Auto Detailing Pricing Guide: How Much to Charge in 2026

Stop guessing your prices

Most detailers price by feel — they look at what the shop down the street charges and shave a few euros off. That's how you end up busy and broke. Real pricing starts with one question: what does this job actually cost me?

The 3 numbers every price must cover

• Materials — chemicals, pads, microfibers, water, electricity. Track per job, not per month.
• Labor — your time or your team's time, at a real hourly cost (salary + taxes + downtime).
• Overhead + profit — rent, software, marketing, and the margin that makes the business worth running.

A simple formula that works

Price = (Materials + Labor) × 1.6

The 1.6 multiplier covers overhead and leaves roughly 30-35% net profit on most detailing jobs. Adjust up for premium services (ceramic, PPF), down for high-volume wash packages.

Typical 2026 ranges (EU market)

• Exterior hand wash: €25-45
• Full interior detail: €120-220
• Paint correction (1-step): €350-600
• Ceramic coating (9H, 2-year): €600-1,200
• PPF full front: €1,500-2,800

The mistake that kills margin

Quoting before you know your cost per job. If you can't pull up last month's average material spend per ceramic coating, you're pricing blind. Software that tracks profit per job turns this from a spreadsheet chore into a 10-second check before you send a quote.

Action this week

1. Pick your 3 most-sold services.
2. For each, write down the actual cost of materials + the hours it takes.
3. Run the formula. If your current price is below the result, raise it on the next quote.

Detailers who price on cost instead of vibes routinely add 20-30% to their bottom line in one quarter — without a single new client.