How Much Does Car Detailing Cost? A Realistic Breakdown

What car detailing actually costs

A basic wash runs $10 to $60. A full interior and exterior detail runs $199 to $600. Ceramic coating runs $500 to $3,000 or more. The exact price depends on three things. That's your car's size, how dirty it is, and which package you pick.

That's a wide range. So let's break it down by tier. This is how most Canadian detailers actually price their menus. You'll see what each price level gets you. You'll also see what pushes the cost up, and when the upgrade is worth paying for.

What drives the price up or down

Every detailer prices around the same handful of factors. Learn these first. Then every price list below will make sense.

Vehicle size is the biggest swing factor. A sedan costs the least. A truck, three-row SUV, or minivan adds 20% to 40% on top. There's simply more surface and more seats to clean.

Condition matters just as much as size. A car vacuumed weekly costs less to detail. A car that hasn't seen a vacuum in a year costs more. Heavy pet hair, ground-in mud, or sticky spills all add labour time.

Add-ons stack on top of the base package. Pet hair removal often costs $30 to $120. Stain extraction runs $40 to $150. Engine bay cleaning adds another $40 to $80.

Mobile vs. drop-off changes the price too. A mobile detailer who comes to your driveway may charge a small travel fee, often around $45. But you save the trip, and often the wait.

Keep these four in mind. They explain almost every price gap between two quotes for what looks like the same service.

Basic wash: $10 to $60

This is the express option. You get a hand or machine wash, a rinse, and a dry. Some basic packages add tire shine or a quick vacuum of the front seats.

• Express exterior wash: $10 to $35 at most car washes across Canada.
• Wash with hand-dry and tire shine: $35 to $60.

This tier keeps your car looking presentable between real details. It won't touch stains, odours, or swirl marks in the paint. Think of it as upkeep, not restoration.

Interior detailing: $80 to $250

Interior packages split into two clear levels.

A basic interior clean runs $80 to $120. You get a full vacuum, a wipe-down of hard surfaces, and window cleaning inside the cabin. Pick this if your interior just needs a refresh, not a deep clean.

A full interior detail runs $150 to $250. This adds shampoo for seats and carpets, steam cleaning, leather conditioning, and odour treatment. Got pet hair, spilled coffee, or a lingering smell? This is the tier that actually fixes it.

Families and pet owners tend to need the full interior tier more often than solo commuters. Cabins simply get dirty faster with kids and pets on board.

Exterior detailing: $100 to $300

Exterior packages also split by depth of work.

Wash and wax costs $100 to $150. You get a hand wash plus a protective wax layer. That layer adds shine and light protection against the elements.

A full exterior detail costs $150 to $300. This adds a clay bar treatment, paint decontamination, machine polish, and a sealant. The clay bar step pulls embedded contaminants out of the paint. It's noticeably more thorough than a wash and wax. You'll see it in how the paint looks under direct sun.

Does your car spend winters on salted Ottawa or Toronto roads? Then the clay bar step matters more than it sounds. Salt and grime bond to the clear coat. A plain wash won't lift it.

Full detail (interior + exterior): $199 to $600

This is the package most people mean when they say "get my car detailed." It bundles interior work and exterior work into one visit.

Pricing splits mainly by city and vehicle size:

• Calgary: roughly $250 to $450 for a sedan.
• Toronto: $199 to $499 for a full interior-and-exterior detail. Some GTA providers charge up to $600 for larger vehicles.
• Ottawa: most full details for a standard car land between $150 and $475. SUVs and trucks sit at the top of that range.

A full detail is the right call before you sell a car. It's also right after a long road trip, or once or twice a year as a reset. Ezi's complete detailing package covers both the interior and exterior in one mobile visit. You won't need to book two separate appointments.

Paint correction: $150 to $2,500+

Paint correction is a separate, more advanced service. It removes swirl marks, light scratches, and oxidation from the clear coat. A service provider uses polishing compounds and machine buffing to do it. Prices scale hard with how many "stages" the job needs.

• Single-stage correction: $150 to $700. One combination of pad and compound removes light swirls and refreshes gloss. Most shops finish this in 4 to 6 hours.
• Two-stage correction: $350 to $1,300. A second, finer pass removes deeper scratches and water etching. Expect a full day of work.
• Three-stage correction: $1,000 to $2,500 or more. This tackles heavy oxidation or deep defects. It can take two to four days.

A well-done multi-stage correction can remove 80% to 95% of visible paint defects. It's usually worth booking only if you plan to keep the car. It's also worth it if you're prepping a car for sale. This helps when paint condition is dragging the asking price down.

