Most detailing price lists are built backwards.
They start with every service the detailer knows how to do, give each one a name, and put them all on one page. Basic Wash. Express Detail. Interior Refresh. Exterior Shine. Full Detail. Premium Full Detail. Showroom Package. Plus eleven add-ons.
Then the customer looks at it, gets confused, and texts: "how much for just a clean?"
A price list isn't a catalog of what you can do. It's a tool to help someone pick quickly and feel good about it. That changes how you build it.
This post is about the layout — how many options, how to arrange them, where add-ons go. If you're still working out the actual dollar amounts, start with how much to charge for car detailing and come back.
Three tiers. Not seven.
Every extra option you add makes the choice harder. And when a choice is hard, people do one of two things: they pick the cheapest one, or they don't pick at all.
Three is the number that works:
- A entry option — for the person who just wants it clean.
- A middle option — the one most people should get.
- A top option — the full treatment.
That's it. Everything else is either an add-on or a separate service you quote on its own (more on that below).
If you currently have six packages, you don't have six things customers want. You have three things customers want and three that exist because you thought of them. Merge them.
Name them so people understand them
"Platinum," "Diamond" and "Obsidian" sound nice, and tell the customer nothing. They have to read the fine print to figure out which one cleans the seats.
Plain names win:
- Maintenance Clean
- Full Detail
- Full Detail + Protection
Someone scrolling on their phone gets it in two seconds. That's the whole job.
Under each name, list what's included in short plain lines — "interior vacuum and wipe-down," "hand wash and dry," "clay bar and wax." Not a paragraph. A customer should be able to see what they get by jumping to the next tier without reading anything twice.
Make the middle one the obvious pick
Here's the part most detailers miss: the three tiers aren't equal. The middle one is the one you want most people to choose, and the page should make that feel natural.
A few ways to do it:
- Label it. "Most popular" or "What most customers get." One small tag does a lot.
- Make it the best value on the page. The jump from entry to middle should add a lot more work than it adds price. The jump from middle to top should feel like a real step up — because it is.
- Put it in the center. Sounds obvious. Plenty of price lists run cheapest-to-most-expensive down a long column, and the middle option gets lost.
The top tier does its job even when almost nobody buys it. Its price makes the middle option look reasonable. Without it, the middle option is the expensive one, and people drift down.
Price by vehicle size, and show it clearly
A compact sedan and a third-row SUV are not the same job. If your list has one price per package, you're either overcharging small cars or doing big ones for less than they're worth.
The cleanest way to show it: each of your three tiers gets three prices, one per vehicle size.
- Car — for example Civic, Model 3, Camry
- SUV / truck — for example RAV4, Explorer, F-150
- Large SUV / van — for example Suburban, Tahoe, Sienna
So "Full Detail" reads as three clear numbers side by side — car, SUV, large — and the same for the other two tiers. Fill in your own prices. Keep the size groups to three, and always give example vehicles so nobody argues about which size their car is.
Laying it out that way does one more useful thing: it answers the question before it gets asked. A customer with a Tahoe knows their price before they text you.
Where add-ons go
Add-ons are where price lists get messy. Pet hair, heavy stains, engine bay, headlight restoration, odor treatment — all real, all worth charging for.
The rule: add-ons go below the tiers, in their own short list, with a price each. They don't get baked into packages, and they don't get their own tier.
Two reasons:
- It keeps the three tiers clean. The main decision stays simple.
- It protects you on the ugly jobs. "Pet hair removal: from $X" means the golden retriever car doesn't eat your whole afternoon at the regular price.
Keep the add-on list short too — the five or six things you actually get asked for. And for anything where the price depends on what you find, say so: "from $X, confirmed on arrival."
Some services don't belong on the list
Paint correction and ceramic coating aren't packages. The price depends on the condition of the paint, how many steps it needs, and what product goes on. Putting a single number on your list sets an expectation you'll have to walk back in the driveway.
List them as "quoted after inspection" or "starting at," and handle them in a conversation. Those are your highest-value jobs — they're worth a real conversation anyway.
Where the price list lives
A beautiful price list that only exists as a photo on your phone isn't doing much. Put it where customers actually decide:
- Your booking page, so they choose the package and the time in one go.
- Your Google Business Profile, in the services section.
- A pinned post or highlight on your social accounts.
And keep it the same everywhere. If Instagram says one price and your booking page says another, you'll get the lower one quoted back to you every time.
The short version
- Three tiers, plain names, short lists of what's included.
- Make the middle one the obvious pick. Let the top one make it look reasonable.
- A simple grid by vehicle size, with examples.
- Add-ons in their own short list below.
- Paint correction and coatings quoted, not listed.
- One version of the list, everywhere a customer might see it.
A good price list isn't about being the cheapest. It's about being the easiest to say yes to.
Put your price list where people book. Thynk Detailing gives you a branded app where customers pick a package by vehicle size and book it in a couple of taps. Build yours free in about two minutes.