DECISION / 2026
Windscreen repair vs replacement, which do you need.
Repair is £40 to £70 and usually free on comprehensive cover. Replacement is £250 to £450 for a standard car and £400 to £800 once ADAS recalibration is added. The deciding factors are the size of the damage, where it sits, and whether it has started to crack.
QUICK ANSWER
Repair if you can, replace if you must.
Chip repair
£40 - £70
Often £0 on comprehensive. Takes about 30 minutes, no ADAS needed.
Standard replacement
£250 - £450
Hatchbacks and saloons with no camera. Glass excess applies on a claim.
Replacement with ADAS
£400 - £800
Most cars from 2018 onwards. Premium and Tesla run £600 to £1,200.
Cost bands sampled from UK Car Glass transaction data, Q1 2026 (372 replacements, average £453.66). MOT thresholds per the DVSA MOT inspection manual, section 3 (visibility).
DECISION MATRIX
Match the damage to the right side.
A chip needs to pass every test on the left to be repairable. A single item on the right tips it into replacement.
Can be repaired
£40 - £70
- +Chip smaller than a £2 coin (about 25mm)
- +More than 25mm from the edge of the glass
- +Not in Zone A, the 290mm strip in front of the driver
- +A single chip that has not started to crack outwards
Needs replacement
£250 - £800
- xCrack longer than about 150mm, or one running to the edge
- xAny damage in Zone A larger than 10mm
- xMultiple chips, or a star crack that has already spread
- xPitting or scoring across the wiper-swept area from years of grit
THE MOT TEST
Where the damage sits decides everything.
The MOT splits the windscreen into zones. The same chip fails in front of the driver but passes a few inches across. This is also the line repairers use to decide whether a repair is worth it.
| Zone | Where | MOT fail above |
|---|---|---|
| Zone A | 290mm strip centred on the steering wheel, within the swept area | 10mm |
| Zone B (rest of swept area) | The remaining area cleared by the wipers | 40mm |
| Outside the swept area | Edges and corners the wipers do not reach | Not part of the test unless it obscures vision |
Source: DVSA MOT inspection manual, section 3 (visibility). A repaired chip passes as long as the remaining mark is below the limit for its zone.
Why a fast repair pays for itself
A £40 to £70 chip repair today prevents a £250 to £800 replacement next month. Cold snaps, heater blasts, potholes and slammed doors all flex the glass and run a small chip into a long crack. Once it spreads past the repairable limit you are buying a whole windscreen, plus ADAS recalibration if the car has a forward-facing camera.
Most UK comprehensive policies cover chip repair free, with no excess and no impact on your no-claims bonus, so there is rarely a reason to wait.
THE COST OF WAITING
Today
Repairable chip, often free on insurance
£0 - £70
Next month
Crack spreads past the limit, standard replacement
£250 - £450
With ADAS
Camera car needs recalibration on top
£400 - £800
FAQ
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a windscreen?+
Repair is far cheaper. A resin chip repair is £40 to £70 and is usually free with no excess on a UK comprehensive policy. A full replacement is £250 to £450 for a standard car, £400 to £800 once ADAS recalibration is added, and £600 to £1,200 on a Tesla or premium saloon. A repairable chip costs roughly one eighth of a replacement, so always get a fresh chip looked at before it spreads.
When can a windscreen chip be repaired instead of replaced?+
A chip is usually repairable if it is smaller than a £2 coin (about 25mm), more than 25mm from the edge of the glass, not in Zone A directly in front of the driver, and has not yet started to crack outwards. Single chips meeting all four tests are routine repairs. Once a crack runs past about 150mm, reaches the edge, or sits in the driver's line of sight, replacement is the safe call.
Will a repaired windscreen pass an MOT?+
Yes, if the finished repair leaves any remaining mark below the MOT limit for its zone: 10mm in Zone A (the 290mm strip in front of the driver) and 40mm in the rest of the wiper-swept area. A clean resin repair almost always passes because the tester assesses the glass visually for vision-impairing damage rather than measuring the original chip.
Does a repair weaken the windscreen?+
No. A correct resin injection restores most of the glass strength and stops the chip spreading. The repair is structural, not cosmetic, although a faint blemish often remains where the chip was. The bigger risk is waiting: temperature swings, potholes and door slams turn a £50 repairable chip into a £400-plus replacement.