Car Detailing Prices 2026: Full Price List by Service and Vehicle Size

• Tahir Abbas
• October 29, 2026

Last updated: October 2026

Key takeaways

• Use ranges, not a single number. Four published 2026 guides disagree widely on the same service, mostly because “full detail” means different things in different shops.
• Vehicle size is the first multiplier: one guide puts small cars at $50 to $175 and extra-large trucks and 3-row SUVs at $500 to $650+.
• Paint correction and ceramic coating are quoted per car, not per package, because paint condition drives the labor.
• Coastal metros run roughly 20 to 35 percent above the Midwest and South, according to one guide.
• Detailers: price = (labor + supplies + travel + overhead) divided by (1 minus target margin). A worked, re-checked example is below.

“Car detailing prices” is a search made by two different people: the owner trying to decide whether $280 for a detail is fair, and the detailer trying to decide what to charge. The top guides lean toward one or the other. This page gives both sides: a sourced price list by service and vehicle size, then the arithmetic detailers use to price a job so it actually makes money.

How much does car detailing cost in 2026?

We compared four U.S. pricing guides published for 2026. None of them is an official benchmark, so treat each column as one opinion and read across the row. Prices are for professional (not DIY) service, as of October 2026.

How to read it. The cheapest source and the priciest source differ most on interior work and paint correction. Part of that is scope: a $70 interior is a vacuum and wipe-down, while a $300 interior includes carpet extraction and steam. Part is location, covered below. A useful sanity check from the Gilroy-area shop: a “full detail” advertised under $150 usually skips time-intensive steps such as clay bar, machine polish or carpet extraction.

Plain-English ranges (our synthesis of the table above, not a quote):

• Exterior-only: about $50 to $200
• Interior-only: about $70 to $350, depending on how much extraction and steam work is included
• Full detail: about $150 to $400 (sedan) and $240 to $500 (SUV or truck)
• Paint correction: about $250 to $1,200, mostly set by how many polishing stages the paint needs
• Ceramic coating: about $500 to $2,000 or more, and separate from the paint correction needed first

How does vehicle size change the price?

Bigger vehicles take more time, more chemicals and more towels. Housecall Pro, citing HomeGuide, publishes average detailing prices by size across service levels (source):

These figures blend service levels, so the small-car range starts below any full-detail price. InvoiceFly takes a different approach and treats size as a surcharge on a sedan base price: about $20 more for a small SUV, $40 to $60 more for a large SUV or truck, and $80 or more for extra-large vehicles (source). Both methods agree on the direction: expect to pay noticeably more as you go from sedan to 3-row SUV.

Is mobile detailing more expensive?

Slightly, according to the guides. Housecall Pro cites an Autodetailer.com analysis of 89 operators in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles that priced a midsize SUV at an average of $158 for a basic package, $278 for standard and $443 for premium. CDC Auto Detailing describes mobile prices as slightly above in-shop prices because of travel and equipment setup. InvoiceFly notes that mobile detailers may add a travel fee, while shops tend to charge more for machine polishing and coatings because of controlled lighting and space. Neither the mobile averages nor a trip fee are guaranteed in your area, so ask whether the quote includes travel.

Why do prices vary by region?

Labor, rent, water rules and competition differ by metro. CDC Auto Detailing says coastal metros such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami run about 20 to 35 percent higher than the Midwest and South, with an illustrative full detail at $220 in suburban New Jersey, $290 in Manhattan and $175 in rural Ohio. InvoiceFly’s regional examples point the same way:

The Midwest figure in that guide comes with a caveat that it depends on city and competition, and the regional numbers are the publisher’s own examples rather than survey data. Use them to see the shape, not to quote a customer. Some cities also regulate wash water. For example, the City of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, requires mobile detailers to follow best management practices such as zero-discharge or recycled-water setups (city brochure). Compliance equipment is a real cost that shows up in local prices.

What add-ons raise the price?

Condition matters as much as the list. Housecall Pro notes that a heavily soiled interior can take 3 to 4 hours instead of the typical 90 minutes. Paint correction is priced mainly by the number of polishing stages the paint needs, and ceramic coating needs that correction done first, so it should be quoted after a paint inspection rather than as a package add-on.

How do detailers calculate a job price?

