A collision estimate is an opening position, not a price. Between 60 and 75 percent of jobs estimated above $2,000 need at least one supplement once the car comes apart and hidden damage appears, and complex claims commonly run to 4. Knowing that in advance changes the question you ask a shop: not what will this cost, but what happens when you find more, and who has to agree to it.
| Service | Typical |
|---|---|
| Body labor rateNational range | $55 to $85 per hour |
| Paint and refinish labor rateNational range | $45 to $75 per hour |
Ranges last checked September 2026. They come down automatically when they are due to be rechecked.
Every figure above comes from a named source we can link to, with the date we last checked it. We publish ranges rather than single prices because a range is what a provider will actually give you: the same job moves with what is being worked on, the materials, how hard it is to get at and how busy the trade is locally. Treat these as the order of magnitude to expect before you call, not as a quote.
The figures here are national. Where a source publishes figures state by state, the state pages carry that local figure instead of this one. We do not scale a national number by a multiplier of our own invention.
Every range carries a review date. When that date passes the number comes down until it is rechecked, rather than sitting here undated.
An initial estimate is built from visible damage. Once the car is disassembled, what was hidden behind the panel is documented as a supplement and sent back to the insurer for approval. This is normal and it is not a shop padding the job: most substantial claims carry at least one, and complicated ones carry several. What matters is that you understand the sequence before you agree to it, because a shop that never mentions supplements is either unusually lucky or not telling you how the work actually goes.
A shop on an insurer’s direct repair program has agreed a contract rate with that insurer, generally below its own door rate, and makes the difference back on volume. If you are paying directly, you are quoted the door rate. Neither is a trick, but it explains why the same shop can appear to charge two different prices, and why an insurer steering you to a particular shop is not purely about convenience.
Straightening a panel and refinishing it are different trades billed at different hourly rates, and paint materials are usually a third line again. An estimate quoting a single blended rate is hiding the split rather than simplifying it. Ask for the breakdown; the table above shows what each half normally runs.
An estimate can specify a new original equipment part, a new aftermarket part, or a recycled original part pulled from a salvage vehicle. Aftermarket runs materially cheaper than OEM and may not fit as precisely; recycled is genuine manufacturer metal at a fraction of new. Your policy often decides the default, but the choice appears on the estimate line by line and you are entitled to read it. On a lease or a late-model car, the part type can matter beyond the repair itself.
Ask how they handle supplements before you ask what it costs. The answer tells you how the shop works: who contacts the insurer, whether work pauses while approval is sought, and whether you are told before the number moves. That process, rather than the hourly rate, is what decides how a repair actually goes.
Ask what the shop is certified to work on. Aluminum bodies, high-strength steel and advanced driver assistance systems all need specific equipment and training, and a car with a camera behind the windshield may need recalibration after a repair that seems unrelated to it.
Get the parts question settled in writing. If you want original equipment parts and the policy defaults to aftermarket, that is a conversation to have at the estimate rather than at collection, and the difference may be yours to pay.
Because the first estimate is written from visible damage only. Once the car is disassembled, hidden damage is documented as a supplement and sent to the insurer. Most substantial claims carry at least one, and complex ones several.
An addition to the original estimate covering damage found after disassembly. It goes back to the insurer for approval before that work is done, which is why a repair can pause partway.
A shop on an insurer’s direct repair program has agreed a contract rate with that insurer, usually below the rate it quotes a customer paying directly. Both are real prices for different arrangements.
Often, but your policy may default to aftermarket or recycled parts, and the difference may be yours to pay. The part type appears on the estimate line by line, so ask at the estimate rather than at collection.
They are different trades with different rates, and paint materials are usually a third line again. An estimate showing one blended rate is hiding the split rather than simplifying it.