How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Jeep Wrangler?

Written by Jim Bettesworth Reviewed by Editorial Team

Updated on May 26, 2022

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If you are thinking of painting your Jeep Wrangler, and you want to know exactly what it is going to cost you, then you are in the right place. A Jeep Wrangler is one of the most popular 4×4 vehicles, known for its capability to survive on off road terrains, and take you on your next adventure. 

With a vehicle as powerful as the Jeep Wrangler is, you are going to want to make it look just as good, too. Luckily, we are here to tell you how much it costs to paint your Jeep Wrangler, and what the average cost would be to hire someone, or to do it yourself.

How Much Will It Cost To Paint A Jeep Wrangler?

How much it costs to paint a Jeep Wrangler will ultimately depend on the paint you use, whether you do it yourself, or whether you hire a professional to paint your car. When painting a Jeep Wrangler, you will need to cover around 100 square feet of the surface, which can cost anywhere between $150-$200 for a DIY job, and anywhere up to $3000 for a professional, high end body shop paint.

Jeep Wranglers are incredibly popular cars, and they are used by consumers who love off road driving, and outdoor adventures, all the way to those who enjoy flashy vehicles and designer gear. Therefore, there are a myriad of options when it comes to painting these vehicles. So, what costs can you expect to incur if you paint your Jeep Wrangler yourself? 

What Is The Average Cost Of Painting A Jeep Wrangler By Yourself?

The average cost of painting a Jeep Wrangler by yourself really depends on the type of paint you use and how much this costs to purchase.

For example, you could paint your Jeep Wrangler for as little as $100-$150 dollars, but then you could use a higher quality paint and end up spending $1000 or more dollars on painting your Jeep Wrangler. 

We recommend taking a look at this Acrylic Urethane paint kit which will give you long lasting coverage, yet is a cost efficient option for doing it yourself.

In addition to paint, you will need a few supplies to complete this project to perfection, as you will need materials for filling imperfections, sanding, and finishing the job. 

What Is The Average Cost Of Painting A Jeep Wrangler If You Hire Someone?

On the other hand, you could hire a professional to paint your Jeep Wrangler, but this will naturally cost a fair bit more than if you do it yourself.

However, you have to consider the amount of time that it may take you to complete the job yourself, and whether or not you have to take time out of work to finish painting your Jeep Wrangler, so that could factor into the cost too.

If you are looking for the average cost of hiring someone to complete this project, then prices may vary depending on the professional, and on your specific location.

For instance, professional painters in the midwest may charge about $50 per service hour, whereas companies on the east coast may have an hourly rating that is double that! However, on average, the cost for hiring a professional to paint your Jeep Wrangler would be over $1000.

If you want a professional to paint your Jeep Wrangler for you, then we would advise that you shop around first, and do a little research to see what the average cost is for this service. Try to get some quotes from various companies and body shops to see whether you can get yourself a good deal. 

How To Estimate The Cost Of Painting A Jeep Wrangler

If you are trying to find out the cost of painting your Jeep Wrangler, then there are a few steps that you will have to take. The first is choosing the paint. 

If you are painting the Jeep Wrangler yourself, then you will have to do some research on which paint is the best to use, and how much you will need. You will most likely have to do a good few coats of paint, or around 2-3 layers, so make sure that you purchase enough paint, and read the labels to see whether the paint you have chosen is durable, and has the right coverage for your Jeep Wrangler. 

To do this, you are going to need to measure the exact square footage of the area of your car you are going to paint, or the vehicle body if you are painting the whole thing. This should then give you a good idea of how much paint you need to purchase, and whether you have got enough to finish the job.

You must measure your actual vehicle instead of estimating, or using a measurement from online as your vehicle may have different specifications to others, and you want it to be accurate so that you can buy the right amount of paint.

On the other hand, if you have decided to hire a professional to paint your Jeep Wrangler, then the next step to get your estimate is to research the price in your area. To do this, you can use Google to help you find paint shops and auto shops near your location. Then, you can give them a call, email or message to see if you can get a quote for the job. 

For the most part, this will most likely cost from about $500 for lower quality work, up to $3000 for very high quality paint finishes. Anything more than that and you could be getting scammed or ripped off.

We recommend not skimping out on the cost or going for a very low quote, as your Jeep Wrangler is a high class, costly car, and you do not want to ruin it with a cheap and nasty paint job. Always ensure that you are hiring a qualified or certified professional to carry out the project. 

