How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car? (2024)

by Karl Furlong /

Faded or damaged paintwork is the most obvious visual sign that your car has aged. Even if the mechanicals are still good, nobody wants to drive around in a car that looks like it has seen better days, which is why a fresh paint job can breathe new life into your ride. But how much does it cost to paint a car?

Many variables can affect the final number, including the color choice, type/brand of paint, and the size of your vehicle. This guide can help you decide if repainting your car is better than replacing it entirely.

One of the most obvious markers of how much you'll pay is the size of your car. A two-door Mini Cooper body's surface area is far less than that of a full-size pickup or SUV like a Ford F-150 or Cadillac Escalade, so it will need more paint to get the job done.

Smaller cars will need about three gallons of topcoat alone, while bigger cars will require an extra gallon of topcoat. This is probably more than what you'd need, but you don't want to run out of paint, either.

The airbrushing technique uses significantly more paint, while professionals will get the same job done with less paint, as they're less prone to wastage.

If all you want to do is spruce up the appearance of your cheaper used car to boost the price you can sell it for, you may go for a less expensive synthetic enamel paint with a minimal number of coats. Budget-minded workshops may not go as far as painting the door jams or below the hood, which are other factors separating a high-end job from a quick one. According to CostHelper, readers paid between $400 and $875 for a basic paint job, but a third were dissatisfied with the finished product.

Most readers from CostHelper were happier paying an average of $1,316 for a mid-quality paint job. Here, brand-name paints are more common, as is added prep work like removing rust spots, dents, and sanding. Up to five applications of clear coat ensure a more glossy finish. Pearlescent paint, meanwhile, is even offered on humble cars like the new Toyota Corolla, which will cost an extra $425. These will also carry a premium if you paint your older car with a pearl finish.

If you want a showroom-quality paint job, expect a bill of over $2,500 and above $10,000 in some cases. This includes using the best-quality paint, sanding down to the car's bare metal, and over 20 layers of paint. Truly custom jobs with airbrush effects, stripes, or two-tone combinations can add even more to this bill. CostHelper reports an average of nearly $5,000 for these paint jobs, but all customers were happy with the outcome.

The most expensive paints can have elements like metal flakes, nano pigments, and mica. These create stunning effects depending on the viewing angle and degree of natural light, adding depth to the paintwork that is aesthetically pleasing but much more complex. The same goes for matte paint finishes.

Your chosen paint color can dramatically affect the price you'll pay. Last year, a study by iSeeCars showed that the most popular car colors in America were white, black, gray, silver, and blue. White is often one of the few no-cost colors you can get on luxury models; in fact, a new BMW 5 Series is only standard with Alpine White. Every other color costs extra. When respraying a used car, you can also expect to pay more for rarer shades and metallics.

While more unusual colors like gold and green could cost more when painting your car, they could actually lower your insurance costs. American Auto Insurance reports that vehicles in high demand, such as those painted in white and black, could cost more to insure. Brightly colored cars are less likely to be stolen, another factor that can drive up the cost of insuring a vehicle in a more conservative hue.

If your car's body panels are rusted or damaged, these fixes can add significantly to the total cost, as it's no longer simply a matter of sanding and painting. Deep scratches that can't be buffed out or any missing parts must first be dealt with before the car can be repainted.

There is no cost estimate here, as it will depend mainly on what kind of repair work your car potentially needs.

Vehicle wraps can be an effective way to customize your car's appearance without sacrificing the original paint. Effectively, you can go wild with colors or designs without affecting the ability to sell your car some way down the line to a more conservative buyer.

That said, car wraps can only be effectively applied to a car with paintwork that is in excellent condition. If rust, dents, or other flaws are present, these must first be rectified before the wrap can be professionally applied.

The vinyl material has a laminated coating on one side and an adhesive on the other, and you can get them in finishes like satin, matte, and gloss. The entire process of getting the size right and installing the wrap is complex, which is why it can end up costing more than a new paint job - between $2,000 and $4,000 in many cases. That's much less than the latest wraps Tesla introduced for the Model 3 and Model Y. These go for between $7,500 and $8,000 and include interesting colors like Forest Green, Satin Rose Gold, and Glacier Blue that you won't find in Tesla's usual palette.

A wrapped vehicle requires more maintenance. It will be more susceptible to harsh products when washing and should be parked in a garage or beneath a quality car cover out of excessive sunlight. The wrap could start peeling off prematurely if you don't follow the correct maintenance guidelines.

You must also bear in mind the cost of unwrapping a vehicle, which will be around $500 ordinarily or about $2,500 if it's a baked-in wrap.

If you want to save on the overall cost of painting your car and have the necessary skills and equipment, you can do the prep work yourself. This is a large portion of the job and involves the following:

• Give the car a thorough wash
• Remove all chrome fittings
• Remove headlights, marker lights, and taillights
• Tape off components like the windows and anything else that won't be removed
• Sand the car correctly
• Repair any body damage, including rust removal
• Have the car hauled to the body shop

A poorly prepped car will affect the quality of the paint job, so don't attempt this if you aren't confident of doing it correctly.

Having your car painted involves many variables, but there is a solution for almost any budget. Whether you want to improve the appearance of your old car or complete a personal project with a top-class paint job that will impress at car shows, there are many options on the table.

Most people will fall between these two extremes and be on the lookout for a quality job that won't cost the earth. Therefore, you should be able to get away with paying around $1,500 from a reputable workshop.

Karl Furlong

Senior Editor

Contact Karl @FuelAffection