Respray vs wrap · France, UK, US · 2026
What it actually costs.
A full respray runs 1 000–8 000 € for a whole car. A full wrap runs 1 300–7 000 €. Below: what each band buys, how long it lasts, and the real UK and US market ranges in pounds and dollars. Updated Aug 2026.
Respray vs wrap.
| Criterion | Full respray | Full wrap |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | 1 000–2 200 € Small car, solid colour, independent shop. Minimal prep — fine paint, honest result. | 1 300–2 200 € Small car in an entry-level film. Cheaper films age in 2–4 years, not 7. |
| Quality | 1 800–4 000 € Proper prep and correction, saloon/estate, standard or metallic finish. | 2 000–4 000 € Premium cast film (3M, Avery, KPMF…), saloon-size car, handles and trim removed for the pose. |
| Premium | 3 000–8 000 € SUV, sports or luxury body, pearl/multi-stage colour — and no fixed ceiling above this. | 3 500–7 000 € SUV or sports body, exotic finishes — colour-flip, chrome and textures add 20–40% over gloss. |
| Lifespan | 10–20 years A quality respray ages like factory paint — decades with care, less if prep was skipped. | 5–7 years Typical real-world for quality film; manufacturers rate up to 8–10 years on vertical panels, exotic finishes 2–4, roofs and bonnets roughly half. |
| Reversible | Permanent. Going back means painting again. | Removable with heat within the film’s rated life; manufacturers only warrant clean removal on sound factory paint. |
| Repairs | A damaged panel is blended and repainted — any body shop can do it. | A damaged panel is re-wrapped — but an aged wrap next to fresh film can show. |
Ranges compiled from published French and Belgian shop pricing and manufacturer datasheets. Whole-car figures, EUR incl. VAT; big-city shops (Paris intra-muros) typically run 10–20% above these. Your car, its condition and your postcode decide the real number — only a shop can quote it.
Car respray cost in France.
These are the figures French and Belgian shops publish, VAT included, for a whole car. Central Paris runs about 20% above them; Lyon, Bordeaux and Nice about 10–15%.
- Full respray
- 1 000–8 000 €
- Budget 1 000–2 200 €
- Quality 1 800–4 000 €
- Premium 3 000–8 000 €
A quality respray ages like factory paint — decades with care, less if prep was skipped.
- Full wrap
- 1 300–7 000 €
- Budget 1 300–2 200 €
- Quality 2 000–4 000 €
- Premium 3 500–7 000 €
Typical real-world for quality film; manufacturers rate up to 8–10 years on vertical panels, exotic finishes 2–4, roofs and bonnets roughly half.
Ranges compiled from published French and Belgian shop pricing. Carross.eu,Reparauto,Covering.fr.
Car respray cost in the UK.
UK body shops average around £2,800 for a full respray, and a wrap in cast film lands in much the same territory. Your postcode and the state of the paint underneath move the number most.
- Full respray
- £500–£15,000
- Budget £500–£1,500
- Quality £1,500–£3,500
- Premium £3,500–£15,000
A quality UK respray runs 10–15 years; a cheap single-stage job starts going flat in 2–3.
- Full wrap
- £1,000–£6,500
- Budget £1,000–£1,800
- Quality £1,750–£3,200
- Premium £3,000–£6,500
Standard film is rated 3–5 years in UK weather; premium cast film goes 7 and beyond.
Ranges compiled from published UK shop prices and 2025 cost guides. WhoCanFixMyCar,Monster Wraps,Evolve Wrap,Airtasker UK.
Car respray cost in the US.
US shops quote before tax and bill by the hour, so the gap between a chain-store repaint and a proper refinish is wider here than anywhere else. Wraps start higher and top out lower.
- Full respray
- $300–$20,000
- Budget $300–$1,500
- Quality $1,000–$4,500
- Premium $5,000–$20,000
A professional repaint holds 5–10 years; OEM-grade refinishing with full prep goes 10–15.
