Car Detailing Price Sheet: Free Template (PDF and CSV)

A car detailing price sheet is a one-page list of your services. It shows what each service includes and a starting price for each vehicle size. Customers use it to choose a service. You use it so you do not explain your prices again in every message.

This guide gives you a blank template and a method to fill it in. It does not give you prices. Your prices come from your time, your costs, and your local market.

The template comes in three versions: a printable price sheet (PDF), an editable spreadsheet (CSV), and a plain-text worksheet (TXT) with an owner section for your time and costs. Every price cell is blank on purpose.

What this page covers This guide is about the document: its rows, columns, surcharges, add-ons, and terms. To design the scope of each service and choose a pricing method, read set your services and prices.

Price sheet, quote, and invoice

These three documents are easy to mix up, because each one shows a price.

Document	Who it is for	When you use it	What the price means
Price sheet	Every possible customer	Before anyone books	A starting price for each service and vehicle size
Quote	One customer and one vehicle	After photos or an inspection	The price for this job, with its limits
Invoice	One customer	After the work is done	The amount due, with tax and payments

The price sheet starts the conversation. It does not replace the quote. A customer who picks "full service, SUV" from your sheet still needs a confirmed price after you see the vehicle.

What goes on a car detailing price sheet

Keep the sheet short enough to read in one minute. The template has a place for each of these:

Business name, phone or email, and the area you serve
The date the prices take effect, so an old copy is easy to spot
Service tiers, each with a short includes line and a does-not-include line
A price column for each vehicle size
A line that says what normal condition means, and a line with your vehicle size rules
Surcharges and add-ons
Your terms: inspection, deposit, cancellation, tax, tips, and payment

How tiers appear on the sheet

Give each tier its own row with a plain name, such as exterior, interior, or full service. Under the name, write one short line for what is included and one for what is not. Deciding what each tier contains is a separate job, covered in the services and pricing guide.

"Starting at" prices

A starting price is the lowest price for a vehicle in normal condition. Print what normal condition means on the sheet, so the starting price has a clear meaning. The price must also be real. The FTC advertising FAQ says advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive, and it names price as an example of a material claim, meaning one that matters to a buying decision. The FTC Guides Against Bait Advertising describe bait advertising as an offer the seller does not really intend to sell, used to switch buyers to something else, usually at a higher price. Print a starting price you will accept for the condition you describe.

Price columns by vehicle size

Size changes price because size changes time. A larger vehicle has more paint, more glass, more seats, and more carpet. Let your measured time set the difference between columns, rather than a fixed markup.

Use a time log. Write down how long each service takes on each size, including setup and cleanup. The table shows the steps for one row, with no prices, because every number must be yours.

Step	Sedan	SUV	Truck or van
1. Hours from your time log	Your sedan hours	Your SUV hours	Your truck or van hours
2. Labor	Hours x your hourly pay target	Hours x your hourly pay target	Hours x your hourly pay target
3. Add job costs	Materials, travel, and overhead share	Materials, travel, and overhead share	Materials, travel, and overhead share
4. Cover the card fee	Divide by (1 minus the fee rate)	Divide by (1 minus the fee rate)	Divide by (1 minus the fee rate)
5. Price to print	Round up	Round up	Round up

Overhead share means a part of costs such as insurance and phone, divided across your monthly jobs.

Write your vehicle size rules on the sheet. For example, say whether a small crossover counts as a sedan or an SUV, and whether third-row seating moves a vehicle into a larger column. Printing the rule means customers and helpers apply it the same way.

Surcharges and add-ons

The template uses two terms. A surcharge is an extra charge for a condition that makes the job take longer. An add-on is an extra task the customer chooses, with its own price and result. Keep them in separate sections so each word means one thing.

Surcharge for pet hair. Price it by vehicle size. Log pet hair jobs separately so your time log shows how much time it adds for you.
Surcharge for heavy soil or heavy stains. Describe what counts as heavy, such as sand, mud, or spills across several seats. Do not promise that every stain will come out.
Surcharge for travel outside your service area. Print the area and the charge, so a customer sees it before booking.
Add-on for odor treatment. Quote it after inspection. Do not promise that an odor will be removed, and make no health or sanitizing claim.
Add-on for paint prep before a coating. Quote it after you inspect the paint, because prep time depends on paint condition.

Put the surcharge conditions where customers will see them. The FTC advertising FAQ says a disclosure needed to prevent a misleading ad should be clear and conspicuous, and placed close to the claim it qualifies. On a price sheet, that means the surcharge section sits on the same page as the prices, in type that is not small.

For paint work limits, read paint protection basics before you add a coating line.

Terms to print on your price sheet

Keep each term to one plain sentence.

Inspection. The price can change after you see the vehicle, and you ask for approval before extra work.
Deposit. If you take one, state the amount, when it is due, and when it is refunded.
Cancellation. State how much notice you need and any late cancellation fee.
Sales tax. State how tax is handled only after you confirm the rules for your location.
Payment methods. List what you accept.

