Statistics
Mobile Detailing Cost Statistics 2026
32 facts about mobile car detailing prices, each with its source and check date. Prices are providers' own list prices, not quotes. Medians come from the Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index.
Prices
The Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index compiles 1137 published prices from 468 providers' own rate cards, covering 12 service lines in the United States (Mobile Detailing Cost, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for full detail is $270 per job (range $85–$1,000) across 352 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for interior detail is $195 per job (range $75–$600) across 284 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for exterior wash and wax is $150 per job (range $45–$600) across 166 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for ceramic coating is $725 per job (range $22–$2,200) across 166 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for paint correction is $415 per job (range $100–$1,200) across 24 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for headlight restoration is $100 per job (range $50–$185) across 22 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for odor and smoke removal is $120 per job (range $50–$800) across 18 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for motorcycle wash and detail is $165 per job (range $60–$349) across 10 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for rv detailing is $20 per foot of RV (range $9–$50) across 4 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
The typical published price for boat wash is $5.43 per foot of boat (range $2.75–$10) across 5 providers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
Paint protection film costs $900–$7,000 per vehicle, from partial front coverage to a full body, in installers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost PPF cost guide, checked October 2026).
A professional ceramic coating for wheels costs $125–$600 per set of 4 wheels in detailers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost wheel coating guide, checked October 2026).
An interior ceramic coating costs $150–$1,000 per vehicle, from a single add-on to a full cabin, in detailers' published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost interior coating guide, checked October 2026).
Professional rock chip repair costs $50–$350 per job in published prices (Mobile Detailing Cost rock chip repair guide, checked October 2026).
Oil-spray rustproofing costs $130–$300 per year at shops that publish their prices (Mobile Detailing Cost rustproofing guide, checked October 2026).
Detailers' published pet hair surcharges run $25–$149 per vehicle (Mobile Detailing Cost pet hair surcharge guide, checked October 2026).
Boat shrink-wrapping is priced at $12–$30 per foot of boat in published price lists (Mobile Detailing Cost shrink-wrap guide, checked October 2026).
Standard sizes
Boat wash and wax has a typical published rate of $15 per foot of boat (range $9.99–$35, 16 providers), which comes to about $370 for a 22-ft pontoon (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
Boat compound and wax has a typical published rate of $40 per foot of boat (range $20–$65, 13 providers), which comes to about $880 for a 22-ft pontoon (Mobile Detailing Cost 2026 Price Index, checked October 2026).
An RV exterior detail is priced at $10–$15 per foot of RV, which comes to about $300–$450 for a 30-ft fifth wheel (Mobile Detailing Cost RV detailing guide, checked October 2026).
Market & climate context
The U.S. had 19,807 car wash establishments with paid employees in 2023 (NAICS 811192, which includes auto detail shops and mobile washes), up 17% from 2019 (U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns, checked October 2026).
In 2023, 10,352 of the 19,807 U.S. car wash and detailing establishments with paid employees, about 52%, had fewer than five employees (U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns, checked October 2026).
U.S. businesses with no paid employees in NAICS 81119, the Census group that includes detailing along with oil change and other auto repair shops, grew 36%, from 77,177 in 2019 to 105,290 in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics, checked October 2026).
Florida had 1,668 car wash and detailing establishments with paid employees (NAICS 811192) in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns, checked October 2026).
Phoenix averaged 111 days a year at 100°F or hotter over the 1991–2020 normal period, and hit 110°F or hotter on a record 70 days in 2024 (National Weather Service Phoenix, checked October 2026).
In a published study of 29 cars, windshields blocked an average of 96% of UV-A light but side windows only 71% (study indexed on PubMed, checked October 2026).
Operators
Cleaners of vehicles and equipment (SOC 53-7061) earned a median $17.23 an hour in May 2025 in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, which excludes the self-employed (BLS OEWS, checked October 2026).
The middle half of U.S. vehicle cleaners earned $14.62 to $19.73 an hour in May 2025, the 25th to 75th percentile (BLS OEWS, checked October 2026).
Startup gear for a mobile detailing business costs $565–$10,600 one-time, from a basic kit to a full rig, based on published equipment prices (Mobile Detailing Cost startup guide, checked October 2026).
The U.S. consumer price index for motor vehicle maintenance and repair rose 5.2% from August 2025 to August 2026, against 3.4% for all items (BLS CPI, U.S. city average, checked October 2026).
The U.S. consumer price index for gasoline rose 27.4% from August 2025 to August 2026 (BLS CPI, gasoline all types, U.S. city average, checked October 2026).
How these facts are chosen
- Price facts come from the price index and from our published cost guides, which cite each provider's own price page. Estimates for a standard size are the published rate times the size, rounded (standard sizes).
- Market, climate and wage facts come from primary sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, NOAA and the National Weather Service, as cited in our guides.
- A separate check confirmed every fact against its cited source data before publishing. Full rules: methodology.
- Terms used here are defined in the glossary.
Spotted an error or an out-of-date figure? Contact us.