Best Panel Beaters in Wellington
We assessed 43 panel beaters in Wellington and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 1,681 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 30 September 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Panel and paint work, whether a minor dent or a full collision repair, is hard to judge until months later when paint fails or rust appears. Ask whether the panelbeater uses genuine or aftermarket parts, what paint system they use, and what warranty they offer on the repair. If going through insurance, confirm they are an approved repairer.
Top 5 Panel Beaters in Wellington
The top 5 panel beaters in Wellington are #1 RS Lane, #2 Upper Hutt Collision Repair Centre, #3 Hutt City Panel & Paint, #4 Maidstone Panelbeaters, and #5 Spot On Panel & Paint, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you book.
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1
R S Lane Panel and Paint - Petone
★ 4.6 590 reviews Top5 Score 1805★ 498 4★ 31 3★ 6 2★ 4 1★ 51RS Lane turns around panel and paint repairs quickly, with several customers collecting their car the day after drop-off and finding it cleaned inside and out on return. Staff members like Brooke and Chelsea are named repeatedly for proactive updates throughout the repair process, including follow-up calls after collection to check everything is right.
location_on 57 Sydney Street, Petone, Lower Hutt
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2
Upper Hutt Collision Repair Centre
★ 4.9 205 reviews Top5 Score 1675★ 187 4★ 13 3★ 2 1★ 3Upper Hutt Collision Repair Centre covers stone chip repairs, full resprays, scratch and scuff repair, bonnet and bumper work, and door damage, with multiple customers describing finished results they could not distinguish from the original factory paint. Courtesy cars are arranged on request, and at least one customer had their repaired vehicle delivered directly to their home after the job was done.
location_on 9 Nicolaus Street Upper Hutt, Trentham, Wellington
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3
Hutt City Panel & Paint
↓ 1★ 4.8 164 reviews Top5 Score 1665★ 147 4★ 10 1★ 7Hutt City Panel & Paint takes on damaged vehicles that other shops have declined, with at least one customer collecting a car that looked brand new after being turned away elsewhere. Staff like Angela and Shane are named across multiple jobs for keeping clients informed from assessment through to collection, and several customers report their car came back detailed inside and out.
location_on 61 Marsden Street, Melling, Lower Hutt
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4
Maidstone Panelbeaters Ltd
★ 4.8 195 reviews Top5 Score 1645★ 173 4★ 12 3★ 2 2★ 3 1★ 5Maidstone Panelbeaters covers door and mirror replacement, bumper fitting, dent repair, bonnet repaints, and collision restoration, with finished vehicles routinely returned to customers cleaner inside and out than when they arrived. Staff members like Dion and Delwyn are named across multiple jobs for keeping clients updated throughout, and at least one repair came back ahead of the estimated completion date.
location_on 38 Park Street, Kingsley Heights, Upper Hutt
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5
Spot On Panel & Paint Ltd
↓ 2★ 4.9 117 reviews Top5 Score 1635★ 114 4★ 1 3★ 1 1★ 1Spot On Panel & Paint gets vehicles back on the road with damage repairs, rust treatment, and paint colour matching handled in short timeframes. Owner Donil is named across multiple jobs for going beyond the repair itself, including car delivery to a customer too unwell to collect, insurance claim coordination, and returning cars fully groomed.
location_on 37 Home Street, Mount Victoria, Wellington
Before you book a panel beater in Wellington
Drawn from 332 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What does panel beating typically cost in New Zealand? expand_more
Minor dent and scratch repairs in New Zealand range from $150 to $500 for straightforward work. Bumper repairs and moderate panel damage, such as a crumpled door, sit between $500 and $2,000.
Structural or multi-panel repairs can exceed $5,000, and a full respray runs $3,000 to $8,000 or more. Wellington labour rates tend toward the higher end of the national $80 to $130 per hour range.
Does my insurer have to use their preferred panel beater, or can I choose my own? expand_more
Your insurer can recommend a preferred repairer but cannot legally force you to use one, and choosing your own repairer is a right New Zealand consumers hold. The practical catch is that your insurer's assessed repair value may be lower than your chosen repairer's quote, leaving you to cover the gap out of pocket.
Some policies also tie their repair warranty to the use of a preferred repairer, so read your policy wording before lodging a claim. If you feel pressured or financially disadvantaged over repairer choice, the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) runs a free dispute resolution service that handles exactly these complaints.
Will my car be repaired with genuine parts, or non-genuine substitutes? expand_more
New Zealand insurance policies legally permit the use of aftermarket or non-genuine parts unless your policy specifically guarantees original manufacturer components, so check your wording before the repair starts. One review noted that aftermarket parts supplied through an insurer caused delays when incorrect components were delivered, which shows the practical risk of assuming parts quality without asking.
If you want genuine parts and your policy does not require them, you can request them in writing, but expect to pay the cost difference yourself. The Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) Scheme handles complaints where consumers were not told upfront that non-genuine parts would be used.
What are the warning signs of a panel beater you shouldn't use? expand_more
- –A shop that charges for quotes is out of step with Wellington market practice, where the large majority of repairers provide written estimates at no charge.
- –Vague timelines given at drop-off that then shift repeatedly with little explanation are a strong signal of poor job management, not just bad luck.
