You’re slowly pulling out of your parking space at the gym when you realize that what you thought was a puddle is in fact a patch of ice. Your brakes are useless and your car slowly glides into a telephone pole. Your rear bumper is scratched and dented.

How much does it cost to fix a bumper?

Bumper repair costs vary depending on the severity of the damage and the type of car. Bumpers these days have sensors that help collision avoidance systems. They can also mean costly repairs.

Pricing to replace a bumper ranges from a few hundred dollars for an average car to thousands of dollars on a high-end sports car.

Lisa Siembab with CARSTAR in Berlin, CT, estimates $350 to $450 to replace the bumper on a 2016 Toyota Camry. This bumper replacement cost can increase dramatically depending on the vehicle.

Fix it yourself:

If the damage is minimal, you may be able to repair the bumper yourself with a few everyday tools. See how to repair a bumper.

Auto insurance coverage:

Collision coverage takes care of car bumper repair, subject to your deductible.

Collision pays for damage to your own car that’s caused in a collision — not only accidents with other cars but also objects, such as a telephone pole, or fence.

Collision insurance isn’t required, but you need to carry this type of coverage in order to get your vehicle fixed.

Collision insurance has a deductible associated. The deductible is what you pay as part of the repairs.

A common deductible amount is $500. That means if you had $1,500 worth of damage to your car, your insurance company would cut a check for $1,000 and you would need to pay the $500 balance.

If you also damaged the telephone pole, your property damage liability coverage, which is required by law, should pay for that repair.

Should you make a claim?

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to this question; it depends on your personal circumstances. However, if you decide to make a claim, your premium will increase at renewal time.

“If you make a collision claim, your rates are likely to go up. If you’re at fault, this is almost always the case, but if you were not at-fault then some insurance companies will give you a break and not raise your premium,” says Penny Gusner, senior consumer analyst with Carinsurance.com.

How much will rates increase? “There is a good chance your premium will rise vary anywhere from 10 to 40{13d7965b58a36365bcc4505fa6a85d83e4dcd886fb7c2602a4511678532c2841} for a first at-fault accident. It’s worse if you have a second at-fault accident – that will boost your rates 40 to 150{13d7965b58a36365bcc4505fa6a85d83e4dcd886fb7c2602a4511678532c2841},” warns Gusner.

One final bit of advice to consider when it comes to making a collision claim. “You may lose any ‘no claims’ bonus or discount that you have when you make a claim, effectively pushing up your rates”, says Gusner.

“My advice is to make a claim against your car insurance policy for major items and pay out of pocket for minor items if you can afford it. This allows you to carry a higher deductible, which saves money, and by only claiming for major items you should have far fewer claims, which will also keep your premiums down over the years,” advises Gusner.