Short Answer

Small vinyl wraps, when applied professionally, start at around $100 to $300; partial wraps start around $250, and full wraps that cover your entire vehicle can range from $2,500 to $6,000 when installed by a professional. There are also do-it-yourself options, which can cost anywhere from $350 up to $2,500 for a midsize car but vary in price depending on the vehicle’s size and the type of wrap you choose. Below, we have more details about car wraps and the factors that affect their price.

What Is a Car Wrap?

A car wrap is like a giant, stretchy, removable sticker for your vehicle. Wraps are made of highly malleable vinyl, which comes in large sheets and can be molded around the curves of your vehicle. Wraps are commonly used for things like advertising on company vehicles and NASCAR race cars.

With advances in vinyl wrap technology (and price drops), vinyl car wraps have also become accessible for non-professional drivers. When properly applied, vinyl wraps don’t harm your vehicle’s paint and are fairly easy to remove.

Whether you’re looking for an economical way to advertise your small business or you want a temporary alternative to repainting, a vinyl car wrap can be a good option to give your car a makeover. Most wraps, whether full or partial, are applied by professionals, but you can also find products for wrapping your vehicle yourself.

How Much Does It Cost to Wrap a Car?

The cost of a vinyl wrap depends on several factors, including:

  • The make and model of your vehicle
  • Whether you want a full or partial wrap
  • The style and brand of vinyl film you choose
  • Graphic design features
  • Whether you want professional installation or are planning to do it yourself

Basic partial wraps — just your roof or the hood of your car, for example — can start at around $250 for professional installation. When professionally installed, full wraps start around $2,500 and can cost up to $6,000. Below, we explain how each of the factors listed above can affect the price of wrapping your car. Here are a few examples from around the country:

  • Austin Extreme Graphics (Austin, TX): Solid color wraps range from $2,500 to $3,500 for two-door cars and $3,500 to $5,000 for four-door cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans.[1]
  • First Class Car Wraps (Miami, FL): Full, color-change car wraps range from $2,500 to $4,000.[2]
  • Lucent Wraps (Costa Mesa, CA): Full, solid-color vehicle wraps cost $11 to $25 per square foot. A Ford Focus, for example, has about 230 square feet of wrappable surface area, so that’s $2,530 to $5,750.[3]
  • Revolution Wraps (Lincoln, NE): Full vehicle wraps range from $2,500 to $3,500[4]

Vehicle Dimensions

The size of your vehicle is probably the most important factor in determining how much it will cost to wrap your car because size determines how much vinyl you’ll need to buy to wrap the car. For example, a compact car will cost less to wrap than a large truck or full-size van, and wrapping a motorcycle is less expensive than wrapping a car. For more specific details on how vehicle dimensions impact price, see our dedicated articles on the cost to wrap a Jeep and the cost to wrap a truck.

Vehicle Design

The curves and bumps on a vehicle also affect how easy or difficult it is to apply the vinyl wrap. It is more difficult to smooth out the bubbles and get the vinyl wrap to lay flat on a curve, as opposed to a flat surface. For example, a Volkswagen Beetle will require more smoothing around its curves and corners than a boxy Nissan Cube. This additional work may add to the hours of labor you’ll be billed by a professional car wrap company or the time you can expect to spend in the garage if you apply the wrap yourself.

Vehicle Condition

The surface of your vehicle must be smooth to properly apply a wrap. Installation over surface damage doesn’t work because the vinyl won’t be able to adhere to it. If your car has any surface damage, from chipped paint to dents, the installer will have to do the repairs necessary to flatten out the surface before installing the vinyl. The extra time this prep work can significantly increase the cost of having your car wrapped or the time needed to do it yourself.

Full vs. Partial Wrap

With a full wrap, your entire vehicle will be covered by the vinyl, including door jams (but excluding the engine bay). When done professionally, the cost of a full wrap will also usually include the time involved in removing the bumpers, badges, lighting, door handles, mirrors, body kits, and other components in order to properly apply the wrap.

