Your choice
You choose the shop
Your insurance company can suggest a body shop. It cannot send you to one. In California that is the law, not an opinion.
After a crash, most people are told where to take the car and assume that is how it works. It is not. California wrote this down specifically, in Insurance Code section 758.5, and it is short enough to read yourself.
They cannot require a particular shop
An insurer may not require that your car be repaired at a specific repair shop. Not as a condition of the claim, not to keep your coverage, not at all.
They can only recommend one in two situations
An insurer may suggest a shop only if you asked them for a referral, or if they have told you in writing that you have the right to choose the shop yourself. A recommendation that arrives without either of those is not how the process is meant to work.
Once you have chosen, they must stop
After you have picked a shop, your insurer is not permitted to suggest or recommend that you use a different one. This is the part most people have never been told, and it is the part that matters when the calls keep coming.
If you do take their recommendation, they owe you the repair
Where you accept an insurer's recommended shop, the insurer has to have your vehicle restored to the condition it was in before the loss, at no extra cost to you beyond what your policy already says. If the recommendation was made out loud, that has to be put in writing to you within five days.
Why we are not on any insurer’s list
We work with every insurance company, and we handle the claim paperwork and the supplements the same as anyone else. What we do not do is sign a contract with one.
The reason is simple. A shop under contract to an insurer has two customers, and only one of them is paying attention to the estimate. We would rather have one.
That does not mean we are the expensive option. Bring us a written estimate and we will tell you honestly how ours compares. If somebody else is the better answer for your car, we will say so.
What to do with this
- Tell your insurer which shop you have chosen. You do not need a reason and you do not need their permission.
- Get it in writing where you can. A claim number and an email trail settle most disagreements before they start.
- If you are being pushed after you have already chosen, the California Department of Insurance is who handles that.
- Not sure what happens next? Our checklist for the first few hours walks through it.
This page explains a California statute in plain words so you know the question to ask. It is not legal advice, and your own policy still decides what is covered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use the body shop my insurance company recommends?
No. Under California Insurance Code section 758.5, an insurer cannot require that your car be repaired at a specific shop. They may recommend one only if you asked for a referral or they have told you in writing that the choice is yours.
Can my insurer keep suggesting other shops after I have chosen one?
No. Section 758.5(c) says that once you have chosen a repair shop, your insurer may not suggest or recommend that you select a different one.
Will it cost me more to use a shop my insurer did not recommend?
Your policy is what decides what you pay. Bring us any written estimate you already have and we will tell you honestly how ours compares.
Do you work with all insurance companies?
We work with every insurer and handle the claim paperwork, but we are not contracted with any of them. That is deliberate: it means our customer is you.