Mobile Car Detailing Prices: What to Charge in 2026
Mobile detailing lives and dies on pricing. You’re driving to the customer, carrying your own water and power, and spending real hours per vehicle — so a price that looks fine on paper can leave you working for minimum wage once fuel and drive time are counted. This is a practical 2026 price list for mobile detailers, plus how to package your services so the good jobs subsidize the quick ones.
2026 mobile detailing price list
Ranges below assume a mid-size vehicle in average condition. Trucks, SUVs, and vans run higher; heavily soiled or pet-hair interiors should carry a condition surcharge.
| Service | Sedan | SUV / Truck | Time on site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express wash & wax | $50–$90 | $70–$120 | 45–75 min |
| Interior detail | $90–$160 | $130–$220 | 1.5–2.5 hrs |
| Exterior detail | $90–$150 | $120–$200 | 1.5–2.5 hrs |
| Full detail (in + out) | $160–$280 | $220–$380 | 3–5 hrs |
| Clay + machine polish | $220–$400 | $300–$550 | 4–6 hrs |
| Ceramic coating | $500–$1,200 | $700–$1,800 | 1–2 days |
What actually moves your price
- Vehicle size. A 3-row SUV can be double the interior work of a sedan. Always price by size class, never one flat rate.
- Condition. Pet hair, sand, spilled coffee, or a smoker’s cabin can add an hour. Build a “heavy soil” surcharge into your quote.
- Travel. Fuel, water, and drive time are pure cost. Set a free-travel radius and charge per mile beyond it.
- Water & power access. If you supply your own (as most mobile ops do), that convenience is worth a premium over a fixed-location shop.
- Add-ons. Engine bay, headlight restoration, pet-hair removal, odor treatment, and paint sealant are high-margin upsells — price and list them separately.
Work backward from an hourly target
Every package price should clear your minimum hourly number after costs. The math:
- Set your target. $70/hour on site is a healthy solo starting point in most markets.
- Estimate honestly. A full detail on an SUV is often 4 hours, not the 2 you hope for.
- Add consumables. Pads, chemicals, and towel laundering run $10–$30 per full detail.
- Add travel. Fold in fuel and unpaid drive time — a job 40 minutes away costs more than one next door.
- Compare to the chart. If your floor price lands below the ranges above, raise it. If it’s above, your reputation and results have to carry it.
Build three packages, not twenty options
A menu with twenty à-la-carte services paralyzes customers. Offer a simple good/better/best ladder and let add-ons handle the rest:
- Maintenance (good): wash, wax, quick interior wipe-down and vacuum. Your fast, recurring-revenue package.
- Full detail (better): the complete inside-and-out. This is the one most customers should land on — price it to be the obvious value.
- Paint correction / ceramic (best): the premium, high-ticket job. Even if few buy it, it anchors your other prices and makes the full detail look reasonable.
Pricing mistakes that sink mobile detailers
- One flat price for every vehicle. You’ll lose money on every SUV and overcharge every compact.
- No travel fee. The whole point of mobile is convenience — charge for it beyond your zone.
- Quoting before seeing condition. Ask for photos of the interior. A “normal” car with a toddler and a dog is not normal.
- Racing to the bottom. The $60-full-detail guy burns out in a season. Price to still be in business next year.
- Giving away add-ons. Pet hair and odor treatment are the most-requested extras — never bundle them in for free.
Charge premium prices by showing the transformation
Detailing is the most visual trade there is, and that’s your pricing superpower. A gallery of before-and-after shots — the filthy floor mats, the swirl-free paint, the restored headlights — does more to justify a $280 detail than any words on a menu. Capture proof on every job and the price stops being a negotiation.
Cleerd’s detailing software is built around that loop: book the job by vehicle and package, shoot before/after photos from your phone, send a clean client report, and collect payment on the spot with a Pay Now button — so you finish one car and get paid before you drive to the next.