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Mobile Car Wash Business Overview Pricing and Rates
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When starting a mobile car wash and detailing business, there is always the question of how much should be charged for your services. Your optimum pricing levels are determined by several factors including:
- Market demand
- Cost of living in your area
- Your business reputation
- The different services you provide
- Your competition
- Seasonality
- Service priority
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Ultimately, your pricing levels are set by what your customers are willing to pay. There is no textbook answer so you will need to experiment a bit.
The easiest way to start your initial pricing is to simply compare rates from other mobile car wash and detailing providers. You can easily find these rates on the internet. Keep in mind, however, that you will need to adjust these rates based on where your business is located and where your comparison businesses are located.
For example, if a mobile car wash and detailing outfit in Los Angeles charges $100 for a basic exterior wash, you may want to consider charging less if you are opening your business in Indianapolis. Again, you will need to play with pricing for awhile until you find the sweet spot.
One pricing point we would like to address. If a direct competitor in your area charges $125 for a detail job, don't simply decide to charge $120 to undercut. While competitive pricing is always a consideration, first try and differentiate your business based on service quality.
One other thing to consider. . .it is probably best to start your pricing high and gradually work down until you find the right balance of pricing and customer demand. When experimenting with optimum pricing levels, it always seems to be easier and more effective to lower your prices as opposed to the other way around.
Research full-service wash and detailing prices as well. Don't limit your pricing research to just mobile automotive care companies. However, when using full-service pricing as a benchmark, don't forget to include your mobile convenience markup. This markup can be anywhere from 50 - 100%.
You should not give away your services just to acquire new customers, nor is it advisable to charge substantially higher fees than the completion - especially when you are just starting out. Once you compile a list of the amounts other firms charge for their services, examine what your fixed and variable costs are going to be as well as your projected demand. This will provide you a break-even point that you can use to start your initial pricing.
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