- Full wrap
- $2,000–$10,000
- Budget $2,000–$2,500
- Quality $2,500–$6,000
- Premium $6,000–$10,000
Quality cast vinyl lasts 3–5 years through US sun and road salt; premium film 5–7 if it is garaged.
Ranges compiled from published US shop prices and 2025–2026 cost guides. J.D. Power,AAA,Metro Restyling.
What drives the price.
Surface and shape
A city car and an SUV are different amounts of paint or film. Deep curves, spoilers and door shuts add hours either way.
Preparation is the labour
Prep is 40–50% of a respray’s hours — rust, dents and old paint all bill. A wrap needs sound paint underneath; film amplifies chips, it doesn’t hide them.
Finish choice
Metallic adds 10–20% to paint, pearl 20–40%. On film, matte and satin are near gloss prices; colour-flip, chrome and textures run 20–40% over.
Disassembly
Handles, mirrors and trim come off for a clean job — shops quote it separately, typically 50–400 € on a wrap.
Who does it
Independent body shops bill roughly 45–75 €/h, networks 65–90 €/h, dealerships 80–120 €/h — same paint, very different totals.
Where you live
Big-city premiums are real: roughly +20% in central Paris, +10–15% in Lyon, Bordeaux or Nice.
Worth being clear about
Specced renders what a colour looks like on your car. It is a visualisation, not a quote — we do not paint or wrap cars, we are not a broker, and nothing on this page is a price we can honour. Take the render to a shop and get a real quote against the ranges above.
Questions
How much does it cost to respray a car?
A full respray costs roughly 1 000–8 000 € for a whole car in France, £500–£15,000 in the UK and $300–$20,000 in the US. 1 000–2 200 € buys a small car in a solid colour at an independent shop; 1 800–4 000 € buys proper preparation on a saloon; an SUV or a pearl finish starts at 3 000–8 000 € with no fixed ceiling. Preparation is 40–50% of the hours, which is why the same colour can differ by thousands.
How much does a car respray cost in France?
1 000–8 000 € for a whole car, VAT included, and 1 300–7 000 € for a full wrap. Independent body shops bill roughly 45–75 €/h, networks 65–90 €/h and dealerships 80–120 €/h, which is most of the spread. Central Paris adds about 20%; Lyon, Bordeaux and Nice about 10–15%.
How much does a car respray cost in the UK?
A full respray in the UK typically costs £1,500–£3,500 at a quality body shop. Across the whole market it runs £500–£15,000: £500–£1,500 buys a single-stage job at a volume shop; show-standard work with the panels off starts at £3,500. A full wrap runs £1,000–£6,500, with cast film from 3M or Avery around £1,750–£3,200.
How much does a car respray cost in the US?
A full respray in the US typically costs $1,000–$4,500 at an independent shop that preps properly. A single-stage job at a national chain runs $300–$1,500. Multi-stage and show-quality refinishing runs $5,000–$20,000. A full wrap starts around $2,000 and lands at $2,500–$6,000 in cast vinyl. US shops quote before tax.
Is wrapping cheaper than respraying?
Not reliably. A full wrap runs 1 300–7 000 € against 1 000–8 000 € for a full respray, so the ranges overlap almost completely. The real difference is time and reversibility: a quality wrap lasts 5–7 years and comes off, a quality respray lasts 10–20 years and is permanent. Wrapping is cheaper per year only if you intend to change colour again.
How long does a car wrap last compared to paint?
5–7 years for quality cast film against 10–20 years for a quality respray. Typical real-world for quality film; manufacturers rate up to 8–10 years on vertical panels, exotic finishes 2–4, roofs and bonnets roughly half.
Can I see a colour on my car before paying for it?
Yes. Upload a photo of your car to Specced, pick a paint or a wrap film, and a photoreal render of that colour on your own car comes back in minutes — free, no account needed. It is a visualisation, not a quote: take it to a shop and price it against the ranges on this page.
See it before you spend it.
The cheapest place to change your mind about a colour is a photo. Upload one, pick a paint or a film, get a photoreal render back — free, no account.