REPAIR VALUES ROSE WHILE PERSISTENT PRODUCTION ISSUES CAUSED HEADWINDS
The latest Pulse of the Industry report for February 2026 provides a detailed snapshot of performance across Canada’s collision repair sector, drawing on more than 60,000 repair orders nationwide. Compiled through a collaboration between Collision Repair and AutoHouse Technologies, the report tracks key performance indicators across the country, with all financial metrics presented on a pre-tax basis.
REPAIR ORDER VALUES CONTINUE TO TREND UPWARD
Average insurer-paid repair orders reached $5,475, an increase of $86 compared to the prior six-month average though down $9 from the previous month. Customer-paid repair orders averaged $1,757, rising $27 compared to the prior six-month average and increasing by $6 month-over-month. The data reflects sustained upward pressure on repair severity even as monthly gains moderate.
PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY DATA REFLECTS ONGOING DIVERGENCE
The industry’s average cycle time measured from repair arrival to delivery held at 13.8 days compared to the prior three-month average. Top-performing facilities maintained a six day cycle time, improving 1.1% over the same benchmark. The widening gap highlights a continued split between high-performing operators and the broader market.
TOUCH TIME DECLINES FOR THE BROADER MARKET
Collision repairers averaged 2.4 hours produced per repair order per day, a 1.4% decrease from the prior three-month average. The top 10% achieved 4.5 hours, increasing 0.7% over the same period, reinforcing the performance divide in labour productivity.
CAPACITY METRICS INDICATE RISING INVENTORY PRESSURE
The industry’s work-in-progress ratio reached 12.7:1, up 3.9% compared to the prior three-month average. The report identifies this metric as a leading indicator of efficiency and profitability, with top-performing shops typically maintaining between 7.5 and 11 days of repair inventory. Current levels suggest growing imbalance between incoming volume and completed repairs.
Taken together, February’s data underscores a clear trend: repair values continue to rise but production efficiency remains uneven, with top-performing facilities extending their lead as the broader industry absorbs longer cycle times and higher inventory levels.
REPORT HERE:
collisionrepairmag.com/pulse-of-the-industry/article/15819388/ exclusive-report-pulse-of-the-industry-feb-2026
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About this Report
Pulse of the Industry is the result of a powerful collaboration between Collision Repair magazine, Canada’s leading collision industry publication, and AutoHouse Technologies, the nation’s foremost provider of real-time repair performance analytics. Compiled from over 60,000 monthly repair orders completed by Canada collision repairers. All information has been normalized, with variance thresholds applied to remove anomalies and ensure data integrity.
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February 2026 CDN Industry Performance
