Pick Gerber Collision & Glass if your car needs body work and glass work together, or if you'd rather deal with a chain whose parent company is publicly traded and on solid financial footing. Pick Crash Champions if you drive a luxury car or an EV, or if you want a written lifetime guarantee you can take to any of its locations nationwide. Both are huge, insurer-friendly national chains, so for a lot of drivers the real tiebreaker is simpler: which shop is close by, and which one your insurer already works with.
Here's how they compare, using figures the companies published in 2025 and 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Gerber had 1,189 U.S. collision locations as of August 11, 2026, according to parent Boyd Group's second-quarter 2026 report. Boyd's total across the U.S. and Canada was 1,323.
- Crash Champions says it runs more than 650 repair centers in 38 states and calls itself the largest founder-led multi-shop collision operator in the U.S.
- Gerber is owned by Boyd Group Services, which trades on the TSX and NYSE. Crash Champions has been backed by private equity firm Clearlake Capital since 2022.
- Moody's cut Crash Champions' parent to Caa1 in August 2025, citing very high debt. Its shops are open and still taking insurance work.
- Both chains offer lifetime workmanship guarantees, and both list windshield repair and replacement among their services. Gerber runs glass as a core business line.
Gerber vs Crash Champions: Side-by-Side
| Gerber Collision & Glass | Crash Champions | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1937, Chicago, by Phil Gerber | 1999, Chicago, by Matt Ebert |
| HQ | Parent Boyd Group started in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Gerber is its U.S. brand | Chicago area (Westmont, Ill. on its BBB file) |
| U.S. locations | 1,189 (Aug. 11, 2026) | 650+ in 38 states (Sept. 2026) |
| Parent / owner | Boyd Group Services Inc. (TSX: BYD, NYSE: BGSI), owner since 2004 | Clearlake Capital-backed since 2022, founder still leads |
| Warranty | Lifetime guarantee for as long as you own the car; non-transferable | Written lifetime guarantee, valid at any Crash Champions location |
| Glass services | Core business: windshield repair, replacement, mobile service; Boyd also runs Glass America and other glass brands | Lists auto glass repair and windshield repair and replacement |
| OEM certifications | Certified by shop, not chain-wide; Gerber says some locations are Tesla-authorized | Lists about 20 OEM programs including Ford, GM, Honda/Acura, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Rivian |
| Insurer DRP reach | Most revenue is insurance-paid; Boyd also runs a glass claims administrator (GNCS) | Moody's credits it with strong ties to leading national insurers |
| 2025-2026 news | Closed the 258-shop Joe Hudson's deal Jan. 9, 2026; first $1B+ sales quarter in Q2 2026 | Moody's downgrade to Caa1 (Aug. 2025); 2026 growth mostly new-build shops |
Size and Ownership
Gerber is now the bigger of the two in the U.S., by a wide margin. Boyd Group's interim report for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 lists 1,189 Gerber Collision & Glass locations as of August 11, 2026, out of 1,323 Boyd locations in total (Boyd Group Services, Q2 2026 interim report). The jump came mostly from Joe Hudson's Collision Center. Boyd closed that purchase on January 9, 2026, adding 258 shops across the Southeast, and finished converting them to the Gerber brand during the second quarter.
Gerber itself goes back to 1937, when Phil Gerber opened a glass and trim shop in Chicago. Boyd, which started with one shop in Winnipeg in 1990, bought Gerber and its 16 locations in 2004. Boyd's shares now trade in Toronto and New York.
Crash Champions is younger and private. Matt Ebert founded it in 1999 as a single Chicago repair center. In 2022, Clearlake Capital invested and the company merged with Service King, creating a network of over 550 shops at the time. As of September 2026, Crash Champions says it runs more than 650 locations in 38 states and still describes itself as founder-led. Moody's calls it the third-largest multi-shop operator in the collision repair industry. If you're curious how the leader is structured, see who owns Caliber Collision.
For you, size mostly means convenience: a better chance of a shop near home or work. Our directory of collision repair shops near you lists chain and independent shops side by side.
Crash Champions' Finances, Briefly
In August 2025, Moody's downgraded Champions Financing Inc., the Crash Champions parent, to Caa1. As of the second quarter of 2025, Moody's put debt at about 9.1 times EBITDA on a lease-adjusted basis, interest coverage at 0.4x, and free cash flow at negative $61 million, and it pointed to "aggressive financial strategies under private equity ownership" (Repairer Driven News, Aug. 14, 2025). Moody's also said a recovery was possible in the second half of 2026 if repairable claims picked back up.
The company's behavior changed to match. BodyShop Business's 2026 mid-year review says Crash Champions' first-half activity was mostly finishing deals held over from 2025, plus a brownfield shop in Windham, N.H., and a new build in Dade City, Fla. Openings continued, including a 28th Pennsylvania shop in Lancaster in September 2026.
For a customer, a credit downgrade isn't a closed shop. Locations are operating and Moody's itself noted the chain's strong relationships with national insurers. That said, the sources we reviewed don't tell you how warranty claims are being handled nationwide, so keep your paperwork. We walk through the debt, the Service King backstory and what to watch in our full breakdown of Crash Champions' financial trouble. Gerber's parent, by contrast, just posted its first quarter with sales above $1 billion.
Warranty Terms
Gerber guarantees its collision work against workmanship defects for as long as you own the vehicle. It doesn't transfer to a new owner, and it excludes rust, abuse, a later collision or theft, stone chips, scratches and poor maintenance. Gerber's windshield replacements carry a separate lifetime guarantee against air and water leaks and defective materials or workmanship, again for as long as you own the car.
