How Much Does It Cost to Wrap a Car?

Below you find some specific vehicle wrap pricing and cost factors for wrapping your commercial car, truck, van, trailer, or other vehicles. Frankly, we feel a more important question is: What is a wrap worth? We have put what we feel is the most comprehensive cost and value information for business and commercial vehicle wraps on this page. We have tried to include as much information for your decision-making process to help you understand the value of commercial vehicle wraps.

How Much Does it Cost to Wrap a Car? Wrap Cost is Determined by Your Type Of Vehicle.

At Ads On Wheels, Inc. ® we generally base vehicle wrap prices on the amount of vinyl material that is consumed for your wrap as well as the complexity of installation. The pricing below is based on the average size vehicle within that category. Typically, a wrap does not include the roof of the vehicle, although the roof of your vehicle can certainly be wrapped.

What to Expect from a Quality Wrap Company

There are several things to know when wrapping your commercial vehicle and determining a price. There are sign shops all across the country that say they do vehicle wraps. How well do they do them? How many wraps have they done in the last month? What kind of vinyl material do they use? Do they use the best equipment for the job? What sort of design capabilities do they have?

Wrap Vendor Experience

A qualified, professional vehicle wrap company should have years of experience in the wrap industry. A sign shop that wraps a couple of vehicles per month or puts some stickers on a few cars, does not qualify as a quality wrap vendor. The best wrap companies will have genuinely wrapped hundreds if not thousands of vehicles. Keep in mind that a full wrap is completely different than a partial wrap when it comes to the skills needed to successfully execute your wrap project.

Professional Vehicle Wrap Design

The skills needed to create the best wrap design are acquired from years of actually designing full wraps. We have worked with many customers that have had a wrap design created on websites offering wrap design. We often find that the designs do not take into consideration any of the intricacies of curves and 3-dimensional aspects of vehicles. They almost never take into consideration the installation aspects. Ads On Wheels, Inc. ® in house designers are specialist in the wrap design field.

Vehicle Wrap Templates

Wrap templates are commonly used to develop a wrap design idea or theme. A professional wrap designer will always have up to date templates for the latest vehicle make, model, and year.  Ads On Wheels, Inc ® will gladly provide our customers with a template if needed by our customers.

Vinyl Wrap Material and Grade

Vinyl brand, material type and grade are extremely important to having a great wrap. A quality vehicle wrap will always be printed on a premium grade cast vinyl material. Anything less than using a cast vinyl with a hard laminate film, for UV and color fade protection, is considered a subpar wrap. Always insist on knowing exactly what material will be used on your wrap including the manufacturer name, material number and laminate. We had so many of our clients come to us to wrap or rewrap a vehicle and state that the previous company stated they were using 3M™ or Avery for their wrap. Well, that might be, but 3M™ and Avery have thousands of vinyl wrap material products. Manufacturers of vinyl material have numerous grades of material from short term low quality films to long term high performance vinyl. Always insist that the material brand and model number be included in pricing.

Certified Vehicle Wrap Installation

The installation of your vehicle wrap is arguable one of the most important factors of a successful vehicle wrap. A professional wrap company will only have your wrap installed by the most skilled wrap installers in the industry. Believe it or not, there are not a lot of great, experienced wrap installers. Sure, there are many that attempt to install full wraps, but few have the skills needed to install a full wrap properly. Your installer shouldn’t just be a guy that can hold a squeegee in his hands and smooth on a sticker. A professional wrap installer will have at least 5 years of installing full vehicle wraps or possess a recognized wrap certification such as 3M™ Preferred Graphics Installer, or Avery Certified CWI.

Vehicle Wrap Warranty

The best wrap providers will warranty their wraps when using premium cast vinyl wrap materials. The most popular brands for premium vinyl wrap materials are 3M™ and Avery. The ideal media to use for any wrap is a cast vinyl wrap material with a hard laminate film. Calendared vinyl is NOT recommended for vehicle wraps, ever. Ads On Wheels, Inc. ® uses the best 3M™ vinyl wrap material. We are also a 3M™ MCS ™ Warranty Manufacturer. This allows us to offer an extended warranty with all of our vehicle wraps. With regular cleaning and maintenance of your wrap, a quality vehicle wrap will last from 5-7 years.

What to Expect from a Wrap Quote from the Lowest Bidder

What’s the lowest price for a vehicle wrap?

The best wrap providers will warranty their wraps when using premium cast vinyl wrap materials. The most popular brands for premium vinyl wrap materials are 3M™ and Avery. The ideal media to use for any wrap is a cast vinyl wrap material with a hard laminate film. Calendared vinyl is NOT recommended for vehicle wraps, ever. Ads On Wheels, Inc. ® uses the best 3M™ vinyl wrap material. We are also a 3M™ MCS ™ Warranty Manufacturer. This allows us to offer an extended warranty with all of our vehicle wraps. With regular cleaning and maintenance of your wrap, a quality vehicle wrap will last from 5-7 years.

