Can I Choose My Own Collision Repair Shop?
What New York drivers should know about choosing where their vehicle is repaired after an accident.
Short answer
Yes. In New York, an insurance company cannot require collision or comprehensive repairs to be performed at a particular repair shop. Insurance Law §2610 also requires the insurer's repair estimate to include a disclosure telling the insured that the vehicle may be repaired at the shop of the customer's choice.
Your right to choose in New York
New York Insurance Law §2610 says an insurer cannot require that motor-vehicle collision or comprehensive repairs be made at a particular place or repair shop. The statute also requires a repair-estimate disclosure stating that the customer has the right to have the vehicle repaired at the shop of their choice.
Choosing a facility does not by itself determine what the insurer owes under the policy, and the insurer's claim evaluation does not eliminate your shop choice.
Why might an insurance repair network come up?
Insurance companies may maintain repair programs or networks involving participating facilities. These are commonly called direct repair programs, or DRPs. Program requirements vary, but they can standardize portions of estimating, documentation, communication and claim administration.
Participation in a DRP does not, by itself, establish whether a repair facility is good or bad. Evaluate the actual facility and its repair process.
What should I evaluate?
- Repair capability for the damage your vehicle has sustained
- Access to vehicle-specific repair information and procedures
- Structural measuring and repair capability when required
- Diagnostic and ADAS/calibration capability or qualified arrangements for those operations
- How additional damage and supplements are documented
- Communication during the repair
- Quality-control procedures
- Repair warranty terms
Questions worth asking any collision repair shop
- How will you determine the full extent of the damage?
- How do you identify the repair procedures that apply to my vehicle?
- What happens if additional damage is discovered after disassembly?
- How are structural repairs measured and verified?
- Could my vehicle require diagnostic scanning or ADAS calibration?
- How will you keep me informed about changes and delays?
- What quality-control checks occur before delivery?
- What warranty do you provide?
Use a New York-registered repair shop
New York DMV recommends dealing only with a registered motor-vehicle repair shop. Registration does not replace your own evaluation of the facility, but it is a basic New York consumer check that is easy to verify.
What happens after you choose?
Choosing the facility is only the beginning. The next important step is understanding how the repair plan develops and why an initial estimate can change after disassembly.
Key takeaways
New York law protects your choice of collision repair shop.
An insurer repair program does not, by itself, determine repair quality.
Evaluate repair capability, procedures, diagnostics, communication and quality control.
Use the shop-selection decision to move into a clear repair process—not just a price comparison.
Where this information comes from
Where a topic depends on New York law, insurance rules or vehicle-safety information, we point to authoritative sources so you can verify the underlying guidance.
This resource provides general consumer information and is not legal advice. Insurance coverage, claim circumstances, repair requirements and vehicle condition vary.
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