Here’s How Much It Costs To Paint a Car

Painting a car can be very expensive, but there are ways to get it done to match almost any budget.

byAustin Lott|
Here's how much it costs to paint a car
Spray time. Hank O'Hop
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After a while, that shiny new car you were so proud of starts to look dingy and faded. The paint has taken a beating over the years and all you’re left with is a car in a different color (or colors) than the one you started with. You could throw in the towel and just buy a new car, but we're not quitters around here. Your other, much braver choice is to have the car painted by a pro, or yourself, to restore its former glory.

Every shop is a little bit different on pricing because of variations in quality, skill level, and the type of paint job being done. It’s probably obvious that painting a Ford Econoline van is going to cost more than painting a Volkswagen Golf, but there are plenty of other factors that play into the costs of painting a car. As does doing it yourself. Though we caution anyone who thinks it’ll be a simple job.

But we've written this comprehensive guide to lend a helping hand. Before you give up and either sell your car or resign yourself to rattle-canning primer over the faded spots, stick with us to get the lowdown on painting a car.

Remarkably great results. Hank O'Hop

How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car

The costs to paint a car vary depending on where the work is done, the size and complexity of the vehicle to be painted, and the quality of the paint job itself. In general, expect to pay anywhere from $300 for something quick and dirty, to upwards of $10,000 for a professional paint job. The upper end of that price is where we find metal flake, multi-colored, and custom paint jobs, so unless you’re prepping your car for a show there’s really no need to spend that much.

If you feel that you’re skilled enough to do the job at home, and keep in mind that this is a big if, you can get a similar result for much less money. Supplies can run anywhere from $100 to $1,500, depending on what you already have at home. Also, keep in mind that if you don’t have a well-ventilated area where dust and debris can’t get to your new paint job, it might be a good idea to let a pro do the work.

Like many things in life, you’ll absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to professional paint jobs. You can swing into a budget shop and be out the door for $500, but don’t expect it to be a top-notch job. A solid, high-quality paint job averages around $5,000. In general, you can count on paint job prices to vary based on:

Size of the Vehicle

Painting a Geo Metro is going to cost a lot less than painting a Cadillac Eldorado, based only on the fact that the Caddy’s got quite a bit more real estate that needs painting. 

Additional Repairs Needed

If you can’t leave the Starbucks parking lot without curb surfing, you’re going to pay extra to have any damage repaired prior to having the vehicle painted. But we'll get more into that in a bit.

Color

Choosing a mainstream color like black, white, or gray is the cheapest way to go. If you want a specialty color, especially one used by a premium automaker, you’ll pay more. Also, keep in mind that changing your vehicle’s color will cost more because of the work it will take to paint the engine bay, door jambs, and more.

Wash your car only after the paint dries. Deposit Photos

Breaking Down How Much It Costs to Paint a Car

There's definitely a paint job out there for any budget, here's what you can expect to pay for different levels of sprayed-on service. Keep in mind that prep work is the top labor cost, which includes not only preparing the surface for paint, but also removing trim, headlights, weather seals, and more, to ensure as flawless of a spray session as possible.

A single-coat synthetic enamel paint job

This could cost as little as $500, but that might be hard to find. But prices can range up to around $1,000-$2,000 depending on how much prep is needed to spray down fresh base and clear.

A higher quality paint job

This includes bodywork such as dent/rust/damage repair, can cost as much as $3,500. 

Multi-coat, high-quality paint jobs

As much as $8,000 or more, depending on color and vehicle. Extras such as racing stripes, metal flake, and candy coat colors all add to that price tag.

Factory-level

It depends on the manufacturer, but it could be around $10,000

Things That Increase the Cost To Paint a Car

We hinted at this above, but the amount of what needs to be done to achieve a paint job that you're satisfied with affects the price.

Rust repair

Spraying over rust and expecting it to never rear its ugly head again is a fool's errand. In order to achieve a clean paint job, it's important to cut out or neutralize those bits of metallic cancer. If you live in a temperate climate it's not as much of a concern, but lots of rust spots could up the bill really quick in, say, Minnesota.

Cracks or dents

Paint adheres to surfaces, but it doesn't adhere surfaces together: Any cracks and damage in bumpers require fixing ahead of time, or the whole piece of bodywork might need replacement. Dents need to be popped out, too, and popping them out later could damage the paint.

Optional extras

There are all sorts of extras to add on to a paint job: Graphics, pearlescent additions, more flake, pinstripes, racing stripes, flames, and so on. These will add onto the labor cost, and most aren't easily removed as they're often underneath the clear coat.

Even more extras

A lot of body shops will offer services in ceramic coating and protective wraps. However, these often have to be done well after the finished, buffed, and waxed fresh paint job, as paint needs a chance to fully harden on its own. They're great to consider as they'll help protect your investment.

Wheel refinishing

If you want your ride looking as fresh as possible, you could also have your wheels repaired and resprayed in either the factory or a custom color. Yellow car, green wheels: Why not? But this will also be an added cost depending on how much repair is needed.

Check out this Audi S3's very new and fresh paint. Peter Nelson

FAQs on Painting a Vehicle

Q. Does repainting a car affect its resale value?

A. It can, but more often than not, when you’re correcting the paint or fixing some damage, it’ll increase your car’s value.

Q. How long does the whole process take?

A. You’re looking at between a few hours fixing a spot to 40 to 80 hours painting the whole car. If you're having a professional shop do the work, be sure to consider lead time and time it takes them to do a good, thorough job. It's not unheard of for a shop to take weeks.

Q. Then what’s the easiest paint to take care of?

A. White, while blacks are some of the hardest. 

Q. What’s the hardest color to paint?

A. Red.

Video

Let's hear from one of the automotive restoration industry's top professionals, Kevin Tetz, about the costs of getting a car painted.

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Cars 101