How much does it cost to start a mobile detailing business? It depends on how you run it. A rinseless setup with a vacuum, towels and a few chemicals costs roughly $185 to $295. A full rig with a water tank, generator, pressure washer, compressor and hose reels comes to roughly $1,900 to $2,500. Insurance, a license and a vehicle come on top.
You can skip a lot at the start. It is worth buying what the jobs you plan to sell need, then adding gear as the money comes in. Below are the real prices we found for each setup, what you can leave out and the costs people forget.
How we priced this
The prices below are from retail listings we checked in October 2026. They are examples to show the math, not recommendations, and we have not tested every product listed. Prices change, so it is worth checking them again before you buy.
The cheapest way to start: a rinseless setup
The lowest-cost way to start is with a rinseless wash. You need no water tank, no pressure washer and no generator for the wash itself. We explain how it works in rinseless wash vs waterless wash.
| Item | Example product | Price checked |
|---|---|---|
| Rinseless wash | Optimum No Rinse, 128 oz | $48.99 |
| All-purpose cleaner | Meguiar’s D101 (1 gal) or 3D All Purpose Cleaner (1 gal) | $25.24 to $31.00 |
| Microfiber towels | The Rag Company, 25-pack | $33.00 to $64.00 |
| Two buckets with grit guards | 5-gallon buckets and inserts | $23.94 to $41.80 |
| Wet/dry vacuum | Bauer 6 gal or Ridgid HD1200 12 gal | $54.99 to $109.00 |
| Total | about $185 to $295 |
A corded vacuum needs power, so you either use the customer’s outlet or add a generator later.
On top of that, you need the rest of the starter chemicals: window cleaner, wheel cleaner, tire shine and leather conditioner. We go through each one in mobile detailing chemicals. Most come as concentrates, so a gallon lasts a long time once you dilute it. Our dilution ratio calculator works out how far each bottle goes.
The full rig: water tank, generator and pressure washer
A full-service rig lets you do a traditional wash and run your tools without hooking up to anything at the customer’s place. This adds the rest of our mobile detailing equipment list to the rinseless setup above. The vacuum is already counted there.
| Item | Example product | Price checked |
|---|---|---|
| Water tank | Ace Roto-Mold or Norwesco, 100 gal | $282.00 to $539.99 |
| Generator | Harbor Freight Predator 5000 inverter | $999.99 |
| Electric pressure washer | Portland 1750 PSI or Ryobi 2000 PSI | $89.99 to $199.00 |
| Air compressor | 6-gallon pancake compressor | $139.99 to $169.99 |
| Garden hose reel | Suncast cart, holds 225 ft | $69.98 |
| Pressure washer hose reel | Milton or Adam’s, holds 100 ft | $143.99 to $199.99 |
| Total added | about $1,725 to $2,180 |
With the rinseless setup, that comes to about $1,900 to $2,500.
The generator is the biggest single cost. The Predator 5000 inverter is our pick for value, and we show the watt math behind it in our guide to the best generator for mobile detailing. A smaller water tank doesn’t save much. Norwesco 50-gallon tanks were $287.99 to $359.99, about the same as a 100-gallon, so it is worth sizing the tank by how many cars you want to do between refills. Our guide to how much water a mobile detail uses shows how many cars each size covers.
Safety: never run a generator inside the van or in an enclosed space, and keep a carbon monoxide alarm in the vehicle. Never point a pressure washer at people, pets or your own hands and feet.
What you can skip at the start
You don’t need everything on day one. These can wait until the jobs call for them:
- The full rig. We would suggest starting rinseless and adding the tank, generator and pressure washer once you are booking jobs that need them.
- Hose reels. They aren’t strictly required. We recommend them because they keep hoses off the ground and save time at setup, but they can come later.
- A polisher. It is only worth buying one if you sell paint correction. Entry-level DA polishers were $64.99 to $119.99, and a Griot’s G9 was $179.99. We compare machine types in DA polisher vs rotary polisher.
- An extractor or steamer. These depend on the interior services you sell.
- Expensive towels. A cheaper pack does the job while you are starting out. We cover how to make them last in how to wash microfiber towels.
License and insurance costs
Rules and prices depend on your state and city, so it is worth checking them where you live or asking an insurance agent or accountant. We cover what you may need in do you need a license for mobile detailing.
These are published estimates, not quotes:
| Cost | Published estimate |
|---|---|
| City or county business license | $50 to $400, with most paying about $75 to $200 |
| General liability insurance ($1 million) | about $450 to $1,000 a year |
| Garage keepers coverage (damage to customers’ cars) | estimates range from about $460 to $1,800 a year |
In California, car washing and polishing businesses may also need a $300 yearly registration with the Labor Commissioner. The law is written around employers, so a solo operator should check whether it applies.
The vehicle
If you already own a truck, van or SUV that can carry your gear, you can leave out the biggest cost of all. Published estimates put a work van at $5,000 to $25,000, bought or leased.
If you go with the full rig, it is worth checking your vehicle’s payload before you buy a tank. Water weighs 8.34 lb a gallon, so a full 100-gallon tank adds about 834 lb before the generator and the rest of the gear.
Monthly costs once you’re running
Starting is a one-time cost. Running costs keep coming:
- Product restock. Concentrates diluted to the label go a long way, but you will refill them.
- Fuel. In our generator guide, a 5,000-watt inverter used about half a gallon in an example two-hour detail.
- Insurance. One published average for general liability is about $54 a month.
- Vehicle upkeep and marketing.
Our mobile detailing pricing calculator can check that your prices cover all of this. For whether the business is worth starting at all, see is mobile detailing a good business.
Overall
Overall, how much it costs to start a mobile detailing business depends on how you run it. At the prices we checked, a rinseless setup with a vacuum, towels and a few chemicals came to about $185 to $295, and a full rig with a water tank, generator, pressure washer, compressor and hose reels to about $1,900 to $2,500. Insurance, a license and a vehicle come on top. We would suggest starting rinseless and adding the rest of the gear once you are booking jobs that need it.