Pricing nearly killed my business in month three.
I was charging £25 for a 2-hour exterior wash. I thought that was competitive. It wasn’t. With products, fuel, insurance, and equipment costs, I made about £4/hour. Stacking shelves at Tesco paid better.
Let me save you this mistake.
Why Most Detailers Price Wrong
When starting out, people typically make one of three mistakes:
- Copy the cheapest competitor - “He charges £20, I’ll do £18”
- Price on gut feeling - “£40 sounds right”
- Undercharge for reputation - “I’ll do £15 to build my name”
All three backfire.
Competing on price attracts customers who only care about cost. They’re difficult to work with and eventually leave anyway.
Pricing on instinct ignores your real costs. You might feel £40 is fair, but if costs are £35, you’re making £5 for hours of work.
Undercharging to build reputation just attracts budget hunters. When you raise prices later, they vanish. You’ve built a reputation for being cheap, not good.
Start with Your Costs (Cost-Plus Pricing)
Before you price anything, you need to know what it actually costs to deliver the service. Here’s what I track:
Fixed costs (monthly):
- Insurance: £30
- Vehicle costs (fuel, maintenance): £200
- Equipment depreciation: £50 (I budget £600/year to replace worn kit)
- Marketing (website, Google ads): £100
- Phone/internet: £30
- Accounting software: £12
Total monthly fixed: £422
Variable costs (per job):
- Products (shampoo, wax, dressings): £3-8 depending on service
- Water (if not using customer’s): £2
- Fuel to/from job: £5-10
- Time: your hourly rate (more on this below)
Let’s say I want to earn £20/hour (after costs). A 2-hour exterior wash and wax uses £5 of products and £5 fuel.
Calculation:
- Time cost: 2 hours × £20 = £40
- Products: £5
- Fuel: £5
- Fixed costs allocation: £422 / 40 jobs per month = £10.50 per job
Total cost: £60.50
That’s my break-even point. Anything less and I’m losing money. So I charge £75-85 depending on vehicle size. That’s a £15-25 profit margin per job.
This is cost-plus pricing. It’s safe, it covers your costs, but it’s not how you make great money in detailing.
Value Pricing (Where Real Money Is Made)
Customers don’t buy your time. They buy results.
A 2-stage polish takes me 6-8 hours. At £20/hour that’s £120-160. With costs, I’d need £180-200.
But the customer isn’t paying for hours. They’re paying to remove scratches, make the paint look new, get pride in their car, and have it worth more. On a £30,000 BMW? That’s worth £450-600.
It takes me 6-8 hours because I’ve polished hundreds of cars and I’m fast. Someone new might take 12 hours. Should I charge less for being efficient? No. Being efficient is what makes me valuable.
That’s value pricing. You charge based on the result, not the time.
Market Research (Know Your Area)
Before setting prices, I looked at what others charged locally. I found three tiers:
Budget tier: £15-30 for a wash
- Usually kids with a bucket and sponge
- Hand car wash places
- No machine polishing, basic chemicals
Mid-tier: £40-80 for a wash
- Mobile detailers
- Some machine polishing offered
- Better products (Meguiar’s, Autoglym)
Premium tier: £100+ for a wash
- Studio-based detailers
- Ceramic coating specialists
- High-end products (Gtechniq, Kamikaze)
I positioned myself in mid-tier initially (£60-85 for wash and wax), then moved to premium once I had enough work and better skills.
How to research your area:
- Google “car detailing [your town]” and check 10-15 websites
- Call a few as a customer asking for quotes
- Look at local Facebook detailing groups to see typical pricing
- Check Yell.com and Bark.com
You’ll see patterns. Most washes are £50-70, most paint corrections are £350-500.
Don’t undercut automatically. Aim for mid-range or slightly above. Customers who care about price alone are harder to deal with.
Package Structuring (How I Actually Sell)
I don’t offer individual services anymore. I offer packages. It makes pricing simpler and increases average job value.
My current packages:
Bronze - £65
- Exterior wash
- Wheels cleaned
- Tyres dressed
- Quick interior vacuum
- Time: 1.5 hours
Silver - £120
- Everything in Bronze
- Clay bar treatment
- Spray wax protection
- Full interior valet
- Windows inside/out
- Time: 3 hours
Gold - £250
- Everything in Silver
- 1-stage machine polish
- 6-month sealant
- Engine bay clean
- Trim restoration
- Time: 5-6 hours
Platinum - £450-600
- Paint correction (1-2 stage)
- Ceramic coating
- Full interior detail
- Leather conditioning
- Engine bay detail
- Time: 8-10 hours
Most customers book Silver. Some start with Bronze and upgrade next time. About 20% go straight for Gold or Platinum.
