Motorists are likely to shudder at the mere mention of an accident. Not only for their safety, but also for prevention financial implications for their insurers.

Because even if you’re insured, between the potential deductible and the fine that follows, an accident is never financially painless.

Repair costs are exploding everywhere, especially abroad

However, these days it’s a good idea to avoid having to repair your car as much as possible, especially after a recent study by the Automotive Safety and Repair Association (SRA) presented to UFC-What to Choose . As we recently reported to you on “Auto Plus”, in 2023 there was a significant increase in repair prices, on average they increased by 7%. An increase that has obviously had an impact on insurance premiums. The study also found significant variation between departments.
Not surprisingly, the regions of Paris and Corsica stand out with dizzying growth of 31.6% and 31.2%, respectively.. But Bouches-du-Rhône was not left out with a 28% increase, nor were less expected departments such as the Vosges (+26.7%) or Hautes-Pyrénées (+23.8%). Even in departments such as Seine-Saint-Denis, Loire and Meuse, costs increased by 15-20%. However, this increase appears modest compared to that observed in the overseas departments, where prices seem to be reaching dizzying heights: a 66.7% increase in Guyana and a particularly staggering 97.1% increase in Mayotte. !

It also increases for the workforce

In particular, with regard to the cost of labor, Paris (+46.1%) and Bouches-du-Rhône (+41.1%) stand out as the regions where prices have increased the most. But it is in Corsica that motorists experience the biggest financial shock, where prices are higher in all areas: +21.9% for parts and +36.2% for labor.
Instead, Côte d’Armor offers significantly better prices, more than 25% lower than the national average.

How to explain such an increase in repair prices?

According to the Association of Automotive Safety and Repair, this increase in prices can be explained by several factors, including the increase in the cost of paint by manufacturerswhich seeks to offset the increase in raw materials as well as at the expense of increasing complexity of car modelswhich requires additional work from repairmen.
As an example, the SRA cites the front bumper of the Peugeot 2008, which has gone from €861 in the first generation to almost €2,000 today. Headlights, whether or not built into the front bumpers of some models, are also twice as expensive today.

In four years, the average cost of repairing a car increased by 26.2%.

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