Up to 50 Percent More Expensive in Two Years

Parking Damage Is Becoming Increasingly Costly

Between 2023 and 2025, the cost of repairs to car doors rose by almost 50 percent. The reasons: more electronics and higher hourly rates at repair shops.

Modern technology doesn't just offer advantages to drivers. One downside: repairs to new cars are becoming very expensive. According to a Comparis analysis, the cost of individual repairs for parking damage increased by almost half within two years.
The costs for repairs to doors and other body parts rose particularly sharply. But paintwork and the replacement of damaged parts also became more expensive, the comparison service's analysis shows.

134 Instead of 92 Swiss Francs
Some examples: The average cost of the actual repair work on a rear door rose from 92 Swiss francs in 2023 to 134 Swiss francs in 2025. This corresponds to an increase of almost 50 percent. The price increase for front doors was comparable. For a side panel, average repair costs increased by 41 percent, and for a front fender by 32 percent.

Paintwork costs rose more moderately: Painting a rear door cost an average of 238 Swiss francs in 2023, rising to 246 francs two years later. That's an increase of 3.5 percent. The combined cost of repair work and painting for a rear door thus increased from around 330 to 380 francs, or by approximately 15 percent.
Replacing damaged components also became more expensive: The average cost of replacing a rear door, for example, rose from 1,006 francs in 2023 to 1,098 francs in 2025. That corresponds to an increase of 9.2 percent.

Workshops with higher hourly rates
For Comparis expert Harry Büsser, one thing is clear: General inflation accounts for only a small part of the cost explosion. “A seemingly simple parking mishap can now also affect electronics, sensors, or driver assistance systems,” says Büsser. “This increases the workload, but hardly explains the sometimes very high increases in repair costs.”
The expert suspects that higher workshop rates also play a role. According to the industry report by the consulting firm FIGAS, the average hourly rate for workshops rose by around 3 percent to 172 Swiss francs in 2024.
“The workshop and spare parts business is becoming increasingly important for garages,” says Büsser. “However, it’s impossible to determine from this whether higher billing rates or margins contributed to the cost increase in our data.”

Parking damage coverage isn’t a must.
A tip for car owners: “You should primarily insure damage that significantly impacts your budget,” says Büsser. “If you can easily pay a bill of 1,000 or 2,000 Swiss francs yourself, you don’t necessarily need parking damage coverage.”
And even when buying a car, you should be aware that LED lights, cameras, sensors, and special paint finishes can increase the cost of future repairs.

Gabriel Knupfer
News Editor