Question: I’ve been thinking about selling my car, but a few days ago I got a dent in my hood. It’s in great condition otherwise, and I feel like I can sell it for a lot more if I fix the hood. But I’m not sure how much to budget for—how much does it cost to repair a hood dent?
Answer: There are a lot of factors that can impact the cost of fixing dents in your hood, including the size and severity of the dent, whether you need to repaint, and how many total dents are present. The type of metal used to manufacture your car hood could also affect the cost.
If you have a single small dent with no paint damage, the cost of your hood dent repair will likely start around $75–$150. If you have a large dent (or multiple smaller dents) and your hood needs to be repainted, the repair costs could be thousands of dollars.
NEED TO KNOW: Before you attempt to drive your vehicle with a dented hood, check to be sure that the hood still latches securely. If it doesn’t latch properly, the hood could fly up while you’re driving, blocking your view and making the road dangerous for everyone.
Traditional dent repair vs. paintless dent repair
Depending on how serious the dent is, you likely have three options for repair:
- Traditional repair: If a technician goes with the traditional dent repair method, they’ll hammer out the dent, fill the area with putty, sand it down, and paint your vehicle. This is likely your best option if your hood was seriously dented in a collision or by a large falling object, for example.
- Paintless repair: During a paintless repair, the technician will use heat or suction to pop the dent out of your hood. Paintless dent repair is typically best for minor dents, like hail damage. Because there’s less labor involved—and no painting—this is typically a much less expensive option than the traditional dent repair.
- Hood replacement: If your hood is severely damaged, like after a serious collision, you may need to replace it entirely. The cost of a replacement car hood starts around $250–$300, but if you have a larger or rare vehicle, the parts cost could be much higher. Labor costs will also vary depending on the difficulty of installing the hood on your particular make and model and where you’re getting the work done.
DID YOU KNOW? If you have full coverage car insurance, the damage to your hood may be covered—you’ll just need to pay your deductible. For instance, damage from hail or falling objects would be covered under the comprehensive portion of your policy, while damage due to a collision with another car or an object would be covered by the collision portion of your policy.
Expert insurance writer and editor Amy Bobinger specializes in car repair, car maintenance, and car insurance. Amy is passionate about creating content that helps consumers navigate challenges related to car ownership and achieve financial success in areas relating to cars. Amy has over 10 years of writing and editing experience. After several years as a freelance writer, Amy spent four years as an editing fellow at WikiHow, where she co-authored over 600 articles on topics including car maintenance and home ownership. Since joining Jerry’s editorial team in 2022, Amy has edited over 2,500 articles on car insurance, state driving laws, and car repair and maintenance.
Everett Cook is an award-winning journalist and editor with more than 10 years of experience across a variety of industries. In editing for Jerry, Everett’s mission is to help readers have a better understanding of the costs of owning or leasing a car and to better understand their vehicle in terms of insurance and repairs. Prior to joining Jerry, Everett was an editor for Axios. His previous work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic, Atlantic Re:think, The Boston Globe, USA Today, and others. He’s also been a freelance writer and editor with experience in SEO, audience building, and long-term content roadmaps. Everett is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.