- –Vehicles returned with unresolved items, such as missing sensors, detached trim, or loose bumpers, point to a quality control process that does not include a pre-delivery check.
- –Rust or panel damage filled with body filler rather than properly repaired is a shortcut that will fail within months and may cause a vehicle to fail a Warrant of Fitness.
- –A shop that refuses to quote private-pay customers and only accepts insurance work may not be motivated to manage your job carefully if the insurer's scope does not cover everything you need.
- –Poor colour matching that leaves a visible difference between repaired and unrepaired panels on pickup, with no offer to remedy it, is a sign the shop is not taking finish quality seriously.
What should you ask before approving panel beating work? expand_more
- –Ask whether the shop will communicate directly with your insurer throughout the job, or whether you will need to act as the go-between, as some reviews flagged this as a source of frustration.
- –Ask how they handle hidden damage found once panels are removed, specifically whether they will contact you and the insurer before proceeding, or just add it to the bill.
- –Get a realistic completion timeframe in writing and ask what their process is for notifying you if that date changes, since delays without communication were a recurring complaint in Wellington reviews.
- –Ask specifically how they achieve colour matching on adjacent panels and whether they will blend surrounding panels if needed to avoid a visible join.
- –Ask what their rectification process is if you are not satisfied with the finish on pickup, and whether the vehicle will be re-assessed before you sign off on it.
- –Confirm whether the shop will return your car cleaned inside and out, as this is a common standard among reputable Wellington panel beaters and a reasonable expectation to set upfront.
Also recommended panel beaters in Wellington
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
Wall Place Panel & Paint
↓ 2★ 4.8 67 reviews Top5 Score 1555★ 60 4★ 4 1★ 3Wall Place Panel & Paint restores vehicles after collision damage, rust, and paint deterioration, with customers collecting cars that look newer than before the repair. Jobs are returned cleaned and vacuumed inside and out as standard, and multiple customers name staff like Cassandra, Issy, and Harley for clear communication and sticking to quoted completion dates.
location_on 14 Wall Place, Kenepuru, Porirua
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7
Edwards Panel & Paint - Panel Beater Wellington
↓ 2★ 4.6 81 reviews Top5 Score 1555★ 66 4★ 7 3★ 1 2★ 4 1★ 3Edwards Panel & Paint fixes collision damage, rust, and full resprays, with multiple customers finding the finished result better than their car looked before the accident. When repairs go through insurance, the team coordinates the claim process directly, which several customers singled out as reducing the stress of an already difficult situation.
location_on 21 Kingsford Smith Street, Rongotai, Wellington
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8
Chung Hing Panel Limited
↓ 2★ 4.6 109 reviews Top5 Score 1545★ 93 4★ 6 3★ 1 2★ 2 1★ 7Chung Hing Panel completes bumper repairs, rust work, and mirror replacements at a price point multiple customers describe as genuinely affordable, often finishing jobs overnight or within two days of the initial enquiry. Hing is noted for reading exactly what a customer needs despite a language barrier, and for repairing rather than replacing parts where possible to keep costs down.
location_on 12 Wigan Street, Te Aro, Wellington
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9
Porirua Motor Body Repairs Ltd
↓ 2★ 4.7 73 reviews Top5 Score 1535★ 63 4★ 6 1★ 4Porirua Motor Body Repairs handles dent repair, full repaints, and collision damage, with Sam walking customers through the repair process, expected timeframes, and next steps from the first conversation. When a polishing machine marked a fresh paint job during one repair, Sam flagged the issue himself and redid the work rather than leaving the customer to find it.
location_on 14 Prosser Street, Elsdon, Wellington
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10
Wakefield & Scott Panel Beaters
↓ 2★ 4.5 80 reviews Top5 Score 1515★ 62 4★ 10 3★ 2 1★ 6Wakefield & Scott coordinates insurance claims, collision repairs, and door and fender damage, with staff like Rhys and Mark named across multiple jobs for keeping customers informed and making the process feel straightforward from first contact. Courtesy cars are organised without customers having to ask, and vehicles come back cleaned inside and out on top of the repair itself.
location_on 417 High Street, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt
About this ranking
What the 10 panel beaters listed above hold, at the 30 September 2026 check.
We first assessed panel beaters in Wellington in March 2026 and have rechecked the ranking four times since. RS Lane has held first place at every check, and Hutt City Panel & Paint and Spot On Panel & Paint have been in the top 5 alongside it throughout. Across the 14 locations we assess panel beaters in, the 140 businesses listed have a median rating of 4.8, and one-star reviews are 3.2% of their total.
What has changed since March 2026? expand_more
- Sep 2026
Scoring method updated. Upper Hutt Collision Repair Centre entered the top 5 at #2. Maidstone Panelbeaters entered the top 5 at #4. Chung Hing Panel left the top 5, down to #8. Porirua Motor Body Repairs left the top 5, down to #9.
- Aug 2026
Scoring method updated. Porirua Motor Body Repairs entered the top 5, up from #6. Edwards Panel & Paint returned to the list at #8. Wakefield & Scott entered the list at #10.
- Jun 2026
- May 2026
- Mar 2026
First check. RS Lane #1.
How are the top panel beaters in Wellington chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for panel beaters in Wellington. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for panel beaters in Wellington. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.