If you price jobs, the cleanest method is cost-plus. Housecall Pro’s guide lays out the same logic: work out your break-even cost, pick a pricing model (hourly, by vehicle size, or flat-rate packages), adjust for condition, then add profit. In formula form:

1. Labor = estimated hours x loaded hourly cost (wage plus payroll taxes and insurance; if you are the worker, pay yourself a real rate).
2. Supplies = chemicals, pads, towels and consumables used on this job.
3. Travel (mobile jobs) = round-trip miles x a per-mile cost. The IRS business standard mileage rate is 76 cents per mile for July 1 to December 31, 2026 (IRS); it is a tax rate, but it is a reasonable proxy for fuel plus vehicle wear.
4. Overhead = insurance, software, equipment replacement and marketing, spread across the jobs you do per month.
5. Price = (labor + supplies + travel + overhead) divided by (1 minus target margin).

Divide by (1 minus margin); do not multiply by (1 plus margin). Housecall Pro’s illustration: a $120 break-even cost with a 30 percent margin gives $120 / (1 – 0.30) = $171. A 30 percent markup on the same cost would give $156 and only a 23 percent margin.

Worked example: full detail on a midsize SUV

These inputs are illustrative estimates, not market data. Swap in your own.

Price at a 35 percent margin: $193.20 / (1 – 0.35) = $193.20 / 0.65 = $297.23, rounded to $300.

Re-check: at $300, profit is $300 – $193.20 = $106.80, and $106.80 / $300 = 35.6 percent, so the target is met. A 35 percent markup instead would give $193.20 x 1.35 = $260.82, a profit of $67.62 and a margin of only 25.9 percent.

Market cross-check: $300 sits inside the $240 to $400 SUV/truck full-detail range from CDC Auto Detailing and just above the $278 average standard mobile package for a midsize SUV. Per labor hour it is $300 / 4.5 = $66.67, within the $50 to $150 per hour shop labor figure InvoiceFly reports. If your local competitors charge $200 for the same job, you either need to cut hours or accept that this market may not support your cost structure.

How to avoid overpaying (or underquoting)

For car owners: ask exactly what is included (clay bar, carpet extraction, machine polish), whether the price is for your vehicle size and condition, and whether travel is extra. Get two or three quotes with the same scope. CDC Auto Detailing notes that ceramic coating rarely pays off on a car you will sell soon, while a car you plan to keep for years can justify it.

For detailers: show add-ons as separate line items, set a minimum charge that covers setup and travel, and re-check your numbers each quarter against supplier invoices and actual job time. If your schedule is full but margins are thin, your prices are probably too low.

Next step

If you want to skip the spreadsheet work, the free Car Detailing Price Calculator on Softotech Solutions builds a quote by vehicle size. You will find more calculators for service businesses in our free tools collection, including the cleaning price calculator and the pressure washing price calculator. Price data on this page is drawn from the sources linked above as of October 2026 and will drift, so check current local quotes before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to get a car detailed?

As of October 2026, published guides put a full interior-and-exterior detail at roughly $150 to $400 for a sedan and $240 to $500 for an SUV or truck. Exterior-only is about $50 to $200 and interior-only about $70 to $350. Your region, vehicle size and the car’s condition decide where you land in those ranges.

How much does a full car detail cost for an SUV?

CDC Auto Detailing lists $240 to $400 for an SUV or truck full detail, and a Gilroy-area shop lists $300 to $500. Housecall Pro cites an average of $278 for a standard mobile package on a midsize SUV. Three-row SUVs and large trucks can run higher; HomeGuide’s extra-large category is $500 to $650+.

Is ceramic coating worth the price?

Ceramic coating typically costs $500 to $2,000 or more, and paint correction before it can add $250 to $750 or more. CDC Auto Detailing notes that spending $1,000 or more rarely pencils out on a car you will sell within 18 months, but can make sense on a vehicle you keep five years or longer.

How much should a detailer charge per hour?

InvoiceFly reports that most shops estimate labor at $50 to $150 per hour and build packages around that. A better method is to calculate your own loaded labor cost, add supplies, travel and overhead, then divide by one minus your target margin.

Why is mobile detailing priced differently from shop detailing?

Mobile detailers add travel time, setup and equipment transport, so guides describe mobile prices as slightly higher. Shops can charge more for machine polishing and coatings because of controlled lighting and space. Always ask whether travel is included in the quote.

How often should I get my car detailed?

The Gilroy-area shop recommends a professional detail every 6 to 12 months to maintain appearance and resale value. That is one shop’s advice rather than a standard, so adjust for how heavily you use the vehicle and how much time it spends outdoors.

Related: how to price service jobs with the cost-plus formula.