Repairing Your Car’s Damaged Paint

Your car’s paint job is one of the first things that people notice about the vehicle. Car paint is a durable part of the vehicle, but sometimes things happen.

It is often not cheap to have your car repainted. CostHelper says that the average mid-quality paint job runs around $1,000-$1,500. A high-quality paint job generally costs well over $2,000. That’s why most vehicles’ paint jobs last for the lifetime of the car.

So, let’s say that there is an incident that causes your car to need new paint. You might be looking at a very high repair bill to get the car repainted. You should naturally turn to your car insurance to see how it covers paint replacement.

When Does Car Insurance Cover Paint?

Most car insurance policies cover paint replacement in their comprehensive auto coverage. But, you should remember that comprehensive coverage does not cover every type of incident.

Comprehensive coverage usually covers events that are not related to accidents or collisions. Collisions and accidents are likely part of your car’s collision coverage, not comprehensive coverage. 

Comprehensive coverage will work when an incident like theft or fire damages the car. The insurance should cover the repairs that the comprehensive coverage names. Your collision coverage will also likely cover severe accidents that require extensive paint work.

When Car Insurance May Not Cover Paint

If you are in an accident, your collision coverage will likely cover repairs. In theory, collision coverage will cover your paint job. But, don't assume this is the case.

Remember your deductible. You must pay a certain amount of your deductible before your car insurance kicks in. If your accident is very minor, under the cost of your deductible, then your car insurance may not pay anything out towards the repairs. This means minor paint damages may not qualify for payouts under your collision insurance.

Paint damage because of normal wear and tear will also likely not receive a car insurance payout. Normal wear and tear is not something surprising or imminent.