The storm lasted ten minutes. Now your hood and roof look like a golf ball, and you are wondering whether to call your insurance company or a dent shop first.
So how much does hail damage repair cost? At two dent repair shops that publish their prices, light hail costs $150 to $4,500 to fix with paintless dent repair, and a severe storm $3,500 to $15,000.
Truck owners on car forums reported $2,800 to about $10,000 when hail hit the whole truck, and the top of that range came when the roof or hood had to be replaced.
In this guide I will show you what each size of storm costs, what owners paid, how your insurance handles hail, and when a shop replaces a panel instead of pushing the dents out.
What Dent Shops Charge for Hail
The Dent Dude, a mobile dent repair shop in the Washington, D.C. area around Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax, prices hail by the size of the storm:
Per dent, the same shop charges $50 to $75 for a pea-sized dent on a flat part of the hood and $90 to $150 for a nickel-sized dent on a body line or the curve of a quarter panel.
A quarter-sized dent that has stretched the metal is $150 to $250 there, and it can need glue pulling as well as work from inside the panel.
PdrWorks Hail and Dent, a shop in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, prices hail lower:
One panel with 10 to 20 dents runs $150 to $500 at that shop.
Both shops fix hail with paintless dent repair, which pushes the dents out from behind and keeps the factory paint. I priced single door dings that way in my paintless dent repair guide.
What Owners Paid, From Truck Forums
Here is what owners posted about their own hail repairs, with a link to each post:
- The owner of a 2019 Toyota Tacoma with hail on the hood, roof, windshield and the passenger side said it was about $10,000 to fix, in September 2026.
- On another Tacoma, the shop replaced the hood and a fender because that was cheaper than pushing out all the dents. Genuine Toyota parts in place of the aftermarket ones would have cost the owner about $200 more, in August 2025.
- The insurance company paid $2,800 for minor hail on a 2014 Ford F-150. One dent repairer quoted $350 for the hood alone and another $2,800 for every panel, in August 2022.
- Another owner on the same F-150 forum had the roof, windshield and hood replaced and every other panel except the tailgate repaired, for $8,200, in August 2022.
- An insurance adjuster estimated a Tacoma’s hail repair at $4,800 with a $500 deductible. The shop ended up replacing the hood, roof and a fender, for about $10,000 in all, in August 2019.
So owners reported $2,800 to about $10,000 for a whole truck. The last one shows that an adjuster’s first estimate can grow once a shop takes the panels apart.
How Your Insurance Handles Hail
Hail is paid by comprehensive coverage. Progressive, the insurer, explains that it pays the repair minus your comprehensive deductible, up to your policy’s limit, usually the cash value of the car.
PdrWorks adds that most comprehensive deductibles are $500 or $1,000. So with a $500 deductible, a $350 hood repair like the F-150 quote above is cheaper to pay yourself than to claim.
Progressive also warns that a hail claim can raise your rate at renewal, and that it goes on your claims history even when it does not. I advise you to get a dent shop’s quote before you decide whether to claim.
Hail is a big cost for insurers too. State Farm alone paid more than $5.6 billion in hail claims in 2025, with Texas first at $1.4 billion.
Push the Dents Out or Replace the Panel?
Paintless dent repair is for dents where the paint is still whole. The D.C. shop sends dents with cracked or missing paint to a body shop, and says a severe storm sometimes pushes a panel into replacement.
Replacing can also be the cheaper choice on a badly hit hood or roof, as on the Tacoma above. Then ask whether your insurer is paying for genuine or aftermarket parts, since that owner had to pay the difference.
Aluminum costs more to fix. The D.C. shop charges $4,500 to $11,000 for 50 to 150 dents on aluminum panels, against $3,500 to $8,000 for 75 to 150 dents on an ordinary storm job.
Some Questions You Might Have
How much does hail damage repair cost?
At two dent shops, light hail costs $150 to $4,500 to fix with paintless dent repair and a severe storm $3,500 to $15,000. Truck owners reported $2,800 to about $10,000 for a whole truck.
How much does it cost to fix one hail dent?
A mobile shop in the Washington, D.C. area charges $50 to $75 for a pea-sized dent on a flat hood and $90 to $150 for a nickel-sized dent on a body line. A quarter-sized dent that stretched the metal is $150 to $250.
Does car insurance cover hail damage?
Yes, if you have comprehensive coverage. The insurer pays the repair minus your deductible, up to the cash value of the car.
Should I file a claim for minor hail damage?
Only if the repair costs more than your deductible. With a $500 deductible, a $350 hood repair is cheaper to pay yourself, and a claim can raise your rate at renewal.
Can hail damage total a car?
It can when the repair costs more than the car is worth, since insurance pays up to the car’s cash value. The D.C. area shop prices storms with 300 or more dents at $12,000 to $25,000.
How long does hail repair take?
The D.C. area shop takes 1 to 2 days for glancing hail, 3 to 5 days for a moderate storm and 5 to 8 days for a severe one.
Where These Prices Come From
- The Dent Dude, Hail Damage Repair Cost in 2026: DMV Per-Dent Pricing, July 18, 2026. PdrWorks Hail and Dent, How Much Does Hail Damage Repair Cost in Texas?, April 7, 2026.
- Progressive, Does Car Insurance Cover Hail Damage?, March 7, 2024. State Farm, State Farm Paid Over $5.6 Billion in Hail Claims in 2025, May 2026.
- Owners’ posts on Tacoma World and F150gen14, linked above, read October 16, 2026.
I hope this helps you get your car back to smooth without paying more than the storm cost you. If you have any questions, you can email me at costcheckr@gmail.com.