Partial wraps are good for a custom look or advertising purposes. The cost of a partial wrap will vary depending on the size of your vehicle and the textural challenges involved in wrapping it, as described above. Common partial wrap designs and prices include:

  • Vinyl decal: Starting around $100 or $200, depending on the size of the graphic[5]
  • Hood wrap: Starting at $250; see more in our article on the costs to wrap a car hood
  • Partial wrap (up to one-half of the vehicle): Starting from $1,400 to $2,000 and up[6]
  • Roof wrap: Starting at $250; our article has more information about roof wrap costs (DIY or professional)

Wrap Finish

There are 12 different wrap finishes (described below), and there are also several different brands of vinyl wrap. Your selection of finish and brand will affect the overall cost of the wrap. For most types of wraps, VViViD offers the lowest prices and a variety of truly unique wraps you won’t find in other brands. Avery-Dennison’s prices are also competitive, with Arlon and 3M’s prices being slightly higher but with higher-quality products. Oracal and AAA Auto Wrap also offer a limited selection of wrap types.

We’ve gathered vinyl prices from these major brands for comparison. We selected black vinyl for consistency (or the closest neutral color, if black wasn’t available), but be aware that prices for other colors may differ. You should be able to wrap a midsize car with about 300 square feet of vinyl wrap. Since vinyl wrap is often sold in rolls that are five feet wide, you’ll need a 60-foot roll for a midsize car. You can do some simple calculations or use VViViD’s sizing chart to find out how much vinyl you’ll need for your car.[7]

If you need help imagining what each finish will look like on your car as you go through the list, you can try 3M’s wrap customizer for a visual.

Brushed

Brushed vinyl wraps have multiple color layers that give them their distinctive look. They’re available in a variety of colors.

Camouflage

Camouflage vinyl wraps are not available from every brand, but for the companies that sell them, they come in a few different color options, such as shades of green, black, and blue.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber wraps come in matte, high gloss, and brushed metal finishes. The ease of re-positioning a carbon fiber wrap will make it easier to wrap areas like your roof, fenders, hood, spoilers, interior dash areas, and side view mirrors. Choosing a carbon fiber wrap is far less expensive than buying a genuine carbon fiber hood, which can cost anywhere from $800 to $1,400 or more.

Chrome

Chrome wraps are one of the trendiest vinyl wrap finishes on the market; they’re also among the most expensive and most difficult to install.

Color Change/Chameleon

Also known as chameleon wraps, color change wraps may display two colors at once, depending on the light in which your vehicle is seen and the angle from which it is viewed. Popular color combinations include purple and gold, purple and blue, or silver and rainbow.

Gloss

This type of wrap has a shiny, reflective, glossy sheen.

Glow-in-the-Dark

During the day, glow-in-the-dark wraps are a pale, almost white shade of blue or green. At night, they glow brightly using solar energy absorbed during the day.

Gold

Gold vinyl wrap comes in a variety of sheens, although it is usually high gloss; it may also be brushed.

Matte

Matte wraps offer flat colors with no gloss or shine.

Reflective

Reflective vinyl wraps usually come in smaller sizes and are ideal for creating racing stripes or other details on your vehicle.

Satin

Satin wraps have a slightly shiny finish — somewhere between gloss and matte. Satin vinyl conforms well to vehicles with curvier bodies.

Custom Wraps

If you want your car wrap to advertise a product or service, or you simply want a unique design for your car, a custom vehicle wrap can be a unique alternative to a paint job. Custom wraps tend to be less expensive than custom paint jobs — custom wrap usually averages between $500 and $4,000, while a custom paint job can range between $1,000 and $10,000.

Online wrap design businesses like Custom Car Wraps allow you to design a mockup of your car wrap and then submit your design for a quote from a wrap shop in your area.

Wraps are either digitally printed or pre-cured. A custom wrap design, such as a company logo, can be digitally printed onto the wrap film. The graphic design work required to create the wrap adds to the final cost of the project. Pre-cured wraps come in a variety of colors and textures and are ready to be applied to the vehicle. Here’s how custom and non-custom wraps compare:

  • Paint replacement wraps: These wraps, which range from $2,500 to $6,000, allow you to change the color of your vehicle without repainting it.[8] Paint replacement wraps are available in a variety of pre-cured designs and textures.
  • Graphic advertising wraps: These digitally printed, custom design wraps are used for advertising your small business. They start at around $250 for partial wraps, though the cost can run as high as $4,000 for full wraps.[9]
  • Tron-inspired wraps: Tron-inspired wraps use a reflective vinyl wrap, carefully placed to create reflective lines that emulate the futuristic look of the 1982 science fiction film. Tron-inspired wraps start around $100 for lower-quality, do-it-yourself reflective tapes and professional installation starts around $600 for smaller cars.[10] The level of detail required can increase the cost of this look at a professional installer, compared to traditional racing stripes.

