Many people who own cars like to customize it to their liking. Wrapping and repainting are two distinct ways that people can customize their car. The main concerns between the two are price, appearance, durability, and application time.

The price of a wrap can range anywhere from $500 to $5,000, depending on the amount of surface area the wrap covers and its quality. However, repainting a car can cost $3,000 to $10,000, depending on the quality.

In most cases, repainting a car can cost twice as much as a professional wrap. However, when repainting a car, it is not necessary to remove the old layer of paint; painters can just paint right over the old clear coat. On the other hand, if a car has been previously wrapped, you will have to spend an extra $500 to $600 to remove it before putting on a new wrap. A car’s resale price is also greater if you wrap it compared to re-painting it.

The appearance of a repaint job will look pretty similar to before it was painted. In other words, some people may not even notice that you repainted.

While both can vary in color, a wrap can also vary in material looks, such as satin, matte, and gloss. A wrap can also have an image printed onto it.

Although a wrap is cheaper, if it gets scuffed or scratched, you will most likely have to replace it because you cannot buff it out, which is worth noting because sometimes you can buff out a scuff or scratch on a painted car.

The amount of time a paint job can last is 10-15 years on average. However, a wrap’s lifetime is usually about five years.

Whether you should wrap or repaint also depends on the location and the conditions of where you keep your car parked. If it stays in the garage when you don’t use it, whether it is repainted or wrapped, it will still last a lot longer than if you kept it outside in the elements. However, if the car is parked outside, it will last longer if it is painted rather than wrapped.

The time it takes to re-paint a car is usually 3-5 days, whereas the time it takes to wrap a car can be from seven hours to three days. Although painting takes longer, you can assume that they will make sure it is perfect because painting will give the workers more time to notice mistakes and perfect the job. Wrapping your car takes less time, but you might have to worry about whether they did a good job.

Overall, there are several pros and cons to wrapping versus painting. It seems that wrapping is a more affordable and quicker option for nicer vehicles such as fancy sports cars, whereas repainting is probably the best option for a daily driver who is just looking to improve the appearance of their vehicle.