How much does it cost to wrap a car? Real prices

A vinyl wrap is the cheapest way to change the colour of your car or give it a sporty look without a respray. But "how much does it cost?" has more than one answer: doing the roof is nothing like doing the whole car, and doing it yourself is nothing like paying a wrap shop. In this guide you'll find real prices, ours for the vinyl and typical ones for fitting, so you know exactly what budget to plan for.

Prices at a glance

Our rolls are 152 cm wide and sold by length. Here's how much vinyl each job on a normal car needs, what the vinyl costs and, as a guide, what a wrap shop usually charges to fit it:

Wrap shop prices are only a guide: every installer sets their own rates, and they vary a lot by city and vehicle. Always ask for a quote with their vinyl and with yours.

What affects the price

• The size of the vehicle. A small hatchback takes 13 to 15 m; a large SUV can need 20 m. More surface means more vinyl and more hours of work.
• Difficult parts. Bumpers with grilles, wing mirrors and spoilers take the longest. A car with simple lines costs less to wrap than one full of curves and air intakes.
• The finish. With us, every standard colour costs the same, from matte to carbon and chrome. The ICR® Premium range costs a little more (€59.99 a metre instead of €44.99) because it stretches better and has exclusive shades. Mirror chromes are also harder to fit, and wrap shops often charge more for them.
• Door shuts. If you don't want to see the old colour when you open the doors, the door shuts need wrapping too: 2 to 3 m of extra vinyl and quite a few more hours.
• The state of the paint. Vinyl shows everything underneath it. Rust, chips or peeling lacquer must be repaired first.

Do it yourself or use a wrap shop?

If you wrap it yourself, you only pay for the vinyl and a few basic tools: a felt-edged squeegee, a fine-blade cutter, wrapping gloves and, to cut without a blade touching the paint, some knifeless tape. That comes to under €60 with the tape, and around a dozen euros without. You'll also need a heat gun or a powerful hairdryer.

Our advice: start with a flat, easy part such as the roof or the bonnet. If it goes well, carry on. If not, many customers buy the vinyl from us and take it to their usual installer, which works out cheaper than paying for the material with the shop's mark-up.

What about a respray?

A proper full respray in a different colour, door shuts included, usually costs between €3,000 and €6,000, and it's permanent. A wrap costs much less, protects the original paint and, when you get tired of it or sell the car, you peel it off and the car goes back to its factory colour. We compare the two point by point in vinyl wrap or paint: which is better?

Five ways to spend less

1. Buy the right length, with a little spare. Measure each part and add about 10 cm on each side to handle the film. All the measurements are in how much vinyl do I need?
2. One big roll rather than several small ones. A metre costs €44.99 in the 1 m roll, about €28 in the 5 m roll and under €25 in the 15 m roll. And one long piece means fewer joins.
3. Put everything in one order. Delivery is free from €59.95; if you're a few euros short, add the squeegee or the cutter, which you'll need anyway.
4. Do the easy part yourself. Roof, bonnet and wing mirrors are within anyone's reach with a bit of patience. Leave only the bumpers to the wrap shop if you don't feel confident.
5. Practise on an offcut. With 25 cm (€14.99) you can practise and see the colour on your car before you start.

Three real examples

• Black roof on a Fiesta or a Polo: 2 m of gloss black (€69.99) plus squeegee and cutter: about €79 and an afternoon's work.
• Full sporty look: roof, wing mirrors and chrome delete in Premium carbon: 3 m (€89.99) and a weekend.
• Full colour change on a Golf: 15 m of cement grey (€369.99), plus tools. At a wrap shop, fitting included, expect around €1,800 to €2,500.

Frequently asked questions