HOW TO HIRE · VEHICLES & TRANSPORT

How to hire a car body sprayer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A respray is mostly preparation, and a colour change goes on the V5C. Here is how to compare quotes and what to check.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a car body sprayer in five steps

  1. Get the car inspectedRust, dents and old repairs change the price. A respray quoted from photos is a guess.
  2. Decide same colour or newA colour change with door shuts, under the bonnet and in the boot costs much more.
  3. Ask what preparation is includedStripping, filling, rust repair, primer, and how trims and glass are removed or masked.
  4. Get a written quote and timescalePaint system, lacquer coats, door shuts, polishing, VAT and weeks needed.
  5. Update the V5C if the colour changesTell DVLA, and your insurer, after the work.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Car body sprayers work without any licence or public register in all four UK nations. The respray must be carried out with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Get the preparation, paint system and price in writing after an inspection. citizensadvice.org.uk →

Tell DVLA about a colour change

If the respray changes the car's colour, the V5C registration certificate must be updated — colour is one of the details DVLA says you must tell it about. It is your job as keeper, not the installer's.

Update the V5C once the work is done, and tell your insurer. gov.uk →

The Motor Ombudsman accreditation

Accreditation to The Motor Ombudsman is a voluntary code, not a licence. Its value for a car body sprayer is the dispute route: the Ombudsman steps in once the accredited business has had eight weeks to put things right, and a final decision you accept is binding on it.

Search the business name on The Motor Ombudsman's Garage Finder. businesses.themotorombudsman.org →

Price and extra work in writing

With no fixed price, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 entitles you to pay only a reasonable amount for the car body sprayer. Citizens Advice notes that a bodyshop can hold on to the vehicle during a dispute over the bill, but has no right to sell it.

Ask for the quote in writing and a phone call before anything is added. citizensadvice.org.uk →

VAT

A respray is standard-rated at 20% on paint and labour. Among car body sprayers, any with taxable turnover above £90,000 must be registered, add the VAT and show it apart from the net figure.

Ask the paint shop for its VAT number and for the 20% under the respray total. gov.uk →

“What preparation will the respray include?”

A good answer: Stripping or flatting, dents and rust repaired, primer — explained panel by panel.

“Will you remove trims, lights and handles, or mask them?”

A good answer: Removed parts give a cleaner respray; masking is cheaper. Know which you are paying for.

“Will the door shuts, under the bonnet and boot be painted?”

A good answer: For a colour change, they should be — or the old colour shows when doors open.

“Which paint system and how many coats of lacquer?”

A good answer: A named system and the number of clear coats.

“How long will the car respray take?”

A good answer: One to three weeks is typical; longer with rust repair.

“What guarantee comes with the paint?”

A good answer: In writing, against peeling, fading and defects.

“Who updates DVLA if the colour changes?”

A good answer: You, as keeper; a good sprayer reminds you.

Getting the quote right

  • Preparation described: flatting or stripping, dents and rust repair
  • Colour: same or new, with door shuts and inner areas stated
  • Trims and parts removed or masked
  • Paint system and lacquer coats
  • The paint shop's VAT number, and the respray total with and without VAT
  • Timescale and paint guarantee
  • Who actually attends to preparation and painting, and whether the painters are employed or subcontracted

Walk away if

  • A full respray price without seeing the car
  • Rust painted over, not cut out
  • A colour change with the old colour left in the door shuts
  • No guarantee on the paint
LOW
£800
TYPICAL
£2,500
HIGH
£5,000

What a car body sprayer costs: £800–£5,000 per car

A respray is quoted per car — preparation, rust and dent repair, paint system, door shuts and trims — usually after an inspection. Car Respray price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Car body sprayers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Inspect and agreeThe car is inspected and the quote confirmed in writing.
  2. Strip and repairTrims removed, rust and dents repaired, old paint flatted or stripped.
  3. Prime and sealPrimer and sealer applied to bare and repaired areas.
  4. Paint and lacquerColour coats and clear coats applied in the booth, then cured.
  5. Finish and refitFlatted and polished, trims refitted, the car handed back clean.

Door shuts
The painted areas visible only when doors are open.
Orange peel
A dimpled paint texture; some is normal, heavy texture is a defect.
Primer
The base layer that helps paint stick and seals repairs.
Paint booth
The enclosed, filtered room where cars are sprayed.
Flatting
Sanding the surface smooth before painting or polishing.
V5C
The vehicle registration certificate (log book), which records colour.

AFTER

When the job is done

Inspect in daylightEvery panel, the shuts, the edges — look for runs, dust and orange peel.
Update the V5C and insurerIf the colour changed, tell DVLA and your insurer.
Follow aftercareAsk how long before polishing, waxing or pressure washing.
Review it honestlyYour review helps the next customer choose. Under four stars, Locufy offers the bodyshop the chance to put it right first — then the review is published.

STEP 1Tell the bodyshop, in writingDescribe the defects in the respray with photos and what you want done. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill; work that falls short must be redone at the trader's cost.
STEP 2Make-it-right, then reviewA rating below four stars for this car body sprayer opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the bodyshop hears about it first, we chase it, and the review follows.
STEP 3Ombudsman or consumer helplineAsk whether the bodyshop belongs to The Motor Ombudsman; if it does, the Ombudsman can decide the car body sprayer dispute after eight weeks. Otherwise call the consumer helpline for your nation, which passes cases to Trading Standards: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4The court, as a last stepFor a car body sprayer dispute that will not settle, the small claims route covers up to £10,000 in England and Wales, up to £5,000 in Scotland and up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland; the court fee depends on the amount claimed.

Hiring a car body sprayer: questions people ask

No. No UK nation licenses resprays or bodyshops. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires the work to be done with reasonable care and skill.

Yes. Colour is one of the details you must update on the V5C registration certificate. Tell your insurer too.

An itemised invoice and a paint guarantee. If the colour changed, your updated V5C.

£800–£5,000 per car, typically around £2,500. The car respray price guide explains what moves the figure; enter your postcode above for prices from car body sprayers near you.

A respray changes the paint permanently; a wrap covers it and can be removed. Both change the colour you must report to DVLA.

Tell the bodyshop in writing with photos. You can require the work to be redone at their cost under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in vehicles & transport

How to hire: Car Bodywork RepairHow to hire: Car WrappingHow to hire: Car Scratch RepairHow to hire: Dent RemovalHow to hire: Alloy Wheel RefurbishmentHow to hire: Ceramic CoatingHow to hire: Car DetailingHow to hire: Campervan ConversionAll 701 hiring guides →

Car body sprayers near you

Car body sprayers in LondonCar body sprayers in ManchesterCar body sprayers in BirminghamCar body sprayers in GlasgowCar body sprayers in BelfastAll car body sprayers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Citizens Advice — problems with a car repair
  2. The Motor Ombudsman — Garage Finder
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  4. gov.uk — change vehicle details on a V5C
  5. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  6. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  7. nidirect — small claims process
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register