This structure works because:
- Three price points gives choice without overwhelming
- Middle option (Silver) looks like best value
- Premium options make mid-tier seem affordable
- Clear deliverables - customer knows what they get
Pricing by Vehicle Size
I charge more for larger vehicles because they take longer and use more products.
My multipliers:
- Small car (Fiesta, Polo): Base price
- Medium car (Golf, Focus): +£10-15
- Large car (5 Series, A6): +£20-30
- SUV/4x4 (Q7, X5): +£30-40
- Van: +£40-50
So a Bronze package on a Fiesta is £65, but on a Range Rover it’s £95. Fair, because it genuinely takes longer.
Some detailers have separate pricing for each size. I find that confusing for customers. I just explain “base price is for small-medium cars, larger vehicles are a bit more because there’s more surface area.”
What I Got Wrong Initially
Mistake 1: Charging too little I thought £25 for 2 hours was good money. It wasn’t. Once I tracked actual costs, I was making £4/hour. I nearly quit after 3 months because I couldn’t pay bills.
Mistake 2: Not charging for travel I’d drive 30 minutes each way for a £30 job. That’s an hour travel for £30 revenue. Factor in fuel (£8), I made £22 for 3 hours total time. Stupid.
Now I charge £10 for jobs over 20 minutes away, £20 for jobs over 40 minutes. Or I have a minimum job value (£60) that makes the travel worthwhile.
Mistake 3: Doing “mates rates” My friend asked for a wash, I charged him £15 instead of £65. Then his mate wanted the same price. Then his mate’s mate. Soon I had 10 people expecting £15 washes.
I stopped doing mates rates. If someone’s actually a friend, they want you to succeed. They’ll pay full price. If they only value you for being cheap, they’re not really a friend.
Mistake 4: Not increasing prices I kept charging £65 for Bronze for 18 months, even though my costs went up, I got faster and better, and demand increased. I should’ve raised prices after 6 months.
Now I review prices every 6 months and adjust based on demand, costs, and skill level.
When to Raise Prices
You should increase prices when:
- You’re fully booked 2-3 weeks ahead
- Your costs increase (products, fuel, insurance)
- Your skills improve significantly
- You add premium products (ceramic coating, graphene sealants)
- Your reputation grows (Google reviews, word of mouth)
I’ve raised prices 3 times:
- Month 6: Bronze from £65 to £70 (was underpriced)
- Month 18: All packages up £10-15 (fully booked, better products)
- Month 30: Premium packages up £50-100 (added ceramic coating)
I lost maybe 2-3 budget customers each time. Replaced them within a week with higher-paying clients.
How to Present Prices
Don’t apologize for your prices. Don’t say “I hope this is okay” or “Let me know if it’s too much.”
Say: “For a [vehicle type], the [package name] is £X. That includes [list benefits]. When would you like to book in?”
Confident, clear, no room for negotiation.
About 10% of people will ask for a discount. I say “I don’t discount because I’m already priced fairly for the quality I deliver. But if budget is tight, the Bronze package is £65 and covers the fundamentals.”
Most book anyway. Some don’t, and that’s fine - they’re not my customer.
What You Should Charge (Real Talk)
If you’re starting out in the UK, mobile, with basic kit:
- Exterior wash and wax: £50-70
- Full valet (exterior + interior): £100-130
- 1-stage polish: £200-280
- 2-stage paint correction: £400-550
- Ceramic coating: £500-700
These are sensible, middle-market prices that cover costs and pay you properly. Don’t go significantly lower unless you’re in a very cheap area.
If you’re in London or Southeast, add 20-30%. If you’re in Wales, Northwest, or Scotland, maybe 10% less. But don’t race to the bottom.
My Current Pricing
I’m transparent about what I charge because I think it helps people understand real-world pricing. You can see my full price list on my services page.
I charge what I’m worth based on:
- 3+ years experience
- Hundreds of happy customers
- Premium products (Gtechniq, Koch Chemie)
- Professional equipment (Rupes polishers, Kranzle pressure washer)
- Full insurance and legal setup
- Consistent results
I’m not the cheapest in my area. I’m also not the most expensive. I’m right where I want to be - busy enough to make good money, not so busy I’m burnt out.
Next Steps
- Calculate your actual costs (fixed + variable)
- Decide your target hourly rate (£15-25 starting out)
- Research local competitor pricing
- Create 3-4 package tiers
- Set prices that cover costs + profit
- Test for 3-6 months, then adjust based on demand
Don’t undercharge. Don’t apologize for your prices. Charge what the work is worth, deliver quality, and the right customers will pay it.
If they won’t pay £60 for a proper wash and wax, they’re not your customer. Let them go to the £15 hand wash. You’re building a business, not a charity.
Want to see pricing from the customer’s perspective? Read our blog post on how much mobile detailing costs in Middlesbrough to understand how customers think about value and what they expect at each price point.