Car restoration is the process of repairing all aspects and parts of a car to return it to the exact condition it was in when it was first offered for sale.

A complete restoration includes not only repair of the parts that can be seen – the body, the trim, the chrome, the wheels, the dash board and accessories and the passenger's compartment – but the parts that are not necessarily visible or otherwise evident, including the engine and the engine compartment, the trunk, the frame, the driveline, and all ancillary parts like the brakes, accessories, engine cooling system, electrical system, etc.

Restoration is sometimes confused with the term "restomod." A restomod places some portions of the car as they were when the car was first offered for sale and changes (updates) others. If any part of the car is not as it was first offered for sale, the car has been "restomodded," and not restored. A restoration puts a car in the same condition as when it was first offered for sale.