Dent repair and removal

Compare dent removal and repair service prices

Car body close up

What is a car dent?

When a car is hit by another object, it can bend, or scratch the body work, often cutting into the maint and damaging the metal below. Dents can happen anywhere on the car, from side panels, to bumpers or wheel arch. No matter where it appears, dent removal is a common service and those with the skills and knowledge on dent removal can have your car looking perfect again.

No matter how cautious of a driver you are, chances are you have had some type of dent in your car from years of driving. Minor dents, scratches and scuffs seem to be part and parcel of driving a car. Try as we may to protect our cars from suffering body damage, it’s often unavoidable when dents can occur even when we are not responsible for them.

If you’ve noticed a dent on your car, then the good news is, minor dents can easily be removed with specialist equipment, without having to replace complete panels.

Compare dent removal costs and deals

There are many differences between makes; a Kia average comes in just over £265 whereas Mercedes is over £460. Although it can be a costly job, it will help to retain the true value of your car.

The cost varies hugely in this job category, as a ‘dent’ can be identified as anything from a coin sized scuff to an entirely concave bonnet. To get an accurate quote, each case must be discussed with your garage, where they may assess the size of the area before providing you with a cost. 

The cost of dent removal will of course increase depending on the number of dents, and the presence of scratches and need for filler and respraying work.

Below you will find the average cost of dent removal between some of the most common car makes.

Car MakeAverage Price
Audi£464.17
BMW£217.59
Citroen£720.00
Fiat£446.11
Ford£447.15
Honda£322.00
Mazda£455.00
Mercedes£462.65
Skoda£712.50
Vauxhall£229.33
Volkswagen£364.17
Volvo£400.00

Is dent removal necessary?

Yes - although tempting to put off dent removal, especially if it is on the smaller scale, leaving dents alone will depreciate your car’s value. 

Apart from the value, dents can cause:

  • Paint cracks caused by the impact can allow water to seep underneath the paint and clear coat where it will reach the unprotected metal part of the car. Over time, the water will cause the metal to oxidize, causing rust spots.

  • Long-term damage to the paint 

  • Reduced resale value

  • Often cheaper to fix when done right away

  • Car dents can impact your safety as dents could compromise vehicle safety as they cannot take as much impact should you have a collision.

  • SMART repairs

    The average cost of a SMART repair booked on WhoCanFixMyCar is £350.99. SMART stands for Small Medium Area Repair Technology and involves repairs to localised patches of modest car body damage like scratches. They are easy fixes that can be done quickly or by a mobile mechanic.

    Can include
    • Paint repairs
    • Scuff repairs
    • Dent removal
    • Wheel flaw repairs
  • Dent removal

    The average cost of a dent removal booked on WhoCanFixMyCar is £436.59. Dent removal ranges from fixing minor scuffs to the replacement of car panels. The exact cost of dent removal depends on the extent of the damage. A mechanic will assess the dent and recommend whether it should be repaired.

    Can include
    • Damage assessment
    • Dent sucking
    • Reverse hammer
    • Filling
    • Paint respraying
    • Panel replacement
  • Paintless dent removal

    The average cost of a paintless dent removal booked on WhoCanFixMyCar is £377.67. Paintless dent removal (PDR) is the process of removing a dented area of a motor vehicles body, without the need to use any paint to cover this up. As long as the area's painted surface is still in tact, a wide range of damage can be repaired using this method.

    Can include
    • Damage assessment
    • Dent sucking
    • Reverse hammer

Which dent removal service do you need?

Body shops employ a number of techniques to remove dents from your car; from using filler and sucking the dent out to a reverse hammer. 

SMART repairs

SMART (standing for small medium area repair technology) repairs describes a range of techniques for removing dents, scratches, bumper and wheel flaws in a localised area. These repairs do not require full panel resprays and therefore can be completed by mobile mechanics.

Paintless Dent Removal (PDR)

The method of paintless dent removal does not use any filler or paint. It includes pulling out dents with suction or glue, using metal rods to push the dent out from the reverse end of the dented panel.

car body work thumpnail

Get your car dent removal service at home

If you are looking for mobile dent removal service providers, then the good news is, most minor dent removals can be carried out from your home or place of work. Providing there is space for the vehicle that will hold all the specialist dent removal equipment to be parked next to, or near your car.

We work with a network of over 15,513 mechanics and garages across the UK, so we can help you find competitive and reliable mobile dent removal mechanics in your area.

How are car dents removed?

A body shop will use a number of techniques to remove dents including: 'sucking' the dent out, using a 'reverse hammer' to knock the dent from within, and using filler to fill and smooth a dent for a flawless finish.

What causes dents?

Some common reasons that cars tend to get dents are:

  • Opening car doors into another car in a car park

  • Shopping trolley hits your car

  • Ball being thrown at your car

  • Hail damage

  • Car hits a pole, wall or another car

  • Fallen tree branches

  • Narrow parking spaces

What is ‘paintless’ dent removal?

Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) covers a wide range of dent removal techniques that don't involve filler or paint, including 'pulling out' dents with suction or glue, or using metal rods to push the dent out from the reverse of the dented panel.

What are SMART repairs?

SMART repairs (Small Medium Area Repair Technology) describe a range of techniques for removing dents, scratches, bumper and wheel flaws, in a localised area. They don't require full panel respray and can be performed by mobile mechanics.

How long does dent removal take?

Removing a single, small dent can take as little as one hour, though multiple dents (such as hail damage) will take longer. Accident damage requiring respray work will take one or more days, and mustn't be rushed.

Is dent removal covered by insurance?

If your vehicle sustained minor damage, resulting in a visible dent, then your car insurance will cover it under collision coverage — but should you file a claim, it can mean you lose your no claims discounts. It might be better to pay for the damage out of your own pocket to save costs in the long-term.

How much does dent removal cost?

A single dent can be removed by a mobile SMART repairer for £50-100. Costs will rise accordingly depending on the number of dents, paint scratches, use of filler and respraying work.

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