Do your research. Ask around and you will find print shops that say they can get your wrap done for less than the previous company you called. If pricing is your controlling factor, by all means get the lowest you can. But as we are sure you already know, you get what you pay for. We have worked with many companies that have had their wraps done by the lowest bidder before. Eventually there is a steeper cost to pay with that method. Low quality wraps tend to fail within a 3-6 month period from installation.

Here are some of the things you should expect to when choosing the lowest bidder on your wrap project.

• Low quality wrap vinyl material
• Vinyl wrap material that is not laminated
• Pealing of material
• Cracking of material
• Incorrect placement of graphics on vehicle
• Having adhesive all over the vehicle at time of removal
• Bleed through of ink onto your vehicle paint
• Patches and seams in areas there should not be
• Cuts in paint
• Bubbling materials
• Poor color quality
• Poor image quality
• Poor installation
• Having to replace your wrap within 3-6 months

How do I get an accurate price for my vehicle wrap?

The best wrap providers will warranty their wraps when using premium cast vinyl wrap materials. The most popular brands for premium vinyl wrap materials are 3M™ and Avery. The ideal media to use for any wrap is a cast vinyl wrap material with a hard laminate film. Calendared vinyl is NOT recommended for vehicle wraps, ever. Ads On Wheels, Inc. ® uses the best 3M™ vinyl wrap material. We are also a 3M™ MCS ™ Warranty Manufacturer. This allows us to offer an extended warranty with all of our vehicle wraps. With regular cleaning and maintenance of your wrap, a quality vehicle wrap will last from 5-7 years.

We are contacted daily with the simple question: “How much?” Each vehicle type is different. The vehicles may be about the same size, but can be quite different with regard to year, make, model, and body shape size and configuration. To provide an accurate price for your vehicle wrap require some information that can affect pricing. Below are a few of the variables that we always ask to determine the best and most accurate pricing for you wrap.

“Pictures Tell a Thousand Words”. The best way to accurately price and design your vehicle wrap, regardless of what it is, is to provide us with some images (both sides, front, and rear). As a matter of fact our design department requires it to prevent any confusion of what we are
wrapping and designing for you. Almost every question we have to accurately price and design your wrap can be answered with pictures.

1. Year, Make and Model

This is wrap pricing 101. We do use vehicle wrap templates to create wrap designs and mockups for our customers. Using the correct templates will help avoid the pitfalls of putting text or images in areas that will break the look of your wrap design.

• Paint condition of vehicle

The condition of the paint or surface of your vehicle is very important. We always want to make sure that the surface of your vehicle will be favorable to good adhesion of your wrap and provide the longevity that you expect from your wrap. Having rust, oxidization, chips, etc. can affect the quality of your wrap installation as well as its expected life.

• Are you wrapping the windows?

Many commercial vehicle wraps require the windows to be wrapped over as well. Wrapping the windows on your vehicle requires a perforated vinyl to accomplish. With the different material type, comes additional square foot of material and additional installation time.

• Existing graphics or current wrap removal

Does your vehicle require the removal of any existing graphics? Does your vehicle already have a wrap on it? Knowing the scope of your wrap project is essential to pricing your project accurately. If you have graphics currently on your vehicle; what kind of material was used? How long has it been on the vehicle for?

• Complexity of the wrap design, printing, and installation

A full wrap on a small car may actually cost more than a standard cargo van. For example a cargo van may not require the bumpers or roof to be wrapped. The van may not need to the area wrapped which would not visible from a standing position. Your vehicle may not have windows to be wrapped thus reducing the cost.

• Vehicle Preparation

In order to install a vehicle wrap your vehicle must be clean and dry at time of installation. This is crucial to a smooth installation process. Having dirt, mud, rust, tar or other contaminants on the surface may result in material failure. Make sure to clean your vehicle and do NOT use wax or tire shine. The paint surface of your vehicle must allow for adhesion to the painted surface of your vehicle. Having wax or tire shine on the paint can prevent proper adhesion.

WRAP COST BY COVERAGE AND MATERIAL USAGE

What is a Commercial Vehicle Wrap Worth?

At Ads On Wheels, Inc. ® we have always felt that the “value” of a vehicle wrap plays the most important role to a business owner. Without providing value, any product or service is pointless. Every consumer should seek value in their purchases. Cost of a product is important, no doubt. However, the quality and return of that product or service, is what determines its value. If you are looking for the cost of a commercial vehicle wrap, the real answer should be $0.00. If your advertising wrap provides no financial benefit to you, it serves no purpose.

Our Elevator Pitch: How to Promote and Advertise your Business

How much a day would you spend to effectively advertise your commercial business? Let us show you how the price of a cheap cup of coffee can change your business forever. To start a business takes guts. It is not for the faint at heart. To keep your business growing is even tougher. Our belief is that commercial vehicle wraps provide one the best returns on your investment for marketing and advertising.

Do The Math.

What are you already spending today on your commercial vehicle?

Before getting into what a wrap costs for your commercial business, let’s have a look at what you are already spending for your commercial vehicle. Keep in mind that the prices below do not include upfitting of your vehicle, which is very common for commercial businesses.

