How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car A Different Color?

Are you ready for a repaint? Have you got weary of your car’s current hue? Or perhaps you need some new paint for rust protection?

Whatever the reason for a fresh coat of paint, let’s get one thing clear: painting an entire car a different shade is costly!

You’ll likely have to save up for this in the following months instead of making a rash decision.

The process is lengthy and grueling and involves unbelievable quantities of paint. It must be done in a unique environment, complete with dust sheets, particulate filtration, and full PPE, including respirators and coveralls.

Alright then. How much does it cost to paint a car a different color?

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Why Should You Paint Your Car A Different Colour?

Unless it’s becoming especially susceptible to rust (oxidation), aesthetics is the only reason for painting your car a different color.

That’s not necessarily a detrimental thing – own it!

However, know that it’s unnecessary for your vehicle’s continued health and almost certainly won’t add anything to its resale value.

Paint is actually a car’s best protection against rust. Many components are also now made of galvanized steel. Still, the thick layers of oxidation-protecting paint keep the moisture well away from any vulnerable parts.

That’s why paint chips are actually more of an issue than you might think. As well as visually affecting a car, there’s now a spot for rust to get in and spread.

From an aesthetic point of view, a new coat of paint can really make a car stand out. These days, most manufacturers limit standard colors to exceedingly boring blacks, whites, and grays.

A new coat of vivid purple or tangerine will make your car stand out from the crowd if that’s what you desire!

There are other ways to promote your car. A thorough clean and wax will likely have a similar impact if your coat is already in decent condition.

This will probably cost you a grand total of a few dollars, too – likely around a thousandth of what you’d spend on a complete respray.

How Do You Paint Your Car A Different Colour?

It’s technically possible to substantially reduce fees by painting your own car at home.

However, if there was ever a crucial piece of advice regarding the cost of changing your car’s color, it’s this: don’t do that!

For a start, the environmental agency of your state’s government might prohibit it altogether.

There’s a lot more to painting than you might think. The layers of paint must be sprayed on and uniformly applied across the entire vehicle.

You’ll have to do this several times before there’s adequate paint on the car to create vivid, rust-preventing color.

Before you even start doing this, you’ll have to create a sealed environment filled with plastic sheets. This may involve renting a workshop or garage. You’ll also need to buy the equipment and PPE if you want to avoid respiratory failure (recommended), protect the windows, trim, and lights, and safely remove all the existing paint.

Finally, you’ll need to buy the paint. Expect to pay $500 to $1,500 (yes, that’s correct) just for these materials. If you’re after a unique or manufacturer-specific color, it’ll be on the higher end or even more!

A specialist workshop will already be set up to do this for you. These experts won’t make mistakes. In the unlikely situation that they do, they should offer guarantees to correct it for free.

The catch?

It is costly.

How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Car A New Colour?

How much does it cost to get your vehicle painted an alternate color?

For a professional job, which would be highly recommended, you’ll new a spare few thousand dollars in your bank account.

A precise, professional paint job is likely to cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000.

You might find less expensive options from national chains. However, these most likely only include one layer. This will be very prone to chips and therefore provide little to no rust protection.

If a company is offering a respray for a low price, ask yourself how they’re able to do that. Remember, the paint alone could cost up to $1,000, and even though trades will get it for less, they’ll still be charging labor rates. Does it seem plausible and legitimate?

One might easily conclude that an economical respray is even less valuable than a pricey job.

What Factors Affect The Cost To Paint A Car A New Colour?

The following elements can affect the cost of painting a car a different color.

Size Of The Car

Although it might seem obvious, the larger the car is, the more paint is required. Since more materials are needed, the price will be higher.

It’ll also take a technician longer to paint. Therefore, you’ll find more hours of charged labor on your estimate and invoice.

A significant SUV could cost 50% more than a tiny hatchback because of its greater surface area.

Quality And Colour Of Paint

As mentioned earlier, higher-quality paints in unconventional colors can be much more costly than standard types. Covering a car in several layers of paint requires a lot of the stuff.

Manufacturer-specific paints can be the most challenging way to go since these will need to be color-matched to the specifications. Expect these paints to be two or three times the cost of regular options.

How Long The Paint Job Will Take

Of course, the bigger the vehicle is, the longer a respray will take. However, other factors should also be considered.

How many additional cars are in the workshop? How many days is required for the task? How much time does the paint require to dry?

All of these will affect the final price.

Repairs And Prep Work

Before a technician can start work painting your car, they’ll need to prepare the body. This involves painstakingly sanding down the old paint and repairing any damages.

Small chips and relatively minor things won’t take much time to fix. The final paint job will look uneven if they aren’t corrected first, so it’s crucial to get it done.

More significant impacts like dents and deep scratches will, of course, also need to be repaired by a bodywork expert. Otherwise, the paint job will hardly be worth it.

Finally, rust. All rust must be eliminated before paint is applied. It acts as a barrier against oxidation but can’t safeguard your car from it if it’s already present.

This all takes time, and time costs a great deal of money.

Is It Worth It?

So, is the cost of painting a car a different color worth it? With an average price of a couple of thousand dollars and from a monetary point of view… usually, no.

Exceptions might apply: vintage cars, for example, might find their values leaping significantly with a respray. This only applies to the most valuable – think Shelby Cobras, Corvette Stingrays, Ford GT40s, etc.

However, you might want to paint your car a different color just for enjoyment. If you have that much money to spend, why not? Your hard-earned cash is yours to do with as you please.

There are alternatives to painting your car, such as wrapping. This generally works out much cheaper and can be easily removed if necessary.

Is the cost of changing your car’s color worth it? Well, that’s up to you.