Illustration for Exterior-Only Detail Prices (and What They Leave Out)

That’s the whole outside of the car, wheels to glass, and nothing inside. It’s the right job when the paint needs attention and the carpets don’t. Below are published prices from detailers’ own pages, what the steps do, and what the number leaves out. How we collect prices: methodology.

A wash versus an exterior detail

A wash is soap, water and a dry. It takes off loose dirt and that’s about it. An exterior detail is the same idea done by hand and done further:

  • A careful wash. The Dallas–Fort Worth detailer lists a two-bucket hand wash, wheel faces and barrels with iron decon, tires, glass and a door jamb wipe.
  • Bugs and tar. The Kansas City shop names them in its base exterior.
  • Protection. Five of the seven base prices below include a wax or spray protectant. One doesn’t, and one doesn’t say.
  • Clay. Pulls bonded grit off paint that a wash can’t move. One shop below includes it; two sell it as an add-on.

If you just want winter salt off, a wash will do. Our three washing routines and their cost per wash covers that end. If you want the wheels clean in the barrels and water beading on the paint, you’re buying the detail.

Published exterior-only prices

These are asking prices from detailers’ own pages, read 2026-10-10, not a national average.

Detailer (market) Service, as listed Published price Protection in the base price
CK Detailing (Dallas–Fort Worth, TX) Exterior Detail $60 sedan / $90 mid SUV / $120 large SUV, truck or van None; 12-month wax is an add-on, +$40 / +$50 / +$60
West Denver Detailing (Denver, CO) Exterior Starting at $99 Not listed
Greater Detail (Minneapolis, MN) Premium Wash & Wax $99.99 / $119.99 / $139.99, small / medium / large Spray wax
Top Star Mobile Auto Detailing (Las Vegas, NV) Express Exterior Starting at $100, standard sedan; XL or lifted +$40 Spray wax
Bright Mobile Detailing (Birmingham, AL) Exterior Detail Starting at $100 ($150 also shown) Ceramic spray coating
Ultimate Mobile Detailing (Tampa Bay, FL) Exterior Only Wash N Wax Starting at $175 sedan / $210 larger vehicles Clay bar and wax
Premier Detailing (Kansas City area) Exterior Detail $195 sedan / $225 SUV or truck / $255 XL or 3-row Protector Wax; clay and iron decon is an add-on, +$95

Most of the pages above price by size. Two list a single starting price. One shop’s sedan price can match another’s SUV price, so line up the size you drive before you compare. For how size moves every kind of detail, see mobile detailing cost by vehicle size.

Why one exterior costs so much more than another

What’s in the base. This is the big one. The Dallas–Fort Worth detailer’s $60 sedan exterior has no wax and no clay. Its own page lists the popular combo, clay bar plus 12-month wax, at $130 for a sedan: $60 + $30 + $40. The Kansas City shop’s $195 already includes bug and tar work and a wax. It sells clay and iron decon as an add-on: “Paint feel rough? Add clay and iron decon, +$95.” Same name on the menu, different work.

Size. One detailer in the table starts at $100 for a standard sedan and adds $40 for an XL or lifted vehicle. That’s a size surcharge, not an extra step.

Time. The pages that list a time put an exterior detail at about an hour at one shop, an estimated hour and a half at another, and one to two hours at two more. Clay and wax add time; the Dallas–Fort Worth page adds about an hour for each.

How long the protection lasts. The Dallas–Fort Worth detailer’s FAQ says ordinary wax lasts 3 to 6 months, and its 12-month wax up to a year with proper washing. A ceramic coating is a different job with its own prep and price. See ceramic coating cost.

What the price leaves out

The name is the promise. Know where it stops:

  • The interior. Vacuum, carpets, seats, screens, trunk. That’s a separate job; see interior detail price tiers.
  • Paint correction. A detail cleans the paint. It doesn’t polish out swirls or scratches. That’s machine work priced on its own; see paint correction, one-step vs two-step.
  • Engine bay and headlights. One shop in the table lists an engine detail at $150 and headlight restoration at $100, both listed separately from its packages. Our headlight restoration guide has DIY and pro prices.

What to ask before you book

  1. Which steps are in the base price: wheel barrels, glass, door jambs, bugs and tar?
  2. Is there a wax or sealant in that price, and which one?
  3. Is clay or iron decon included, or an add-on?
  4. Which size tier is my vehicle?
  5. Does condition change the price? One shop in the table charges extra for very dirty vehicles, and another prices by size and condition.

Sources

Based on 8 sources · How we price

All checked 2026-10-10.