How long do car repairs take after an accident?

Car repairs after an accident usually take from a same or next day SMART repair, to two or three days for a single panel and respray, to one or two weeks for moderate damage across several panels once approvals are included. Structural repairs take longer and are quoted individually.

Repair time is rarely limited by the repair itself. Assessment, approval and parts supply usually decide how long your car is with a body shop.

A realistic timeline

• Inspection and estimate — same day, often within the hour for a walk-in
• Insurer or customer approval — same day privately; 1 to 5 working days through an insurer
• Parts ordering and delivery — next day for common models, longer for premium or newly released vehicles
• Body and panel work — 1 to 4 days depending on the number of panels
• Paint, curing and reassembly — 1 to 3 days
• Quality check and handover — same day

What adds delay

First, insurer authorisation — nothing can be ordered or started until the work is approved. Second, back-ordered parts, which are outside any repairer's control. Third, hidden damage found once panels come off, which needs a supplementary estimate and a second approval.

Typical overall duration

A minor cosmetic or SMART repair is often same day or next day. A single panel repair and respray is usually two to three days. A moderate accident repair across several panels commonly runs one to two weeks including approvals. Structural repairs take longer and are quoted individually.

We give you a target completion date at the point of approval and tell you as soon as anything changes, rather than leaving you chasing us.

Paying privately or claiming on insurance

The route you take changes the approval step more than anything else. Paying privately, approval is same day because it is simply your decision. Through an insurer, allow one to five working days for authorisation before parts can be ordered or work can begin, and a second approval if hidden damage turns up once panels come off.