up a dent that has also scratched or cracked the paint, who wants to understand why that costs more than a clean dent.
Why a scratch changes a dent repair
When a dent has left the paint intact, it can often be massaged back out from behind with paintless dent removal. There is nothing to paint, so the job is quicker and cheaper. The moment the same dent has a scratch, chip or crack in it, that route is usually gone. The panel has to be pulled or shaped back, the damaged paint taken down, the surface filled and levelled, then primed, painted and lacquered.
In practice that means a dent and a scratch in the same spot is normally one repair, not two separate jobs added together. You are paying for one panel to be reshaped and refinished, which is why the combined price is lower than adding a dent price to a scratch price.
Cost factors for dent repairs
| Damage | Typical method | What affects the cost |
|---|---|---|
| Coin sized, no paint damage | Paintless dent removal | Size, depth, access and paint condition affect the cost |
| Golf ball sized, no paint damage | Paintless dent removal | Size, depth, access and paint condition affect the cost |
| Tennis ball sized or paint cracked | Filler and refinish | Plastic repair, access and refinishing affect the cost |
| Large dent or sharp crease | Panel repair and refinish | Size, depth, access and paint condition affect the cost |
When it is two repairs, not one
- The dent is on one panel and the scratch runs onto the next, so both panels need preparing and painting.
- The scratch is long and runs well beyond the dented area.
- There are several separate marks from different incidents on the same side of the car.
- The paint is a metallic or pearl finish that needs blending into a neighbouring panel to hide the repair.
What else we look at
Where the dent sits matters. A dent on a flat area of a door is simpler to reshape than one on a swage line, a wheel arch lip or the edge of a panel, where the metal is stiffer and the shape is harder to bring back. Access behind the panel also plays a part, as some areas need trims or linings removing before the metal can be worked.
For plastic bumpers, a knock that dents and scratches the surface is often repaired with heat to reshape the plastic, followed by filling and refinishing. If the plastic has split, that becomes a crack repair and is priced accordingly.
Insurance or pay yourself
Most single panel dent and scratch repairs are small enough that people choose to pay privately rather than lose their excess and risk a renewal increase. We carry out both insurance and private repairs, and we can estimate both ways so you can compare the figure against your excess.
Dent and scratch costs in short
- Broken paint rules out paintless dent removal in most cases.
- Size, depth, access and paint condition affect the cost
- Damage in one spot is one repair, not two added together.
- Crossing onto another panel adds a second set of work.
Questions people ask us
- Can a dent with a scratch be fixed without painting?
- Usually not. Paintless dent removal only works when the paint is unbroken. Once there is a scratch, chip or crack in the dent, the area needs refinishing after it has been reshaped.
- Is a dent and scratch charged as two separate repairs?
- Not when they are in the same spot. Reshaping and refinishing one panel covers both. It becomes two repairs when the damage crosses onto another panel or the marks are in different places.
- How much does a small dent and scratch cost to repair?
- The cost depends on the dent size and depth, its position, access behind the panel, paint condition and whether refinishing is needed. A free, no-obligation estimate confirms the cost for your vehicle.
- Should I claim on insurance for a dent and scratch?
- That depends on your excess and your policy. For a single panel it is often cheaper to pay privately, and we can price it both ways so you can decide.
Dent and scratch in one knock
Send photos of the damage with your make, model and location and we will tell you whether it is one repair or two, with a free no-obligation estimate.
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