Ceramic coating: $500 to $3,000+

Ceramic coating is a liquid polymer. It bonds to the clear coat and adds a hard, glossy protective layer. It's not paint correction. You apply it after correction to lock in the finish and make future washes easier.

• Consumer spray coatings: $20 to $60. These are DIY products with a shorter lifespan, often just a few months.
• DIY coating kits: $80 to $250. Brands like CarPro or Gtechniq sell real ceramic formulas. With careful work, they bond for 1 to 2 years.
• Professional starter packages: start around $500 for a single coating layer.
• Professional premium packages: $1,000 to $2,500. These often include a multi-year warranty and paint correction.

Toronto and the GTA tend to sit at the higher end: $1,000 to $3,000. Calgary and Edmonton run more affordable, typically $700 to $1,800. Montreal and Quebec track close to Ontario pricing.

One catch: these prices usually cover only the coating application. Paint correction and full prep get quoted separately. Skip prep, and you lock existing defects under the coating instead of fixing them first.

Detailing package price comparison

Here's every tier side by side, so you can see where your budget lands.

Package	Typical price (CAD)	Best for
Basic wash	$10–$60	Weekly upkeep between details
Interior clean (basic)	$80–$120	A quick cabin refresh
Interior detail (full)	$150–$250	Pet hair, stains, odours
Exterior wash and wax	$100–$150	Light shine and protection
Exterior detail (full)	$150–$300	Winter grime, paint decontamination
Full detail (in + out)	$199–$600	Pre-sale, post-road-trip resets
Paint correction	$150–$2,500+	Swirl marks and deep scratches
Ceramic coating	$500–$3,000+	Long-term paint protection

How often should you actually book a detail?

Most detailers recommend a full detail two to three times a year. That works out to roughly once every four to six months. But your driving habits change that math more than any calendar rule.

• Daily drivers face road grime and weather. They benefit from a detail every 3 to 4 months.
• Occasional drivers, or cars kept in a garage, can often stretch to twice a year.
• Families with kids or pets usually need the interior refreshed more often than the exterior. Cabins get dirty faster than paint does.
• Winter driving in salt and slush adds wear to your car's undercarriage and paint. That's exactly why exterior details matter more each spring.

Here's the angle most pricing guides skip: cost per visit isn't the full picture. Book a $250 full detail twice a year, and you'll spend $500 annually. Book a $199 wash-and-wax every two months instead. That adds up to $1,194 a year. And it buys far less thorough work. Fewer, deeper visits often beat frequent light ones. That's true for your car's condition. It's true for your wallet too.

Does detailing pay you back at resale?

A clean, well-kept car tends to sell faster and for more money. But the exact return depends heavily on the vehicle and the buyer. Industry estimates from Canadian detailers suggest a thorough detail can lift a used car's sale price by roughly 3% to 15%. Presentation-sensitive buyers sit at the top of that range.

That's not a guarantee. It shouldn't be the only reason you book a detail. But if you're already planning to sell, a detail is one of the cheapest upgrades you can make. It can move the needle on your final offer, especially compared to mechanical repairs.

Methodology

Prices in this guide come from published 2026 pricing pages of mobile and shop-based detailers. We pulled data from Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, and British Columbia providers. Each range was cross-checked against multiple providers per city, so no single outlier skews the numbers.

Frequency guidance draws from common recommendations shared across detailing professionals. Some claims, like the resale value impact, come from industry estimates instead of a controlled study. We've flagged those spots. We won't present an estimate as a hard fact.

When it's worth calling a professional

You can wash and vacuum your own car every weekend. That's smart, cheap upkeep. But paint correction, ceramic coating, and deep interior stain removal need tools most people don't have at home. They need training too. A bad DIY attempt on paint can cost more to fix than the service would have cost.

Ezi Home Services offers mobile car detailing across Ottawa, Toronto, and other Canadian cities. A service provider comes to you, instead of the other way around. Want a closer look at whether a recurring plan makes sense for your budget? Read our guide on whether monthly car detailing is worth the cost.

The bottom line

Car detailing cost in Canada spans a wide range. A basic wash starts at $10. A full ceramic coating package can run $3,000-plus. Most homeowners land between $150 and $475 for a full interior-and-exterior detail. Vehicle size, condition, and add-ons move the price more than your city does. Pick the tier that matches what your car actually needs. Skip the priciest option on the menu unless you truly need it. That's how you get real value out of every visit.