On tax, the SBA pay taxes guide says tax laws vary by location and business structure, and that you need to check with state and local governments to learn your obligations. Do not copy a tax line from a template made for another state.

Should your price sheet mention tips?

People often ask how much to tip on a $100 or $200 detail. This guide does not suggest a tip rate. The IRS tip recordkeeping page describes tips as discretionary payments that customers give voluntarily. So your sheet does not need a tip percentage. If you print a tip line, keep it optional. The same IRS page says cash and non-cash tips received by workers are income subject to federal income tax, so keep a record of the tips you receive.

How to price a car detailing job and fill in your sheet

Work through the spreadsheet in this order. It has Business rows, Service tier rows, Surcharge rows, Add-on rows, and Terms rows. Each price column sits next to its hours column, and Terms rows have a Your wording column.

Fill in the Business rows: your details, the date prices take effect, what normal condition means, and your vehicle size rules.
Write what each tier includes and does not include.
Log your time for each tier on each size, including setup, travel, and cleanup. Enter it in the hours columns.
List your job costs: materials, travel, and a share of overhead. Enter them with your hours in the pricing calculator to get a minimum price for each cell.
Check local competitors. Compare the same vehicle size, the same included work, and the same travel policy.
Write a price at or above your minimum in each price cell. If local prices are below your minimum, change the scope or your costs before you lower the price.
Enter surcharge prices in the size columns. Then complete the add-on and terms rows in the Your wording column after you confirm tax and deposit rules.
Print the PDF and write your final numbers in by hand.
After each job, compare the real time with your log, and update the sheet when they differ.

The local check follows SBA market research guidance. Among the questions it lists is what potential customers pay for alternatives. It also suggests identifying competitors by service and market segment. A lower price for less work is not a fair match, so compare scopes, not only totals.

If you have not sold a detail yet, read how to land your first paid detail before you print anything. For the wider list of startup tasks, see start a detailing business.

What is a normal price for car detailing?

This guide does not publish a national average price. A single national number hides the things that set your price: your location, vehicle size and condition, the work included, travel, and your own costs.

A better question is what your own minimum price is, and what nearby businesses charge for the same work. Steps 4 and 5 above answer both, and your printed price should respect both.

Choose a format: print, spreadsheet, text, or price board

Printable PDF. A one-page table with blank price cells.
Editable spreadsheet. The CSV opens in common spreadsheet apps. Keep dated versions as prices change.
Plain-text worksheet. The TXT adds an owner worksheet for time and costs.
Shop price board. A wall board has less space, so show tiers and starting prices in large type. Keep the surcharges and key terms visible on the board too.

Online design tools also publish car detailing price list designs. Venngage, for example, says its templates can be customized, including colors, fonts, and layouts. Check each site's terms and costs yourself. If a design shows sample prices, replace every number with your own.

The menu and quote builder creates a customer menu of up to three packages, with one price each. It does not have vehicle size columns or add-on rows. Use it for your three headline packages, or make one menu for each vehicle size. Next step: open the builder, enter up to three packages from your finished sheet, and copy, download, or print the menu.

Sources

Advertising FAQ's: A Guide for Small Business — U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Checked 2026-09-16. Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive; price is an example of a material claim; disclosures needed to prevent deception should be clear and conspicuous, close to the claim, and not in fine print that contradicts the ad. Supports real starting prices and visible surcharge notes.
16 CFR Part 238: Guides Against Bait Advertising — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Federal Trade Commission rule text. Checked 2026-09-16. Defines bait advertising as an insincere offer to sell a product or service the advertiser does not intend to sell, used to switch consumers to something else, usually at a higher price. Supports printing starting prices the business will actually honor.
Pay taxes — U.S. Small Business Administration. Checked 2026-09-16. Tax laws vary by location and business structure, so a business must check with state and local governments to know its tax obligations. Supports confirming sales tax treatment locally before printing a tax line.
Market research and competitive analysis — U.S. Small Business Administration. Checked 2026-09-16. Lists pricing (what potential customers pay for alternatives) among market research questions and says competitive analysis should identify competitors by product line or service and market segment. Supports the local competitor price check.
Tip recordkeeping and reporting — Internal Revenue Service. Checked 2026-09-16. Tips are discretionary payments that customers voluntarily give to workers, and all cash and non-cash tips received by workers are income subject to federal income taxes. Supports keeping tips optional on the sheet and recording tips received.
Free Car Detailing Price List Templates — Venngage. Checked 2026-09-16. The page says its car detailing price list templates are customizable, including colors, fonts, and layouts. Supports the statement that design template sites offer editable price list designs.

About Elena Mercer

Elena brings nine years of detailing experience to guides on equipment, pricing, and starting a business.

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Car detailing price sheet: a free template you can edit