Auto detailing websites / Blog / How to price car detailing on your website (3 layouts)
How to price car detailing on your website (3 layouts)
Updated
The short answer to how to price car detailing on your website: post a starting number for each main job, say plainly what raises it, and give the odd cars a way to get an exact quote. Three layouts do that well, and which one suits you depends on how much your jobs vary. After them comes how to word add-ons and the condition fee without starting an argument.
Every price in this post is an example. Where you see $[your price], put in your own.
Why "call for a quote" costs you texts
Picture a customer on the couch on a Tuesday night, wanting the car cleaned before a road trip. They pull up three detailers. Two show a number and one says to call for a quote. Texting a stranger at 9 p.m. to ask a price feels like starting a negotiation, so they text the two with numbers.
Your worry about posting prices is fair. Someone will try to hold you to the sedan price for a minivan full of beach sand, and the person hunting for the cheapest wash in town will find you. A "from" price with one line about condition handles the first. As for the bargain hunter, they were never going to book at your rate, and a posted price saves you the phone call where you both find that out.
A price menu also shows what a full detail includes at your place, which is how people tell you apart from the cheapest driveway wash. The rest of what a detailing page needs is in what to put on a car detailing website.
Layout 1: "from" prices by vehicle size
This is the simplest one and the one customers expect. One row per service, one column per size. An example, with your numbers in the brackets:
| Service | Sedan or coupe | SUV or small truck | 3-row SUV, van or full-size truck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full detail | from $[your price] | from $[your price] | from $[your price] |
| Interior only | from $[your price] | from $[your price] | from $[your price] |
| Wash and sealant | from $[your price] | from $[your price] | from $[your price] |
Under the table, one sentence does most of the protecting: "Prices are for a car in normal condition. Heavy pet hair, sand or stains cost extra, and we'll tell you how much before we start."
This suits a detailer who does the same few jobs most days, where size is what mostly changes the hours. The trouble spot is the size labels. People will argue about whether a Tacoma is a small truck, so name a couple of common models in each column, or go by rows of seats, which nobody can argue with.
Layout 2: three packages with what's included
Here the jobs differ more by what's done than by the size of the car. Three packages, each with a price or a short range, a rough time and a plain list of the work. An example:
- Maintenance wash, from $[your price], about [time]: hand wash, wheels and tires, windows inside and out, vacuum and wipe-down.
- Full detail, $[your price] to $[your price], about [time]: everything in the wash, plus seats and carpets shampooed, door jambs, and a spray sealant.
- Paint refresh, from $[your price], most of a day: the full detail plus clay bar and a one-step polish.
Give packages names that say what they are, or put a plain description under the fancy name. If one package is the one most people book, say so; it gives an unsure customer an easy pick.
The Ramirez & Son page is a sample design for a fictional business, and it uses this layout: three packages with a price and a time each, then add-ons below with "from" prices.
Ranges have one weakness. People read the low end and stop. If you use a range, say what puts a car at the top of it, like size, pet hair or how long since the last detail.
Layout 3: quick quote with a photo
Heavy interiors, smoke or mildew, a car that's been hauling two shedding dogs, coatings and paint correction all depend on what you see walking around the car. A single posted price either scares people off or undercharges. A short quote form with photo upload gets you most of that walk-around.
Keep the form short: name, phone, vehicle, what they want done, ZIP code and a few photos. Tell them which photos help, such as the worst seat, the carpet behind the driver's seat, or the hood in daylight. Then tell them when they'll hear back, for example "We text you a price the same day."
Even here, give a floor. "Ceramic coatings start at $[your price]" stops the person who was hoping to pay a tenth of that, and you skip writing a quote you'd never win.
Use it alongside one of the other two, with everyday jobs priced on the page and the unusual ones sent to the photo form.
Add-ons and the condition fee, said nicely
List add-ons with "from" prices right under your packages or table, so nobody meets them for the first time on the invoice: pet hair removal, engine bay, headlight restoration, odor treatment, heavy stains.
The condition fee is the line most detailers hate writing, and the wording makes a big difference. Here are two ways to say the same thing:
"Excessively dirty vehicles will incur additional charges."
"Some cars need extra time because of heavy pet hair, sand, spills or stains. If yours does, we'll tell you the extra before we start, and you can say no."
The second puts the decision in the customer's hands before any work starts. If you can, add a typical amount, such as "usually $[your price] to $[your price]." Then do what the page promises and text the extra before you start the job.
What not to do when you price car detailing on your website
A PDF price sheet opens badly on phones, and because it's a pain to edit, it's usually years old. A photo of your printed menu is tiny on a phone, and a screen reader can't read it.
Prices that only live on Facebook or Instagram get buried in a few weeks, and nobody on your website will scroll your posts to find them.
Old prices are worse than none. Either you eat the difference or you end up arguing with someone holding a screenshot. The same goes for prices that differ between your site, your booking tool and your Google Business Profile, so keep one list and copy from it whenever you change anything.
If prices are already on your site and the bookings still don't come, the other usual causes are in why people look at your detailing site and don't book.
FAQ
Won't other detailers just copy my prices?
Some will look. They could already get your prices by texting you as a customer. What wins the job is the rest of the page: your photos, your reviews and how fast you answer.
What if a customer holds me to the "from" price?
Point to the condition line under your prices and the photos they sent, and quote before you start. When the page says the starting price assumes normal condition, most people accept the extra.
Should I post a price for ceramic coating?
Post a starting price and what it includes, such as the prep, any polishing and how long the coating is rated to last. Then quote each car from its photos.
How often should I update my prices?
Whenever they change, and look the page over once a season either way. Update your booking tool and Google profile at the same time.
We build and look after detailing websites with your menu laid out in whichever of these layouts fits how you work, add-ons and condition line included. It's $99 to start, refunded if you pass on the preview, and $399 all in at our founding price for the first 25 clients. Hosting is $99 a month. Here's a sample detailing site we designed for a fictional business.