In addition, most Jeep Wranglers have a surface area of around 100 square feet, which is the area that you will need to paint. Therefore, if you are painting the whole Jeep Wrangler, then you will need about 1 quarts of paint for every stage of painting, and at least 2 coats. Therefore, we recommend that you purchase at least 6 quarts of paint for the whole job! 

We also recommend purchasing a gallon of basecoat, a gallon of primer and a gallon of clear coat for the best results when it comes to painting your Jeep Wrangler! With this information in mind, if you decide to buy 2 quarts of primer, along with 2 quarts of base coat and 2 quarts of clear coat to finish, you are looking at spending about $170-190 on paint. 

So, say if you spent $180 on paint, for 6 quarts of paint, and using it on 100 square feet of your vehicle, then you are spending roughly $1.80 per square foot on paint. But, keep in mind that this may vary depending on the paint chosen and the specific model of Jeep Wrangler. 

On the other hand, if you choose to go to a body shop or professional painter, you would have to factor in the costs of labor and their time, along with the cost of paints. For instance, if you are spending about $2000 for the job, then this divided by the size of the surface of the vehicle, which is 100 square feet, would mean that you are paying $20 per square foot of Jeep Wrangler. 

What Is The Estimated Cost Of Painting A Jeep Wrangler?

With the above information, you can sort of figure out an estimate of what you may need to spend in order to paint your Jeep Wrangler. However, for the most part, this cost will differ depending on the paint and supplies that you use.

That being said, there are a few other supplies that you will need in order to complete this paint job! For instance, you may need things such as masking tape to cover areas you do not want to paint, along with sandpaper and maybe even body filler to make your paint job look professional and pristine. 

In addition, you may benefit from purchasing a complete paint kit for you vehicle, such as this one. as this comes equipped with everything you need to finish the job, without the hassle and hard work. 

You may also need to purchase a lacquer to give the Jeep Wrangler, a good, strong, durable and long lasting paint finish that you can rely upon. 

It may also be a good idea to add some truck bed coating to the body parts of the Jeep Wrangler. We recommend either using this Rust-Oleum version or this one from Krylon.

Perhaps you do not want a long lasting paint solution, and just feel like changing up your vehicle. If this is the case, then why not try using Plasti Dip?  These come in a variety of different colors, and will quickly and effectively change the color of your Jeep Wrangler. The best part is that Plasti Dip can be easily removed with rubbing alcohol solvents or acetone. 

Or if you want to paint the bumpers and trim of your vehicle, then you can just use a simple spray:

However, these are just suggestions that can help you pick which is best for you, or just to give you a guide of what sort of prices these items are available at. You can find a whole range of paint in your local hardware store, which can also help you gauge how much you need to spend on painting your Jeep Wrangler. 

We estimate that you need about six quarts of paint, which is about 1 ½ gallon of paint. But you should always purchase a little more to be on the safe side. The last thing you need is to be halfway through painting and you have run out of the right paint! So always buy a little extra just in case! 

So, if you bought 6 quarts of paint at about $30-$40 dollars a quart, then you are looking at spending about $180-$240 on the paint for your Wrangler. That is without factoring in the extra costs of other supplies, though.

Whether you are painting it yourself, or hiring someone you should know that it can take anywhere between 10-40 hours to fully paint a Jeep Wrangler, so keep that in mind when you are decided whether you should do it yourself, or pay the extra for someone else to take the time to finish the job properly. 

What Is The Estimated Cost Of Labor For Painting A Jeep Wrangler?

If you decide to pay a professional to paint your Jeep Wrangler, then you will most definitely get a high quality, professional and impressive looking finish on your vehicle. Depending on the detail or amount of painting you want done, then most professionals will probably charge between 10-30 hours of work. 

However, this will be done to perfection, as a hired painter will know how to remove the hood, pull off and reinstall the trims to your vehicle, in order to get the proper coverage and design that you want. 

It all comes down to what you are willing to pay to give your Jeep Wrangler a whole new look. However, depending on how often you use the vehicle, you may want to pay for a professional paint job as this may last you much longer during your off road adventures in your Wrangler. 

So, when you are ready to change up your Jeep Wrangler, we hope that we can offer you some advice, pricing and estimates to help you get the job done.

Whatever you decide, we would highly recommend using a truck bed liner on your vehicle, as this creates an easy to clean surface that you can just spray down after those busy days on the road!