Four things vary, and two of them bite
Body work looks like a trade without a compliance surface until you write the website. Then four things differ by country: what you may claim about approvals, what you may say about insurance and a customer's right to choose you, how prices must be displayed, and what you may publish in a photograph of somebody's car.
The approval claims and the photographs are the two that generate actual complaints.
United Kingdom
Approvals. Manufacturer and insurer approvals are the most-copied false claim in this trade. Name only what you hold, and name it exactly. Under consumer protection regulations a misleading claim about status is actionable, and competitors report each other for it.
Insurance. You may describe how policies generally work and must attribute the specifics to the policy. Do not state an individual's excess or no-claims outcome. On choice of repairer, state the position accurately rather than promising an outcome an insurer controls.
Prices. Prices to consumers include VAT if you are registered. That applies to a smart repair price on the home page as much as to an estimate.
Photographs and plates. A registration plus a location identifies a person under UK GDPR. Blur or crop plates by default and get permission for customer vehicle photographs as part of the authorisation paperwork.
Texting. PECR: job updates are fine as part of performing the service, marketing needs consent with an opt-out.
Accessibility. No statutory site requirement, but the Equality Act sets the expectation. WCAG 2.2 AA.
United States
Approvals and certifications. I-CAR, ASE and manufacturer certification claims must be current and accurate. FTC rules on endorsements and deceptive claims apply, and state attorneys general take an interest in collision repair advertising specifically.
Insurance and steering. Many states have anti-steering provisions giving the consumer the right to choose their repairer, and the detail varies widely. If you tell customers they can choose you, be accurate for your state and say which state you mean.
Prices. A stated price must be obtainable, with conditions disclosed near it rather than in a footnote.
Texting. TCPA. Written consent for marketing, clear opt-out, keep the record.
Photographs. No federal equivalent to GDPR, but state privacy laws are expanding. Permission and cropped plates is the sensible default.
Accessibility. ADA claims against small business sites are routine. WCAG 2.2 AA.
Canada
Approvals. Provincial consumer protection legislation plus the Competition Act on misleading representations. Same discipline as elsewhere.
Insurance. Provincial, and in provinces with public auto insurance the whole claim route differs. Describe the process for your province and say which one you are describing.
Prices. All-in pricing expectations; disclose taxes and any storage or assessment charge.
Texting and email. CASL, stricter than most. Express or documented implied consent, sender identification, unsubscribe in every commercial message.
Photographs. PIPEDA or provincial equivalents. Permission, and crop the plate.
Accessibility. AODA in Ontario, the Accessible Canada Act federally. WCAG 2.0 AA as the common obligation.
Australia
Approvals. Australian Consumer Law, and the ACCC pursues misleading representations energetically. Name only real certifications.
Insurance. Describe general practice, attribute the specifics, and be accurate about choice of repairer under the relevant code of conduct.
Prices. Single-price rule: total including GST, prominently displayed, no drip-fed compulsory charges.
Texting. Spam Act. Consent, identification, working unsubscribe.
Photographs. Privacy Act. Permission as part of the job paperwork.
Accessibility. Disability Discrimination Act, WCAG 2.1 AA in government guidance.
European Union
Approvals. Unfair Commercial Practices Directive as implemented nationally. Same rule.
Insurance. National variation is significant. Describe your own country's process.
Prices. Total price including VAT, clearly displayed.
Data and photographs. GDPR properly. A lawful basis for estimate data, a real privacy notice, consent before non-essential cookies including analytics, and a retention period for customer photographs — which are personal data when a vehicle and plate are identifiable. This is the item most body shop sites in the EU get wrong.
Accessibility. EN 301 549 and WCAG AA, with the European Accessibility Act's scope widening.
What is the same everywhere
- Claim only the approvals and certifications you actually hold, named exactly.
- Describe insurance generally and attribute the specifics to the policy.
- Show a total price a customer can obtain.
- Get permission for customer vehicle photographs and crop the plate by default.
- Say how long you keep estimate photographs and registration data.
- Separate job updates from marketing messages, and get consent for the second.
- Build to WCAG AA once.
Where this sits
Our body shop websites are built with the price display, approval wording, photograph permissions and consent handling set for the country you work in, at a fixed price. The wider trade version is on the automotive page. Most of this is a handful of sentences and one setting, written carefully once.