Compare Quotes for Cosmetic Repair Insurance

There are two main reasons why you should think about cosmetic car insurance policies: protecting your no claims bonus, and covering repairs that would otherwise cost less than your excess.

When your car suffers a minor scratch or another kind of surface-level damage, you're faced with a tricky decision: You can make a claim with your car insurance provider and have them pay for the repairs but risk losing your no claims bonus, or you can fork out for the cosmetic repair yourself.

Cosmetic repair insurance solves this problem. Since it functions as an add-on or a separate policy altogether, you can make a claim on a cosmetic policy to cover minor repairs without affecting your no claims.

Moreover, in some cases, the cost of your repairs may be lower than your voluntary excess. If your repairs cost £150, but your excess is set at £300, even if you make a claim you'll still be paying for the repairs yourself. Again, a cosmetic or scratch and dent insurance policy will help here, since the excess on such policies is usually closer to £10

Cosmetic repair insurance is designed to cover a range of minor cosmetic damage to your car, ensuring that small issues don't lead to larger problems or reduce the vehicle's value. This type of policy typically covers:

• Minor Cosmetic Damage: Includes minor dents, scuffs, and surface scratches that don't affect the car's mechanical performance. These can occur from everyday wear and tear, such as parking lot mishaps or minor collisions.
• Dent Damage: Small dents on metal body panels, often caused by impacts from other car doors or stray shopping carts, are covered under cosmetic repair insurance. The policy usually applies to dents that don't exceed certain size limits, often up to 30 cm long and 3 cm deep.
• Scuffs or Scratch Damage: Light scuffs or scratches to your car’s paintwork, whether from brushing against a hedge or a minor scrape against a wall, are typically covered. This also includes damage from stone chips that can leave unsightly marks on the surface of the paint.
• Damage Extending Across Multiple Panels: Some policies may even cover minor damage that affects multiple panels, such as a scratch or scuff that spans across a door and fender. However, the extent of this coverage can vary by insurer.
• Key Vandalism: If your car is deliberately scratched with a key or similar object, cosmetic repair insurance usually covers the repairs, ensuring that the damage to your metal body panels is quickly and effectively addressed.

Keep in mind that while cosmetic repair insurance covers minor damage, it doesn’t extend to major repairs or anything that affects the car’s functionality. Additionally, the specific limits and conditions for coverage, such as the size of the damage and the number of repairs carried out, will vary depending on the insurer

Small, surface level scratches tend to cost £60-100 to repair, and so shouldering this cost might not be the end of the world. But deeper scratches or dents can easily exceed £200.

The cost of cosmetic repairs will vary significantly depending on what car you drive as well. If you've had a custom paint job, it'll cost more for the garage and approved repairers to track down the right colour to cover up minor scratches, for example

When purchasing a new or nearly new car, dealerships often offer cosmetic repair insurance, known as SMART Repair (Small to Medium Area Repair Technology). This type of insurance typically involves:

• SMART Repairs: Utilises specialised tools and equipment to perform localised cosmetic repairs, such as fixing minor scuffs, scratches, and small dents, without the need to replace entire panels. This helps keep your car in showroom condition.
• Higher Costs: Dealerships usually charge a premium for this insurance due to added markups.

It’s worth noting that SMART insurance can also be obtained through brokers, often at a lower cost than dealership offerings.

Can I get SMART repairs on my used car?

Cosmetic repair insurance isn’t limited to new cars; it’s also available for used vehicles, even if they weren’t recently purchased from a dealership. Key points include:

• SMART Repairs: Applies to used cars by covering minor cosmetic damage through localised repairs. This method uses specialised tools to address issues without replacing entire panels.
• Coverage for Private Sales: Insurance can be purchased for cars bought through private sales.
• Pre-Existing Damage: Some policies may cover vehicles with pre-existing cosmetic damage.
• Maintaining Appearance: Keep your used car in top condition by addressing minor cosmetic damage efficiently with SMART repair techniques.