Vehicle wraps are extraordinary for a myriad of uses, like advertising your business, looking professional when arriving to do a job, and yes…even protecting your car’s paint. In this article, we’ll provide an answer to how much does a car wrap cost and other questions you may have about car wraps, such as:
- Are there options for wrapping a car?
- How do I advertise my business with a car wrap?
Let’s answer that third bullet point with some average costs, and then we’ll segue right into some factors that will affect those costs.
*2021 Wrap Prices
-Small commercial vehicle $2,500-$2,700
-Mid size SUV $2,750-$3,000
-Large SUV or mid size van $2,900-$3,500+
-Pickup truck $2,750-$3,000
-16 foot box truck $3,400 and up
Factors Affecting Car Wrap Pricing:
There are a host of factors that go into price differential for car wrapping. We just let you know about the full wrap price, but you can also get yourself a partial wrap that can accomplish your needs. And if you get a high percentage of your auto wrapped in this partial scenario, it can really give off the impression that it’s fully wrapped.
The way your wrap is designed can also have your audience not even knowing that it’s a partial. A partial wrap can be anywhere from 25% to 75% vehicle coverage.
Another factor to consider is your vehicle’s size. If you drive a compact car, it will simply cost less to wrap than if you drive a cargo van. That’s just a fact. Once we’re aware of the size of your vehicle, we have a jumping off point on what it will cost you.
It’s also more expensive to wrap a high-end vehicle or one that has uncommon contours to it. Installers often have to remove parts to put the wrap on, and they’re difficult on these types of cars. It takes longer, and thus, you will incur more labor costs. The price tag can conceivably jack up thousands of dollars for vehicles like these.
There are three types of vinyl in the wrapping universe. They are pre-dyed, printable, and extreme conforming print vinyl. Pre-dyed vinyl is used solely in single-color jobs. Perhaps you’re a startup lawn care company, and you haven’t yet racked up your reserves. You would be the perfect candidate for a pre-dyed wrap. Pre-dyed vinyl would work well in this scenario, as you could put just your company name and contact information…simple lettering on your vehicle. It’s the least expensive of the three for wrap shops to do, and because it is, the lesser cost is passed on to you. Printable vinyl is used in multi-colored, more elaborate jobs. A company that has had time to put some money away might want to really do it up with several colors a fancy logo, and a full wrap.
Printable vinyl is one of only two ways you can do a multi-colored wrap, and it does add cost. As for extreme conforming vinyl, it’s suited for wrapping vehicles with a bunch of big round areas or unique cars like a Lamborghini, with its unusual, angled edges.
Scratches, Dents, Chipping Paint- If you have scratches, dents, or chipping paint on your car, you will incur a little more cost. Here’s the reason. In every wrapping case, the vinyl will get attached to the car. During the process, bubbles or ripples might make their way between adhesive and vehicle. The wrap has to get pulled back off the car a bit to reapply and remove those little imperfections. When the adhesive is removed for the adjustment, it can pull chipped paint off with it. Also, regarding paint, if you have previously gotten yourself a paint job, a wrap won’t be the right call for you. Wraps will attach to clear coat paint (original factory paint), but any paint that is added on prior to a wrap job is susceptible to being pulled off during the installation process.
As for dents and scratches, one would think that a wrap would be a sound idea for hiding those imperfections. It’s actually very counterintuitive. Vinyl is so thin that it will accentuate dents and scratches. So, if you live in the world of DIYers and can rid your car of its “injuries,” you’ll save yourself some money. If you feel uncertain in your abilities to get it right, bring your vehicle to a professional for pre-wrap preparation. Yes, you will take on some extra, but necessary cost. Let’s move on.
Advertising Your Business with a Car Wrap:
If you’re going through the process of figuring out which advertising outlet will best suit you, we’ll say car wraps are the way to go. Yes, it’s what we do as a company, but there truly is no bias in that statement. Other forms of advertising, like TV and newspapers, cost far more than a vinyl wrap does. Other ways to advertising can certainly cost less, but…when was the last time you truly fixed your gaze on a piece of junk mail? Usually, you have it in the circular file lickety-split. Let’s talk why TV, radio, and newspapers, cost aside, just aren’t the place to advertise, and then we’ll bring it home with some staggering statistics.
There are so many streaming services that cable TV is going the way of the dodo.
Take Netflix for example. A study done by a data site for influential decision makers, called Ad Age, found that as of December 2020, Netflix broke down the doors on the 200-million subscriber barrier.
Radio? Who’s really listening all that often? Other devices have become the norm in this day and age. Tech content website, Lifewire, obtained data revealing that as of 2020, there have been greater than 400 million iPods sold globally.
Before there was radio or television, there was the good old newspaper. Papers have been dying for a while now, and the trend will continue. And yet, as they still try to hang on in a digital world, their total demise seems pretty inevitable.
So now…drum roll please.
Here is the cost per thousand impressions of the most common forms of advertising. Do you have a dime for every thousand people that see your ad? Then you’re in luck!
- TV: $23.70 per thousand impressions
- Magazine: $21.46 per thousand impressions
- Newspaper: $19.70 per thousand impressions
- Radio: $7.75 per thousand impressions
- Billboards: $3.56 per thousand impressions
- Car Wraps: $0.11 per thousand impressions
Are you wondering if your business is a good candidate for a car wrap? Most any are. The ones that will benefit more than others are the companies that are on the go. Examples would be plumbing services, a lawn care business, and the like. The reason is simple in that those vehicles and their wraps will be driving around for work, and thus drawing more eyes.