Wrapping the Car Yourself

When calculating the cost savings of wrapping your vehicle yourself, keep in mind that applying vinyl wrap is a tricky task that requires patience, some specialized tools, and many hours of labor — even if you’re a professional. You’ll also need to disassemble several parts of your car — such as door mirrors, headlamps, tail lights, bumper covers, and so on — so that the wrap can be tucked into panel gaps.

If you choose a DIY wrap for your vehicle, you’ll first want to purchase a complete car wrap toolkit and enough vinyl wrap in your desired finish to cover the vehicle.

If you’re a beginner, you may want to start with a small vinyl wrap application as your first project, such as wrapping a simple hood, as opposed to wrapping your entire vehicle. Applying vinyl wrap is a skill acquired through practice. The following video shows you the basic steps to apply a vinyl wrap.

Vinyl Wrap Durability

On average, vinyl wraps can last around seven years or longer, while graphic print wraps typically only last about five to seven years.[11] However, the wrap will not stay perfect for this long. Areas where the wrap has been tightly applied (around the front bumper cover and the spoilers, for example), are more prone to wear and will begin showing tears and bubbles sooner than other areas. The following factors all play a part in how long the wrap will last:

  • The quality of the vinyl
  • How well the paint was cleaned before the wrap was applied
  • How many miles the vehicle is driven
  • The type of terrain on which the car is driven
  • The environment in which you keep your vehicle (outside vs. in the garage)
  • How frequently your vinyl wrap is hand-washed (frequent washing helps extend the life of the wrap)

When you determine that your vehicle’s wrap is ready to be removed, you can take it to a professional car wrap installer for removal. Professional wrap removal usually costs between $50 and $100 per hour, and the process can take a few hours. A wrap that has been poorly applied or has strongly adhered to the vehicle’s base paint layer may take longer to remove.[1] Wrap removal is an additional cost you’ll want to consider on top of the initial cost of wrapping your car.

Because of the high cost of professional wrap removal, many people choose to remove the wrap themselves. If you wish to do this, you will need a heat source, such as a handheld hair dryer — or better, a heat gun or blowtorch — to heat the wrap as you carefully remove the wrap at no more than a 90-degree angle. You’ll also need a squeegee to get every bit of the wrap off.[12] Note that if the wrap was applied with primer, it can be nearly impossible to remove, even with professional help.

Car Wrapping vs. Painting

In many circumstances, a car wrap job will cost nearly the same as painting your car. Wraps and paint vary in quality and price; a poor-quality paint job is much cheaper than a high-quality wrap, and a poor-quality wrap is often much less expensive than a high-quality paint job.

If you’re trying to decide whether it makes more sense to paint your car or wrap it, our article provides an in-depth comparison of wrapping a car vs. painting it, including long-term costs.

More Information

Looking for a professional wrap installer? The Wrap Society has a list of vehicle wrap installers across the United States.

While vinyl wraps are mostly for aesthetic purposes, there are ways to wrap a car that can protect the paint. Find out more in our article on paint protection film methods and costs.

  1. https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a28222504/car-wrap-cost/[][]
  2. https://www.firstclasscarwraps.com/carwrap-prices-miami-how-much[]
  3. https://www.lucentgraphicsolutions.com/2014/04/how-much-does-a-solid-car-wrap-cost/[]
  4. https://www.revolutionwraps.com/why-are-vehicle-wraps-worth-it/[]
  5. https://www.mycgraphics.com/vehicle-decals/[]
  6. https://www.cmgraphicsusa.com/vehicle-wrap/[]
  7. https://www.carwrapsupplier.com/faq/how-much-vinyl-do-i-need-to-fully-wrap-my-car/[]
  8. https://vinyl-ink.com/commercial-vehicle-wrap-prices/[]
  9. https://www.capitalwraps.com/blog/vehicle-wraps-basics-what-is-the-true-cost-of-wrap-advertising/[]
  10. https://www.wrapdirect.com/reflective-tron-tape/[]
  11. https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/should-i-wrap-my-car.html[]
  12. https://www.vmsinc.com/resources/remove-vehicle-wrap/[]

This Season

33 comments


  • stephanie

    how much is it to wrap a 2001 chevy tahoe satin black?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Laura Bachmann

      Hi Stephanie,

      You can estimate the price of the wrap with the size of your truck and cost of wrap. 3M Black Satin auto wrap is going for $2.23 on Amazon right now. The long version of the 2001 Chevy Tahoe is about 301 square feet, and the short version is about 273 square feet. So if you have the long version, that’s $672 on wrap, or if you have the short version, $609. If you were to install the wrap yourself, the total cost would be for the wrap, plus any tools you need, plus your time. If you opt for professional installation, total prices will start around $2,000.