Commercial Vehicle Cost

Assumptions of a typical commercial vehicle we will use are work vans including Ford Transit, Dodge Ram Promaster, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes Sprinter, Mercedes Metris, Dodge Ram Promaster City, Nissan NV, Nissan NV200, Chevy Express and Chevy Express City. We feel these are probably the most commonly used commercial vehicles on the market.

Average Commercial Vehicle Expenses

The cost to purchase a typical commercial van today is $27,000. (This is usually a Ford Transit van, a Dodge Promaster van, or a similar sized vehicle).

Cost per month over 4 years: $350.00

Average Commercial Vehicle Insurance Cost

For small business owners, the average annual cost of commercial vehicle insurance is $850 to $1,300 per vehicle.

Cost per month over 4 years: $83.00

Average Commercial Vehicle Fuel Cost

We assume that the average commercial vehicle gets 22 mpg. We think it is a lot lower than that. We estimate about 22,000 miles per year. With fuel costs estimated at $2.85 per gallon, you get to $11,400.00 for the 4 years.

Cost per month over 4 years: $237.00

Cost for Repairs and Maintenance.

We assume your vehicle is pretty new. These costs would increase with the more mileage you have on your commercial vehicle. We derive these numbers from a study by Automotive Fleet (https://www.automotive-fleet.com/157771/maintenance-costs-remain-flat-despite-rising-labor-rates ).

Cost per month over 4 years: $73.62

Total Costs Per Month: Commercial Vehicle

Based on the information above the total monthly costs for an average commercial vehicle is about $750.00 per month. Keep in mind that this is based on newer vehicles with non-specific cost increase to insurance, upfitting, fuel cost changes, and maintenance. Several vehicle types such as utility body trucks, box trucks, and heavy duty vans or pickups, will generally cost more.

Is a Commercial Vehicle Wrap Worth it?

Now that we see what you are already paying, the question for you is, what would you be willing to spend per month, to get the business to justify your vehicle expenses?

Wrap cost assumptions and ROI

Let’s assume a wrap costs $3000 (which typically it costs less for the average sized vehicle) and assume that your business will keep the wrap on the vehicle for 4 years. (For arguments sake we will assume most business owners only lease the vehicle for 4 years).

Doing the numbers, you have a cost of $3k and a conservative product life of 4 years. The average vehicle in a major metro area will have over 700,000
impressions per month. So now we calculate the monthly cost of your wrap based on the numbers…..

$62.50 per month! That’s $2.00 a day!

The value added benefits not factored into your wrap cost: Some are intrinsic and others have an actual dollar value:

• Having a full wrap separates you from your competitors.

There is nothing like the effect a full color wrap has with a great design for your brand. Most business owners know it. Without question, they know it. Who doesn’t wrap their commercial vehicles? Business owners who don’t know the value of one. It’s that simple.

• Wrap advertising is targeted.

Why? Typically a small business owner will drive their company vehicle directly in their target market area further concentrating the advertising specific to their region. Advertising exposure in the Yellow pages, newspaper, radio, tv and other traditional methods will certainly be diluted by audiences that are not in your area.

• Retention and recall rate of vehicle wraps are extremely high.

Many people will remember a wrap much more than any other form of outdoor advertising.

• A vehicle wrap will actually protect your vehicle paint.

A full vinyl wrap on your vehicle will protect the OEM paint on your vehicle. If you are leasing vehicles, as many businesses do, this is a big deal. At the end of leases or purchased for that matter, you want to be able to remarket you vehicle quickly. Nobody likes paying additional fees on your lease turn-in. If you have cut vinyl letters, or if you have painted your vehicle, you now have a problem. After you removed you cut vinyl letters, you will see ghosting and residue. A dealer will certainly reduce the value of your trade-in. With a full vehicle wrap you simply remove the wrap and the entire painted surface of your vehicle looks as new as the day you bought or leased it.

Small Business and Start-Up Company Advertising

When you start your own business one of the key elements that you MUST take into consideration is advertising. How are you going to garner new clients? Word of mouth is excellent small business advertising – but it’s slow, and may be practically non-existent for new businesses. If you want to grow your customer base more quickly, you have to advertise. We suggest the use of vehicle wraps and mobile advertising for your consideration.

Dollar for dollar there is NO other form of advertising that even comes close! We have some information that may help you make a decision if a vehicle wrap is right for your business or your customers.

Vehicle wrap advertising is not like radio, print, or television. It cannot be turned off or simply change the channel! Many of our wrap clients also take advantage of their wraps in areas that traditionally cost huge sums of money. Such venues are at trade shows, conventions, and grand openings. Many times an advertiser will have to get on a list well in advance to advertise at a premier event or location. Example: let’s say you want to advertise in middle of the largest city near you. Most people can’t even imagine the cost! A wrap owners dream, you just drive down right through it anytime you want!

Conclusion

We hope that the information contained on this page has helped you in your decisions on purchasing a vehicle wrap and gaining insight of this advertising medium. Ads On Wheels, Inc. ® has spent the last 20 years perfecting this form of advertising and feel that is the best form of marketing for any business or corporation. We love working with business owners from across the country to get the reach and exposure that their brand deserves. If there are any questions, or if you would like to get pricing for your vehicle wrap project, please reach out to us.