There is no single standard timescale for car body repair because the duration depends on the vehicle, damage and repair scope. A localised cosmetic repair and a multi-panel accident repair involve very different amounts of assessment, preparation and refinishing.
Factors that can affect the schedule include the number of damaged areas, whether components need to be removed, availability of replacement parts, the amount of panel or bumper repair required, corrosion or previous repairs, paint preparation and the type of refinishing involved.
An apparently minor repair can also change after dismantling if additional damage becomes visible behind a bumper or trim component. When this happens, the newly identified work should be assessed before the scope is expanded.
Insurance repairs can involve an additional administrative stage because the insurer may need to review an estimate or supplementary damage before authorising costs. Our guide to How Car Insurance Repairs Work explains this process in more detail.
For these reasons, we avoid presenting one fixed repair time as though it applies to every vehicle. A more useful estimate of the schedule can be discussed once the visible condition, parts requirements and proposed repair have been assessed.
See Our Vehicle Repair Process for the main workshop stages or send your vehicle details and photographs for an initial assessment.