      Your Tahoe is more like a small truck than a car, size wise, so our article on how to wrap a truck might be more helpful for you.

  • Tyler

    Roughly How much to wrap a 2010 370z full car. The color I want is Deep Impact Blue metallic.

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Rebecca Turley

      Hi Tyler,

      So, it looks like a 2010 Nissan 370Z is about 158 square feet, which will make the cost of the wrap alone about $316-$474, or upwards of $1,100 for carbon fiber.

  • Name* (displayed publicly)

    How do I figure out square footage of a vehicle. Is there a tool a valuable or what is the formula? Thank you

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Rebecca Turley

      Hello there!

      CWS offers a formula to easily calculate the square footage of your vehicle.

  • nat

    I have a Mitsubishi Montero sport year 2000, I would like to wrap the entire car in a matte black wrap. what would be the average pricing on that?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Rebecca Turley

      Hi Nat,

      A Mistubishi Montero Sport is about 232 sq ft. Most matte black wraps range from $2-$3 per square foot, making a total cost for the wrap between $464 and $696.

  • Silbear

    Rough guess for a full dress harley. In 3m1080 carbon fiber. How many feet should i buy.

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Rebecca Turley

      Hi Silbear,

      Although I am not sure of the exact square footage of your Harley, most larger motorcycles require between 45-65 square feet.

      • silbear

        Thank you for your reply. Very helpful

  • John

    How much would it cost to wrap my 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe in Satin Gold wrap?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Sarah Quinn

      John,

      Unfortunately, due to the volume of comments that we receive, we’re not able to help with specific, individual requests. Our section on satin wraps in the article above should give you a general idea of how much you might expect to pay if you’re purchasing your own materials and wrapping your car yourself (satin wraps are one of the less expensive wraps available). If you’re planning on having your 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe wrapped professionally, I recommend contacting your local service providers for a quote, since labor costs can vary significantly by area; generally, labor and materials together cost between $2,500 and $6,000. I hope this helps!

  • Vimal

    Hi there,

    Can you please help me to find out the cost for Jeep Wrangler 4×4 full body including from grills to do matte black/grey wrap?
    Thank you
    Vimal

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Sarah Quinn

      Vimal,

      Unfortunately, due to the volume of comments that we receive, we’re not able to help with specific, individual requests. Our section on matte black wraps in the article above should give you a general idea of how much you might expect to pay if you’re purchasing your own materials and wrapping your car yourself (matte black wraps are one of the less expensive wraps available). If you’re planning on having your Jeep Wrangler 4×4 wrapped professionally, I recommend contacting your local service providers for a quote, since labor costs can vary significantly by area; generally, labor and materials together cost between $2,500 and $6,000. I hope this helps!

  • Nini

    How much does it cost to wrap a SLK300 Mercedes with the gold chrome?(full wrap)

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Sarah Quinn

      Nini,

      The cost of a full gold chrome vinyl wrap for your Mercedes will likely cost several thousand dollars if you want professional installation. Full wraps can start at $2,500 and go as high as $6,000 and beyond. Labor costs can vary significantly by geographic location. Since chrome vinyl is the most expensive film and the most difficult to install, you may need to expect that the price will be on the higher end of the spectrum. To find out exactly how much it will cost to wrap your Mercedes with gold chrome, you’ll want to get in touch with a local auto shop for an estimate. If you’re planning to do it yourself, VVIVID offers a Gold Mirror Chrome Winyl Car Wrap Self Adhesive Air Release Bubble-free Decal Film (1ft x 5ft) on Amazon, which works out to $3.40 per square foot or around $1,020 for a midsize car. I hope this helps!

  • Sonny lapalme

    How much does it cost to wrap a mustang with pink vinyl wrap

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Sarah Quinn

      Sonny,

      The cost of a pink vinyl wrap for your Mustang will depend on many factors. The make and model of the vehicle, whether you want a full or partial wrap, graphic design features, and whether you want professional installation or are looking to do it yourself all play into the final cost. Getting basic partial wraps (just the roof or just the hood of your Mustang, for example) professionally installed can start at around $250. Full wraps can start at $2,500 and go as high as $6,000 and beyond. Labor costs can vary significantly by geographic location. To find out exactly how much it will cost to wrap your Mustang with pink vinyl, you’ll want to get in touch with a local auto shop for an estimate. I hope this helps!

