How to Price Mobile Car Detailing Services

Why Most Detailers Undercharge

It’s not laziness. It’s math anxiety. Most people who start a mobile detailing business know how to clean a car — they don’t always know how to work out what an hour of their time is actually worth, once you factor in drive time, product costs, water, electricity, and the wear on your equipment.

So they look at what the guy down the road charges, knock off ten bucks to stay competitive, and end up grinding for years without making real money. This guide is about fixing that.

Start With Your Costs, Not the Competition

Before you quote a single job, you need to know your break-even number — the minimum you must bring in per hour to cover your costs and pay yourself.

Fixed Costs (Monthly)

• Vehicle payment or depreciation
• Insurance (auto + general liability)
• Equipment payments or amortization (pressure washer, polisher, wet-dry vac)
• Phone and software subscriptions
• Marketing costs

Variable Costs (Per Job)

• Chemicals and supplies (detail spray, interior cleaner, dressings, microfibers, etc.)
• Fuel and travel time
• Water (if you’re trucking it)
• Credit card processing fees

Add those monthly fixed costs together, divide by the number of billable hours you can realistically work each month, then add your per-job variable costs. That’s your floor. Charge below it and you’re paying to work.

A rough rule: most solo mobile detailers need to clear somewhere between $50 and $80 per billable hour just to stay viable, before any profit margin. If you’re in a high cost-of-living market, that number goes higher.

How to Structure Your Packages

Selling individual services is fine early on. But packages do two things: they make pricing easier for the customer, and they increase your average ticket. Three tiers works well for most detailers.

Basic (Express) Package

This is your entry-level wash — exterior hand wash, tire dressing, interior vacuum and wipe-down. It should take you 60 to 90 minutes on a clean vehicle. This is your volume play, your foot-in-the-door service.

Standard (Full Detail) Package

Exterior wash plus clay bar or decontamination, interior deep vacuum, surface wipe and protectant on the dash and door panels, glass cleaning inside and out, and maybe a light polish. Two to four hours depending on the car’s condition.

Premium (Full Correction or Restoration) Package

Paint decontamination, multi-stage machine polish, full interior extraction and steam, leather conditioning if applicable, and sealant or ceramic coating prep. This is your highest-ticket service and can run four to eight hours or more. Price it accordingly.

Setting Prices for Each Tier

There’s no universal price that’s right everywhere. A detailer in rural Kansas and one in Austin or Chicago are operating in completely different markets. That said, here’s a realistic framework as of 2026.

These are starting points. If your market is softer, you may need to come down. If you’re building a reputation for quality and have reviews to back it up, you should be pushing toward the top of those ranges.

Always Charge a Trip Fee

Mobile work is convenient for the customer. That convenience has a real cost to you — fuel, time, wear on your vehicle. Don’t absorb it silently.

A trip fee of $15 to $35 is common for mobile detailers. Some roll it into the package price. That’s fine, but be intentional about it — if you’re driving 30 minutes each way for a $100 job, you’ve eaten a significant chunk of your margin before you’ve picked up a single microfiber.

Consider setting a minimum job value. Many mobile detailers won’t roll a truck for under $100 to $150. That’s reasonable. It protects your time.

Pricing Add-Ons

Add-ons are where you can meaningfully increase your ticket without adding much time. Common ones include:

• Ceramic coating: High-margin, high-skill. Price based on the coating system you use and the prep time required. Not a quick add.
• Paint sealant or wax: Easier to add on. Reasonable to charge $50 to $100 above the base service.
• Engine bay cleaning: Messy, takes time, some customers want it. Charge accordingly — usually $50 to $100.
• Pet hair removal: Underpriced constantly. It’s labor-intensive. Charge for what it actually takes, and consider a surcharge on top of your package price.
• Odor elimination / ozone treatment: Specialized equipment and time. Don’t bury this in a package — price it separately.
• Headlight restoration: Fast add-on with clear value to the customer. Common range is $50 to $100.

Condition Surcharges

This is a big one most new detailers skip, and it costs them hours of unpaid labor. A vehicle that hasn’t been cleaned in two years is not the same job as a weekly driver that gets washed regularly. You need to be comfortable saying so before you take the job.

When you quote, either inspect the vehicle first or ask specific questions: How long since the last detail? Kids or pets? Smoker? Any known stains?

Then build a condition-based surcharge into your quote — not as a penalty, but as an honest reflection of the extra time and product the job will take. A “heavily soiled” surcharge of $50 to $150 is standard. State it plainly. Most customers understand if you explain it once.

Recurring Client Discounts — Use With Care

Recurring clients are valuable. A customer who books a full detail every six weeks is worth a lot more than one-off jobs. It’s reasonable to offer a small loyalty discount to lock in that behavior.

But don’t go overboard. A 10% loyalty discount is a reasonable gesture. Don’t train clients to expect 30% off just for coming back. You’ll resent the relationship eventually.

Raising Your Prices

If you’re consistently booked out more than two weeks and turning away work, your prices are probably too low. That’s the clearest signal in this business.

Raising prices on existing clients is uncomfortable, but it’s necessary. Give them notice — even a month or two for long-standing clients. Keep it short and professional. You don’t owe anyone an essay about it. “Starting in September, my rates are adjusting to reflect current costs” is enough.

New clients always get your new rates immediately. Don’t discount your current price to close a job you shouldn’t be chasing.

Using Software to Track Job Profitability

If you’re quoting jobs in your head or on the back of a receipt, you’re probably losing money somewhere and not seeing it. Good scheduling and invoicing software shows you at a glance what each job brought in, how long it took, and what your day actually looked like.

For mobile detailers specifically, tools that handle online booking, automated reminders, and mobile invoicing matter more than most features. It removes friction for the client and reduces your no-show rate. It also makes you look like you’re running a real business — because you are.

Software isn’t the answer to bad pricing, but it gives you the data to price better over time.

What to Avoid

• Flat pricing for every vehicle type. An F-250 crew cab is not the same job as a Honda Civic. Price them differently.
• Quoting without seeing the vehicle. Photos help, but they lie. Either inspect in person or build in a condition disclaimer on your quote.
• Competing purely on price. There’s always someone cheaper. You can’t win that race for long.
• Forgetting your time in transit. If a job takes three hours on-site but two hours of driving, that’s a five-hour commitment. Price it as such.
• Ignoring local market research. Do check what others are charging — just don’t let it set your floor. Let your costs do that.

The Short Version

Know your costs first. Build packages that reflect real time and effort. Charge for the convenience of mobile service. Surcharge for condition, vehicle size, and difficult add-ons. Raise your prices when demand justifies it. Track your numbers so you can see where you’re actually making money.

That’s not complicated. It’s just discipline — the same thing that makes a detail job come out right.