How much to charge for car detailing (2026)
Typical prices for exterior, interior and full details by vehicle size, what ceramic coating and paint correction go for, and how to set your own prices from labor, supplies, travel and overhead. Every price below is a range from a named cost guide, checked in October 2026.
What detailing costs in 2026.
Detailers price by package and by vehicle size. The guides largely agree on the size tiers and disagree more on ceramic coating.
By package. Housecall Pro's 2026 guide puts exterior details at $50 to $350, interior details at $150 to $350 and full details at $150 to $500 or more. Jobber lists a full exterior detail at $100 to $150, a full interior at $120 to $180 and a full interior-and-exterior detail at $180 to $350.
By vehicle size. Jobber lists full details at $150 to $250 for a sedan, $200 to $350 for an SUV, $200 to $500 for a truck and $250 to $500 or more for a van. Housecall Pro and HomeGuide use the same size tiers: $50 to $175 for small cars, $175 to $250 for medium, $225 to $400 for large vehicles such as two-row SUVs and small trucks, and $500 to $650 or more for extra-large trucks and three-row SUVs.
Mobile packages. Housecall Pro gives average mobile prices for a midsize SUV of $158 for a basic package, $278 for standard and $443 for premium, before travel fees.
Ceramic coating and paint correction. Jobber lists ceramic coating at $450 to $2,000 and Housecall Pro at $700 to $2,000, so the sources agree on the top and differ on the floor. Paint correction is $200 to $1,000 in Jobber's guide and $250 to $750 or more in Housecall Pro's and HomeGuide's.
Hourly. Jobber puts typical hourly rates at $50 to $100. Its figure for detailer wages, the cost side, is $21 to $32 an hour, while Housecall Pro cites a BLS national median of $17.23 an hour for detailing workers in May 2025.
Full detail
Housecall Pro's range; Jobber's is $180 to $350.
Large vehicle
Two-row SUV or small truck, per Housecall Pro and HomeGuide.
Ceramic coating
Jobber's range; Housecall Pro starts at $700.
Average margin
Jobber's figure for auto detailing profit margins.
Three ways detailers structure prices.
Packages by size
Basic, standard and premium packages, each priced by vehicle size. Housecall Pro's good-better-best example runs from $50 for a basic small car to $400 for a premium truck. Easy to compare and easy to book online.
Add-on menu
A base package plus priced extras: pet hair, odor removal, headlight restoration, clay bar, engine bay. HomeGuide puts headlight restoration at $50 to $125 or more and clay bar at $50 to $100 or more.
Maintenance plans
A set price for a wash or light detail every few weeks after a full detail or coating. It turns one-time customers into a schedule, and fleet or dealership work is priced lower per car for volume, per Housecall Pro.
Start from what a detail costs you.
A price list copied from a competitor doesn't know your drive times or your product costs. Work these out per job.
Labor
Hours on the car times your hourly labor cost. Add payroll taxes and workers' comp on top of the wage, and pay yourself a wage even if you work alone.
Supplies
Chemicals, pads, towels and dressings per job. Housecall Pro's example interior detail uses about $35 of materials.
Travel and vehicle
For mobile work: drive time, fuel and wear on the van, plus water and power if you carry your own. Charge a travel fee or set zones.
Overhead
Insurance, software, phone, marketing and equipment payments, divided by the jobs you do a month. Housecall Pro's example allocates $33 a job.
Card fees
Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% plus 30 cents online and 2.7% plus 5 cents in person. On a $275 detail that is about $8.
Margin
Jobber and Housecall Pro both use price = cost / (1 - margin) and both use 30% in their examples. Jobber puts the industry average at 15% to 35%.
Worked example. These are example numbers, not benchmarks. Use your own.
- Job: mobile full detail on a midsize SUV, one detailer, 4 hours on the car.
- Labor: example wage $22 an hour, plus 20% for taxes and insurance = $26.40. 4 hours x $26.40 = $105.60.
- Supplies: example $35, in line with Housecall Pro's interior example.
- Travel: example 20 miles round trip at $0.70 a mile = $14.
- Overhead: example $1,500 a month across 50 jobs = $30 a job.
- Cost before card fee: $105.60 + $35 + $14 + $30 = $184.60.
- Target margin 30%: $184.60 / 0.70 = $264.
- Card fee at 2.9% plus 30 cents on $264 is about $8, so the price rounds to $275.
That $275 lines up with Housecall Pro's $278 average for a standard mobile package on a midsize SUV. Run the same math for each size tier and each package and you have a price list you can defend.
Ceramic coating needs its own math. Product cost is higher and the hours include prep and paint correction, so price coatings as their own package with the correction step spelled out.
Where detailing pricing leaks money.
One price for every car
A compact and a three-row SUV with kids' seats are different jobs. The size tiers in every guide exist for this reason.
No condition surcharge
Pet hair, sand and odor can double interior time. Housecall Pro's example puts a clean sedan interior at 90 minutes and a heavy pet-hair job at 3 to 4 hours. Charge for it.
Free travel
A 40-minute drive each way is unpaid labor plus fuel. Use a travel fee, a minimum or service zones.
Deep discounts
Housecall Pro suggests keeping discounts to 10% to 15%. Bigger cuts train customers to wait for the next deal.
Underpricing coatings
Coatings carry the most product cost and the most prep. Quote the correction stage separately so the customer sees why the price is what it is.
No rebooking plan
A one-time detail with no maintenance offer leaves the next job to chance. Offer a maintenance wash at a set interval when you hand back the keys.
Answer first, with a clear price.
Detailing leads can come in at night and on weekends. A fast, clear answer gives you the best shot at the booking.
Prices on your site
List packages by vehicle size with a "from" price. People who reach out already know the range.
Photo quotes for condition
Ask for photos of the interior and any paint issues. Quote the package plus any condition surcharge in one reply.
Instant reply
Missed calls and form fills should get a text back in seconds, with a link to book.
Online booking
Let customers pick a package, vehicle size and time slot without a phone call.
Follow up on coating quotes
Coating quotes are large and customers think about them. A follow-up text after a day and again after a few days keeps you in the running.
Detailing pricing questions.
How much should I charge for a full detail?
Housecall Pro puts full details at $150 to $500 or more and Jobber at $180 to $350 for interior and exterior together. Size matters most: Jobber lists $150 to $250 for a sedan and $200 to $350 for an SUV.
Should I charge more for mobile detailing?
Housecall Pro describes three ways to charge for travel, a minimum charge, a per-mile fee or a flat zone add-on, without a set dollar amount. Work out your drive cost per job and pick one method.
How much should I charge for ceramic coating?
Jobber lists $450 to $2,000 and Housecall Pro $700 to $2,000. Your price will move with the coating you use and how much paint correction the car needs first.
Should I charge by the hour?
Jobber puts hourly rates at $50 to $100. Flat package prices are easier for customers to compare, so use hourly math to set the package price, then sell the package.
What margin should a detailing business aim for?
Jobber puts the average auto detailing profit margin at 15% to 35%. Housecall Pro says there is no universal benchmark and uses 30% in its examples.
More for detailing owners.
Where these numbers come from.
Prices checked October 2026. Ranges are national figures from the guides below; your market can sit well above or below them.
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