  • Marshal Toelle

    How much do you think it would cost roughly to color match my front and rear bumpers on my ram 1500 with the wrap?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Hillary M. Miller

      Hi Marshall,

      Price will vary quite a bit depending on the type of material you choose (chrome, matte, carbon, etc.) and on the labor rates in your area, so it’s difficult to give a meaningful estimate. Bumpers are generally more expensive to have professionally wrapped than hoods or roofs because of their shape. The materials are likely to cost between $100 – $250, and the cost of professional installation will likely push it up to $400 – $600 — but again, it’s best to get in touch with a local auto shop for an estimate. I hope this helps!

  • Jack Sabin

    I’d like the front bumper of my 1995 Lexus 400 LS. Do I need to sand down the bumper before applying the wrap?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Hillary M. Miller

      Hi Jack,

      You don’t necessarily need to sand down the bumper before you apply the wrap — just be sure that the bumper is totally clean and free of rust spots or other damage before you apply the vinyl, as any imperfections will show up through the wrap. It’s recommended to do one last wipe-down with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) before you actually apply the wrap to ensure that the surface is as clean as possible. You can read more detailed instructions and tips about installing vinyl wrap in this article from CarWrapSupplier.com. I hope this helps!

  • JV

    Can you explain more in detail why the cost to wrap a car will likely decline dramatically? And also why the cost to wrap a car has already gone down dramatically in the last two years?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Hillary M. Miller

      Hi JV,

      This isn’t necessarily a phenomenon that’s specific to car wrapping — it’s the same general idea that drives down the prices of electronics and gadgets in the years following their initial release. Basically, once a new idea hits the market, it starts to gain popularity; the industry puts more money into researching how to produce the product in economically efficient ways and on a larger scale (which is also more cost-effective for the manufacturer); the higher level of competition in the market and cheaper methods of production mean that the prices of new innovations almost inevitably fall from the time the products are first released. That’s already happened to a significant extent with car wrapping materials, and it’s likely that the trend will only continue as more and more consumers become aware of and interested in this technology. I hope this clears things up!

  • Alan

    I use my truck for one-off charity events each year and apply self-adhesive stickers (logos etc) on the car to promote each event. I plan to wrap the truck to change its colour, but still want to add & remove additional logo stickers each time it’s used in an event. Would adding and removing additional graphics to the surface of the wrapped panels be likely to damage the wrap?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Hillary M. Miller

      Hi Alan,

      It’s unlikely that the additional graphics would cause any damage to the vinyl underneath. This may vary somewhat by the type of vinyl wrap that you have as a base (matte, carbon fiber, digital printed, etc.) and the type of stickers that you apply, as these can have slightly different characteristics and properties, so it’s worth running your question by a professional wrap installer for your particular situation — but I would say the vinyl should be reasonably safe from damage from the addition or removal other stickers on top of it.

      • Alan

        Excellent. Thanks for your quick reply!

  • First Quarter Finance logo
    First Quarter Finance | Hillary M. Miller

    Hi Nasaya,

    I’m glad the article was helpful to you! Thanks for writing in and happy holidays!

  • Liam

    How much for just the hood on a 2006 Mazda 3? Wanted to wrap it in gloss carbon fiber

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Hillary M. Miller

      Hi Liam,

      The cost will vary widely depending on whether you take the car to a professional to have the hood wrapped or whether you do it yourself. For gloss carbon fiber, the materials alone will likely cost $100-$200 or so, depending on where you purchase the carbon fiber. Taking the car to a shop to do the wrap will likely be in the range of $250-$450, or even higher at some places. I hope this helps!

  • Lindsay Juneau

    What is the average cost someone would charge for “install only” of a vehicle wrap?

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Hillary M. Miller

      Hi Lindsay,

      It’s very difficult to say how much just the installation of a wrap would cost. Generally speaking, the wrap itself isn’t really the expensive part, since you can buy a toolkit and the wrap for relatively little. It’s the time and skill it takes to install it that costs the most. Depending on the size of your car and where you have it installed, you can probably still expect to pay roughly $1,500 to $5,000.