Think about a plumber having a 9am appointment and the rush hour traffic that will see the vehicle with its vinyl wrap. It will trigger many of those who see the vehicle to remember that leaking faucet or shower. It will subsequently lead them to call said plumber to fix the leak. The plumber does a good job. The price is right. Word of mouth gets around. That company’s client list grows organically. All with a vehicle wrap seen on its way to an appointment.
But even if you’re not a company that travels around for work, anytime your vehicle is parked in front of your store, it’s visible—to those coming to your place of business or even a place right by yours. People do psychologically react to cues. One look at a vehicle that provides a service wanted or needed can make potential customers actual clients.
Still unsure? Here is some more hard data to support wrapping your vehicle or fleet to advertise. In Tampa where our wrapping shop is, 191,406 people in the city are typically employed. A government study revealed that more than 85% of American workers travel by car each week, creating a mass audience for your advertising. Here’s more. The American Trucking Association conducted some research and produced these strong statistics:
- 96% of people noticed wrap ads
- 98% said fleet graphics created a positive image for the company
- 96% said fleet graphics had more impact than billboards
Unlike a television ad, car wraps don’t allow other drivers on the road to change the channel on your “commercial.” It’s even more effective if you’re jammed up in rush hour or stopped at a red light. Additionally, your commercial is “on the air” 24/7 even when your wrapped car is parked– it’s still being viewed.
You also have a psychological edge, as wraps are a subtle form of promotion. While your wrap’s presence is boldly in fellow drivers’ sightlines, it doesn’t give off a feel like those irritating pop-up ads we all get on our cell phones and computers. With it, people don’t feel like their lives are being invaded or interrupted. The bottom line is, as shown, a vinyl car wrap for your business vehicle(s) is very, very effective.
Options for Wrapping a Car:
Time to dive into the options when figuring out what you want your wrap to look like. The bottom line is that a wrap is vinyl, period. However, there are a few different kinds of vinyl vehicle wraps you can implement. The types of vinyl are:
• Cast
• Polymeric calendared
• Pre-Dyed
Cast is the premium grade of vinyl. Polymeric calendared is a mid-grade vinyl. And pre-dyed is a solid, single-colored vinyl that cannot be printed on.
Then, there are the finishes with which you can choose from. They are:
Gloss, Matte, and Satin
A gloss finish provides you with a shiny appearance. Think about how the cover of a magazine looks a lot more upscale than the front of a hard cover book. Matte is a bit less flashy, but is often a go-to choice. Satin is what we call a ‘tweener. It is shinier than matte, but a touch less slick than gloss.
Colors & Designs-A pre-dyed, non-printable vinyl wrap is really for the consumer. But in this article, we are talking to you, the business owner. So pre-dyed won’t apply. Your goal is to advertise, hence the need for printable vinyl wrapping.
You want that wrapped vehicle to be the face of your company when it’s on the road. You want a moving billboard to showcase who you are and what it is that you do. Did you know that you can legitimately put your brand in front of 20,000 potential clients each day, depending on where it is that your company resides? So, when it comes to your viny vehicle wrap, there are truly thousands upon thousands of colors/color combinations you can choose from when selecting your vehicle wrap design.
Having just read that number, it may seem like a daunting task now to come up with a commercial vehicle wrap. Not to worry if you’re unsure if your vision will come to fruition. It’s why you need to hire a professional wrapping company to take care of you. Not only is designing your vinyl wrap vital, but the physical installation of a commercial vehicle wrap takes massive skill. The best to do it have been at it for at least 10 years. Ironically, Good Guys Signs has been wrapping cars, trucks, and vans for over a decade. We have a team of designers that will help you create the perfect design that will deliver your moving message. Our install team has been tutored and trained at 3M, where they provide us with the top-tier vinyl we use to install.
Since this section revolves around vehicle wrapping options, let’s touch again on what a partial wrap is. A partial wrap is exactly what it sounds like. Whether 15% of your vehicle or 75% of it receives a facelift, that is the definition of a partial wrap.
Partial wraps are just right for businesses working with budget constraints. There are plenty of startup companies out there that will have invested much of their budget just to open their doors. Still, if a company like that has one or more employees on the road for work (take a lawn service company, for example), even a partially wrapped vehicle is a phenomenal way to promote. It is vehicle wrap advertising, and it works. The average person might not be able to differentiate between a full or partial wrap. It saves you money without losing the message. For an idea on price differential, take a look at the picture above. A full wrap costs in the ballpark of $3,000 in 2021. This partial wrap, which covers quite a bit of the van, came with a price tag of $2,100.
Maintaining a Wrapped Commercial Vehicle:
Maintaining your vinyl vehicle wrap is quite simple and easy. But there’s one extremely important thing you need to remember if you want to preserve your wrap. Car washes with brushes kill. A car wash that has brushes for its cleaning will take a toll on your custom car wrap and will cause peeling and lifted edges. You can go to a commercial car wash that doesn’t use brushes, but washing by hand is a much better option.
If it’s possible, you’ll want to park in a garage, or at least keep the vehicle safe from outdoor elements. Continual exposure to weather like oppressive sun, rain, and snow will likely factor in reducing the lifespan of your wrap.
It’s also a smart idea to throw down a few bucks for a car cover. It will increase your wrap’s longevity. Keeping it protected from weather, bird droppings, and other such outdoor elements keeps your car and its graphics safer.
Wrapping Up:
We know you want to promote your brand and earn more business. A car wrap can be the face of your company in motion. Choosing to get your wrap done by Good Guys Signs is a smart business decision. Part of our philosophy is that we succeed when you succeed. Our talented and dedicated sales team, designers, and car wrap installers will ensure your price is great and your design is sublime.
