When your car has bodywork damage, there are two main types of mobile repair: Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) and SMART repair. They are different techniques used for different types of damage. Knowing which one applies to your car can help you understand what to expect in terms of process, time, and cost.
This guide explains what each technique involves, what types of damage each one fixes, and how to tell which your car needs.
What is Paintless Dent Repair (PDR)?
Paintless Dent Repair is a technique for removing dents from a vehicle's bodywork without any repainting. A technician uses specialist metal rods and picks to access the panel from behind and carefully massage the metal back to its original shape. Because no paint is involved, the factory finish is preserved entirely.
PDR is suitable for dents where the paint surface is completely undamaged — no cracks, chips, or scratches. It is the preferred method for door dings, hail damage, and shopping trolley dents on modern vehicles.
PDR is not suitable for dents where the paint has been damaged, for dents at panel edges or sharp body lines, or for damage on plastic panels.
What is SMART Repair?
SMART repair (Small to Medium Area Repair Technology) covers a range of cosmetic repairs involving paint damage. Unlike PDR, SMART repair involves repainting — the damaged area is cleaned, primed, colour-matched, repainted, and lacquered to blend seamlessly with the surrounding surface.
SMART repair is used for scratches, scuffs, bumper damage, paint chips, and alloy wheel repairs where the paint surface has been broken. It is carried out on-site using portable equipment, without the need for a bodyshop visit.
How to Tell Which Repair Your Car Needs
The key question is: has the paint been damaged?
If your car has a dent but the paint is completely intact — no cracks, no chips, no scratches — PDR is likely the right approach.
If the damage involves any paint damage at all — a scratch, a scuff, a chip, or a crack in the paint — SMART repair is needed.
Some repairs require both techniques. A dented bumper with a scuff, for example, may need PDR for the dent component and SMART repair for the paint damage.
The easiest way to assess your damage is to send Dentscout a photo on WhatsApp. We'll tell you honestly which repair applies and provide a quote.
PDR vs SMART Repair — Cost Comparison
PDR is generally less expensive than SMART repair for equivalent sizes of damage, because it does not involve paint materials or the additional preparation that repainting requires.
- PDR typically costs £60 to £250 depending on the size and location of the dent.
- SMART repair for bumper scuffs and paint scratches typically costs £80 to £250 depending on the size of the damaged area.
- Alloy wheel repair — a specialist form of SMART repair — typically costs £50 to £120 per wheel.
PDR vs SMART Repair — Time Comparison
PDR repairs are generally faster. A small to medium door ding can be repaired in 30 minutes to 1 hour. Larger or more complex dents may take up to 2 hours.
SMART repairs take longer because they involve paint application and curing time. A bumper scuff repair typically takes 1 to 3 hours. Alloy wheel repairs typically take 1 to 2 hours per wheel.
Both types of repair are carried out on-site at your home or workplace.
Which Lasts Longer?
A correctly executed PDR repair is permanent. The metal is returned to its original shape and the factory paint is untouched — there is nothing to fade, crack, or peel.
A correctly executed SMART repair is also durable, but the quality of the colour match and blend affects the long-term result. A well-matched SMART repair carried out by an experienced technician should be undetectable under normal viewing conditions and will not fade faster than the surrounding paintwork.
The key factor in both cases is the skill of the technician. All technicians in the Dentscout network are verified against trade qualifications before joining.