What to put on a detailing price list

August 12, 2026

Most detailing price lists fail the same way. They are a wall of service names with a number beside each, written by someone who already knows what "two-step correction" means, read by someone who does not and who is deciding on a phone at a red light.

The job of a price list is not to be complete. It is to get a stranger to the point where they know roughly what they would pay and feel safe calling.

Three packages, not eleven

Three is the number people can hold in their head. One entry level, one you actually want to sell, one for the customer with a bad back seat and a good reason.

Eleven options is not more choice, it is a decision the customer has to make before they know enough to make it. The usual result is no call.

Name them for the outcome, not the process. "Maintenance", "Full interior + exterior", "Paint correction" tell somebody what they get. "Level 2", "Silver", "The Works" do not.

Say what is included, in nouns

Under each package, list what actually happens to the car. Not "interior detail". "vacuum, seats shampooed, carpets extracted, dash and door panels cleaned, glass inside and out".

This is the single highest-value part of the page, and almost nobody writes it. It is what stops the "so what does that include?" call that costs you ten minutes and half of them never book anyway.

Starting prices, and the word "from"

Put a number on it. From $180. A page with no prices does not read as premium, it reads as "they are going to look at my car and decide what I can afford".

"From" is doing real work in that sentence. It is honest, because a Suburban with two kids and a dog is not the same job as a leased Civic, and it protects you from being held to a number you never quoted. Then say what moves it:

Pricing is by size and condition. A three-row SUV or heavy pet hair costs more; we confirm before we start.

That sentence prevents nearly every uncomfortable conversation in this business.

Add-ons are for people who already decided

Ceramic coating, engine bay, headlight restoration, ozone treatment. Keep them under the packages, not mixed in. Somebody scanning for "how much to clean my car" should not have to step over a $900 coating on the way.

What to leave off

• A price for something you would rather not do. If you hate pet-hair jobs, do not put a cheerful number on them. Quote those.
• Times. "2-3 hours" sounds like a promise and becomes an argument when a job runs long.
• Every vehicle class in a grid. Sedan / SUV / truck / van across three packages is twelve numbers, and it reads like a tax form. Use "from" and confirm on the call.
• Discounts you do not want to honour forever. A "10% off first clean" on a permanent page is permanent.

The test

Show it to somebody who does not detail cars. If they can tell you what they would probably book and roughly what it would cost within thirty seconds, it works. If they ask "what's the difference between these two?", the inclusions list is not doing its job yet.