Paint correction costs $345 to $700
What changes the number is the condition of the paint and how many stages of polishing it takes to clear it.
Paint correction is machine polishing that removes swirl marks and light scratches from the clear coat permanently, rather than filling them. Every number on this page is a rate a business advertises on its own website. Ranges are the 25th to 75th percentile of what those businesses charge, and the median is the middle of them.
Get quotes for my vehiclePrice by vehicle size
Bigger vehicle, more panels, more hours. Measured across 57 shops that publish the same job at more than one size, an SUV runs about 20% over a standard car and a full-size truck about 33%.
| Vehicle size | Range | Median | Shops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan / coupe | $350–$650 | $450 | 65 |
| SUV / crossover | $400–$800 | $525 | 57 |
| Truck / large SUV | $425–$849 | $550 | 46 |
Price by state
Only states where at least 5 separate businesses publish a rate appear here. Below that the number is one shop's opinion rather than a market.
| State | Range | Median | Shops |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $325–$800 | $500 | 66 |
| Florida | $350–$700 | $450 | 58 |
| Texas | $250–$599 | $400 | 43 |
| Georgia | $400–$808 | $549 | 23 |
| Washington | $349–$700 | $499 | 16 |
| North Carolina | $350–$675 | $400 | 15 |
| Arizona | $350–$600 | $500 | 13 |
| Colorado | $299–$650 | $500 | 13 |
| Pennsylvania | $350–$650 | $450 | 10 |
| Illinois | $350–$600 | $400 | 9 |
| New York | $250–$899 | $599 | 9 |
| Ohio | $400–$700 | $440 | 9 |
| Virginia | $300–$500 | $400 | 9 |
| Oregon | $350–$500 | $400 | 7 |
| Tennessee | $230–$700 | $399 | 7 |
| New Jersey | $274–$560 | $399 | 6 |
| Utah | $540–$1,320 | $900 | 5 |
What a paint correction quote should spell out
Two quotes that look like the same job frequently aren't. These are the questions that expose the difference, and a shop that answers them cleanly is usually the one to use.
- How many stages of polishing, and what each one is correcting
- What percentage of defects the shop expects to remove
- Whether the paint depth is measured before they start
- What goes on top afterwards to protect the corrected finish
Paint correction cost, answered
How much does paint correction cost?
Paint correction costs $345 to $700 for a standard car, with a median of $450. That comes from 661 prices published by 329 businesses on their own websites, so it is what shops advertise rather than an estimate.
Does paint correction cost more for a larger vehicle?
Yes. Comparing 57 shops that publish the same job at more than one vehicle size, an SUV runs about 20% more than a standard car and a full-size truck about 33% more. Those multipliers are measured from real price lists, not assumed.
Does paint correction cost the same everywhere?
No. Among states where at least 5 businesses publish a price, the median runs from $399 in Tennessee to $900 in Utah. Labor rates and how contested the local market is both move it.
Are these quotes?
No, and the difference matters. Every figure on this page is an advertised rate read from a business's own website. A quote depends on your vehicle's size, the condition of the paint and what the shop finds when they inspect it. Use these ranges to tell whether a quote is normal, not to predict it.