Owning and operating your own car detailing business is a very lucrative business opportunity. Just think about it – every car, pickup truck, van, minivan, and motorcycle is a potential detailing job.
Your first task is to figure out how to spread awareness of your services to these vehicle owners. You will need to develop the right detailing services and value packages to fit the budgets of your potential customers.
Detail King can help you with everything you need from supplies, equipment, and even training that’ll put you on the fast track to success.
We can teach you how to obtain commercial, fleet, and retail accounts by engaging your prospects and customers through social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. You will begin to build a customer base, how to get repeat business from these customers, and how to get referrals from your customers to bring in NEW business.
Check out our Auto Detailing Business Plan template. If you’re serious about starting a business in the detailing industry, you’ll definitely want to go in with a plan!
The following profit chart indicates the possible earnings if you were to operate mobile, full-time, or part-time and only offer your least expensive services. These charts are based on the average cost for each service: A basic wash and wax service starts at about $69.95 per car, a machine polish and wax is $149 to $249, and the average interior detail is $119 – $199.
Of course, the services you decide to offer and what you choose to charge is entirely up to you. You’ll want to take factors such as operating costs, competitors’ rates and the clientele you’re trying to attract into account.
Ceramic coating application is a highly sought-after service. Its application requires specialized skills and can be time-consuming, which allows detailers to earn a significant amount from a single customer. Adding ceramic coatings to your services can create an excellent opportunity for even greater profits!
How Much Can an Auto Detailer Make in One Year?
Gross income for the period of:
|
1 Day |
1 Week (5 Days) | 1 Month (20 Days) |
1 Year (240 Days) |
|
| Wash/wax 2 cars per day |
$139.90 |
$699.50 | $2,798.00 |
$33,576.00 |
| Wash/wax 4 cars per day |
$279.80 |
$1,399.00 | $5,596.00 |
$67,152.00 |
| Wash/wax 6 cars per day |
$419.70 |
$2,098.50 | $8,394.00 |
$100,728.00 |
The average price of a complete detail — which would include an exterior machine polishing service and interior detailing service — would be about $350-$450. Let’s say you started detailing on weekends only and doing two cars per day. Your gross earnings could be between $1000 per weekend or up to $4,000 per month.
Keep in mind that the average cost for supplies per car is about $15-20. Your other variable expenses — advertising, transportation, office expenses, insurance, utilities, etc. still need to be factored in, though they shouldn’t cost a tremendous amount if you manage them reasonably.
To learn more about your potential monthly operating costs, read our guide on How to Start a Detailing Business. If you have more questions about acquiring insurance for your new business, check our article on Types of Insurance for Car Detailers.
Even with all these costs in mind, you can see just how much earning potential there is, even for a part-time business operated only on the weekend!
It will take time to ramp up to having four cars scheduled every weekend at $350-450 per car, but it can happen if you are serious about making this opportunity work! Detail King is committed to helping you achieve your goals.
Even high school and college students can earn a great summer income and have an excellent experience running their own business. Let’s say you only work five days a week during the three summer months and only detail one car a day. You have the potential to gross $21,000 – that beats the heck out of flipping burgers!
How Much Can an Auto Detailer Make in One Summer?
Gross income for the period of:
|
1 Day Per Week |
5 Days Per Week | 20 Days Per Month |
June Thru August |
|
| Detail 1 Car a Day |
$350 |
$1,750 | $7,000 |
$21,000 |
| Detail 2 Cars a Day |
$700 |
$3,500 | $14,000 |
$42,000 |
| Detail 3 Cars a Day |
$1050 |
$5,250 | $21,000 |
$63,000 |
Detailing cars is a great business to get into, as entry costs are low for a weekend detailer, and there’s plenty of room to grow the business to envious levels.
Regardless of which direction you choose for your new car detailing business, make sure you’re starting out right. That means creating a detailed business plan that’ll set the framework for where you’ll start and where you want to go with your business.
If you’re passionate, motivated, and determined to detail cars with top-tier customer service, then there’s unlimited potential for you to profit from auto detailing!