Crash Champions backs every repair with a written lifetime guarantee and says it's valid at any of its locations nationwide. Its website doesn't spell out transferability, so ask the shop and get the answer on your repair paperwork.
With either chain, keep your final invoice and photos. Documentation is what settles warranty disputes.
Glass: Gerber's Clear Edge
Glass is where the two differ most. Gerber started as a glass shop and still runs glass as a core business. Boyd describes itself as a major U.S. retail auto glass operator under Gerber, Glass America, Auto Glass Service, Auto Glass Authority and Autoglassonly.com. It also runs Gerber National Claims Services, a third-party administrator that handles glass claims, and in-house scanning and calibration services, which matter for cars with windshield cameras.
Crash Champions lists auto glass repair and windshield repair and replacement among its services too. But glass isn't the center of its business the way it is for Gerber. If your accident took out a fender and the windshield, Gerber is the simpler one-stop choice.
Repair Quality and OEM Certifications
Crash Champions leans hard into higher-end repairs. Its site lists certification programs from about 20 automakers, including Ford, GM, Honda/Acura, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Tesla, Rivian and Volvo, and it runs a separate Crash Champions LUXE | EV Certified brand for luxury and electric vehicles. Its newer shops, like the Lancaster opening, advertise I-CAR Gold Class status.
Gerber's certifications are spread across individual shops. Gerber says some of its locations are Tesla-authorized, and it doesn't publish one chain-wide list, so you'll need to check the certification for the exact shop.
One rule applies to both: certifications belong to a shop, not to a brand. Before you book, confirm that the exact address holds your automaker's certification. That matters most for aluminum-body trucks, EVs and cars with lots of driver-assist sensors.
Customer Sentiment
We stick to records we could verify. Crash Champions, LLC has a corporate Better Business Bureau file in Westmont, Illinois. When we checked in October 2026, it showed an A+ rating, BBB accreditation since September 3, 2024, 289 complaints closed in the last three years, and 138 customer reviews. BBB letter grades measure how a business handles complaints, not how good its repairs are.
We couldn't find a single national BBB file for Gerber. BBB lists Gerber shops location by location, so look up the file for the specific shop you'd use. Do the same with Google reviews: experience at both chains depends on the local manager and crew. Our standalone Gerber Collision review and Crash Champions review cover the recurring complaint themes for each.
Which Should You Choose?
- Body and glass damage together: Gerber. One shop, one drop-off, and a glass guarantee on top of the collision guarantee.
- Luxury car or EV: Lean Crash Champions for its longer OEM list and LUXE | EV shops, but confirm the certification at the exact location.
- You move or travel a lot: Crash Champions' guarantee is valid at any of its locations.
- Corporate stability matters to you: Gerber's parent is public and growing, with record sales in 2026. Crash Champions is operating normally but carries heavy debt.
- Your insurer recommends one: Using an insurer's direct repair shop usually speeds up the claim, but your policy and state rules usually let you pick your own shop, so check before you agree.
Comparing more than two? Our ranking of the best auto body shop chains covers all the big national names. If Caliber is also on your list, read Gerber vs Caliber Collision and Crash Champions vs Caliber Collision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gerber or Crash Champions bigger?
Gerber is bigger in the U.S. Boyd Group reported 1,189 Gerber locations as of August 11, 2026, while Crash Champions says it has more than 650 locations in 38 states.
Who owns Gerber Collision and Crash Champions?
Gerber is owned by Boyd Group Services Inc., a public company listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, which bought Gerber in 2004. Crash Champions has been backed by private equity firm Clearlake Capital since 2022, and its founder Matt Ebert still leads it.
Is Crash Champions going out of business?
It hasn't announced anything like that. It still runs more than 650 centers and opened new locations in 2026. But Moody's downgraded its parent financing entity to Caa1 in August 2025 because of very high debt, so its finances are worth watching.
Which is better for windshield replacement?
Gerber. Glass is a core Gerber business, its windshield replacements carry a lifetime leak and workmanship guarantee for as long as you own the car, and parent Boyd runs several auto glass brands.
Do Gerber and Crash Champions both have lifetime warranties?
Yes. Gerber guarantees workmanship for as long as you own the car, and the guarantee isn't transferable. Crash Champions gives a written lifetime guarantee that's valid at any of its locations.
Sources
- Boyd Group Services (SEC Form 6-K): Interim Report, Second Quarter and Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (accessed Oct 2026)
- Autobody News: Boyd Group Tops $1 Billion in Quarterly Sales for First Time in Q2 2026 (accessed Oct 2026)
- Boyd Group: Corporate Profile (accessed Oct 2026)
- Gerber Collision & Glass: About Us (accessed Oct 2026)
- Gerber Collision & Glass: Our Guarantee (accessed Oct 2026)
- Crash Champions: The Crash Champions Difference (accessed Oct 2026)
- Crash Champions: Crash Champions Opens Second Location in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Sept. 1, 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- Crash Champions: Growth Investment from Clearlake and Strategic Transaction with Service King (July 14, 2022) (accessed Oct 2026)
- Repairer Driven News: Moody's Ratings Downgrades Crash Champions Credit Rating (Aug. 14, 2025) (accessed Oct 2026)
- BodyShop Business: 2026 Mid-Year Auto Body Consolidation Review (accessed Oct 2026)
- Better Business Bureau: Crash Champions, LLC Business Profile (accessed Oct 2026)
