Replace if damage covers more than roughly 25–30% of the surface, OR the base has failed (alligator cracking, pumping, persistent depressions), OR the driveway is past ~20 years old. Otherwise, repair is almost always the smarter spend.
The 6 signs it's past repair
The surface-vs-base test
Almost every repair-or-replace decision comes down to one question: has the base failed, or only the surface? Surface problems — shallow cracks, ravelling, fading, oxidation — are repairable. Base problems — alligator cracking, depressions, pumping — are not, no matter what patching gets thrown at them.
You can tell them apart without a contractor present. Surface damage stays where it is and doesn't get worse quickly. Base damage spreads, deepens, and comes back after being patched — because the patch is sitting on a foundation that's already given way.
Running the actual maths
Cost-per-year is a more honest comparison than cost-today. A cheap repair on an old, failing driveway can be worse value than a full replacement:
| Repair | Replace | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost today | $500 – $2,000 | $5,000 – $7,000 |
| Expected remaining life | 1–3 years (if base is failing) | 15–20+ years |
| Rough cost per year | $200 – $2,000/yr | $300 – $470/yr |
Illustrative — a $2,000 repair on a 19-year-old driveway with base failure is often worse value than a $6,000 replacement. Get a free assessment for numbers specific to your driveway.
Not sure which you need?
Get a free, honest assessment — we'll tell you straight which one makes sense.
The middle option: resurfacing
If the base is sound but the surface is finished — faded, shallow-cracked, worn — resurfacing gives you a new surface at roughly 40–60% of full replacement cost. A lot of readers land here needing exactly this option and don't know it exists.
