The short answer
Buy a basic kit for under $2,000, get a local business license, and plan how you'll stop wash water reaching storm drains, which cities fine for. Offer three packages priced by vehicle size: a full detail often runs $150 to $300, and one side-business detailer charged $180 for sedans and $210 for SUVs. Use a quote form that shows a price, a booking form that asks about water and power, a deposit form and a review request.
The numbers
| Start-up kit | Under $2,000Entrepreneur |
|---|---|
| Shop detail | About $50 to $150 a visit, by vehicle size (2020)AAA |
| One side-business detailer | $180 for sedans, $210 for SUVs and trucks (2023)Entrepreneur |
| What employed vehicle cleaners earn | $17.23 an hour (median, May 2025)US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Wash water | Must not reach storm drains in many citiesEPA |
| Self-employment tax | 15.3%, once you net $400 in a yearIRS |
US figures, checked on . Rules change by state and city, so check yours before you rely on them.
1 Put together your kit
Start with a wet/dry vacuum, a small carpet shampooer, a polisher, brushes, towels and products, for under $2,000.
Entrepreneur puts start-up costs for mobile detailing "under $2,000": a wet/dry vacuum, a small carpet shampooer, a buffer or polisher, brushes, rags, products, a bucket and a hose. It "can be operated part-time", and you'll need a customer's outdoor tap and power outlet, or your own.
Add a way to catch your wash water (next step) before anything else. It decides where you're allowed to work.
2 Register, insure and plan your wash water
Get a local business license, insurance that covers the customer's car, and berms or mats with a wet-vac so wash water never reaches a storm drain.
Register. A sole proprietorship is "easy to form", and an LLC protects you "in most instances" (SBA). An EIN is free (IRS). Licensing is local (SBA): in Escondido, "all mobile detailers" need a business license, and you show the city your wash water setup in person.
Sales tax. In New York, car washing and detailing are generally taxable; carpet and upholstery cleaning is exempt only when sold separately. Rules differ a lot between states, so check yours.
Wash water. "Outdoor car washing can cause detergent-rich water to flow into storm drains", which lead straight to local waterways, not treatment plants (EPA). Cities enforce it. Rancho Santa Margarita makes it unlawful for mobile detailers' wash water to enter storm drains, requires sandbag berms, wattles or bermed mats and a wet-vac, and notes that "even biodegradable products impact our waterways."
Insurance. General liability covers injury and property damage (SBA), but usually not the customer's car while it's in your care; ask your agent about garagekeepers coverage for that. Whether you need a business auto policy "will depend on the kind of driving you do" (Insurance Information Institute).
3 Set your packages and prices
Offer three packages, multiply by vehicle size, and show customers the price before they ask.
AAA put a shop detail at about $50 to $150 a visit, depending on vehicle size, back in 2020 (AAA). One college student running a side detailing business charged $180 for sedans and $210 for SUVs and trucks, about 1.2 times more for the bigger vehicle (Entrepreneur).
Our quote form uses three packages, exterior wash and wax at $50, interior detail at $100, full detail at $175, multiplied by 1.2 for an SUV and 1.3 for a truck or van. A full detail on an SUV comes to $210. Add-ons like pet hair and odor removal are priced on top.
In the kit
Car detailing quote form
Package × vehicle size shows a price as people pick, then emails the estimate to them.
Try the form →Change the prices and multipliers to yours by telling the agent.
4 Book jobs where you're allowed to work
Before you drive out, ask where the car will be, whether washing is allowed there, and whether there's water and power.
Apartment lots and office parks often don't allow washing. The booking form asks the type of spot, whether washing is allowed, and whether there's a tap and an outlet within 50 feet, so you don't arrive and find out.
In the kit
Mobile car detailing booking form
Service address, type of spot, water and power, and whether washing is allowed there.
Try the form →A deposit cuts no-shows. Our deposit form takes $50 by card and comes off the final price. If you sell at the customer's door, know the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule: some home and workplace sales can be canceled until midnight of the third business day, though services the customer asked for are exempt (FTC).
In the kit
Car detailing deposit form
A $50 card deposit that holds the booking and comes off the final price.
Try the form →5 Find your first customers and collect reviews
Hand out cards where cars sit all day, set up a Google Business Profile with your service area, and ask every customer for a review.
The student detailer found customers by handing out cards at law and real estate offices, in parking lots and at grocery stores (Entrepreneur). Offices are a good fit: cars sit there all day.
A Google Business Profile lets a business that goes to customers hide its address and list up to 20 service areas. Ask customers for reviews with a link or QR code, but don't offer rewards for them: Google doesn't allow it (Google).
In the kit
Car detailing review form
A star rating and a comment after the job, with permission to share it.
Try the form →The whole kit, free
We built these 4 forms for a mobile car detailing business. Each comes with the emails that go out after someone fills it in. Add them all to your workspace in one go, then change anything by telling the agent.
- Car detailing quote formPackage × vehicle size shows a price as people pick, then emails the estimate to them.
- Mobile car detailing booking formService address, type of spot, water and power, and whether washing is allowed there.
- Car detailing deposit formA $50 card deposit that holds the booking and comes off the final price.
- Car detailing review formA star rating and a comment after the job, with permission to share it.
Free to start. Unlimited submissions. No card.
Questions
Do I need a license for mobile car detailing?
Usually a local business license. Escondido, California, for example, requires all mobile detailers to have one and to show the city how they handle wash water. Check your city or county.
Can I let the rinse water run into the street?
No. Storm drains lead straight to rivers and the sea, and many cities make it unlawful for mobile detailers' wash water to reach them, even with biodegradable soap. Contain it with berms or mats and collect it with a wet-vac.
How much does it cost to start a mobile detailing business?
Entrepreneur puts it under $2,000 for the basic kit: a wet/dry vacuum, a carpet shampooer, a polisher, brushes, towels and products.
How much should I charge for a full detail?
It depends on your area and the vehicle. One side-business detailer charged $180 for sedans and $210 for SUVs and trucks. A simple setup is a package price multiplied by about 1.2 for SUVs and 1.3 for trucks and vans.
What insurance does a mobile detailer need?
General liability for injury and property damage, coverage for customers' cars while they're in your care (often called garagekeepers), and possibly business auto insurance depending on how you use your vehicle.
Do I need an EIN for a detailing business?
You need one to hire staff, form a partnership or corporation, or pay certain taxes, and it's free from the IRS. Ignore websites that charge for it.