How much does vehicle branding cost?

If you’ve been struggling to find out how much branding your vehicles costs, you are probably feeling a little frustrated.

Branding costs vary from company to company, and many companies don’t actually have branding expertise.

They can take your artwork and maybe even print it for you without outsourcing to a third party, but many are simply installers, leaving you to source designers to aid you with branding and printers to produce the branded wrap, which jacks up the costs considerably.

So how much does it cost to get your vehicle or fleet branded including design, print and installation?

As a vehicle branding specialist, we’ve been asked this question practically every day for almost 3 decades. So, if you’re looking for a thorough breakdown of vehicle branding costs, you are in the right place!

In this article, I will break down all the factors that affect vehicle branding costs, giving you a clear picture of what to expect when approaching a company for a quote.

How much does the extent of vehicle branding affect the cost?

The more extensive your vehicle branding, the more expensive it will be. Vehicle branding is typically broken into the following categories:

Minimal branding

An easy-to-install small layer of branding often referred to as a decal, and costing in the £50-£70 range. Such branding is typically sold by print-on-demand stores as self-installation is not complicated, but some services will offer installation if more convenient. This is particularly useful if you are planning to brand a fleet of vehicles.

Simple branding

Simple branding usually takes the form of lettering over the natural colour of your van, truck or car. The extent of such lettering vs the price will vary from company to company but generally, the more extensive it is the more it will cost. For a medium-sized van such as a VW Transporter, this might cost around £600.

Partial branding

Partial branding will cover a specified percentage of your vehicle in lettering and detailed branded graphics, but not the entire thing. This means that the price will vary according to extent. For that same VW Transporter, you can expect to pay about £1,300.

Full branding

Full branding is the most extensive form of vehicle graphics you can get, featuring high-resolution graphics and lettering that wrap all the way around your vehicle for maximum visibility. Full vehicle branding for a medium van will cost around £2,400.

How much does fleet branding cost?

Fleet branding is the cheapest way to brand multiple cars, vans or trucks as most companies will allow discounts on sizable orders.

The extent of your discount will of course depend on the number of vehicles you want to wrap. For example, if you wanted to brand a fleet of 25 medium-sized vans, you might be eligible for a 10% discount so instead of paying £15,000, you only pay £13,500.

If you were planning to wrap 50, 100 or even 1000 vans, then you could expect an even better deal, as your order will be so large that profit margins become less important.

Very large orders of the same design also allow companies to become very efficient at applying your particular branding to your vehicles, which allows them to save time and thus cost, resulting in a better deal for you.

How does vehicle size affect vehicle branding cost?

The larger your vehicle is the more expensive it will be to brand, because you will need a greater amount of vinyl (the layer of durable plastic your branding is printed on) to cover the vehicle adequately.

It’s not possible to cover every individual size in this article, but I can give you an idea of what you might pay. Check out the table below to see the relationship between vehicle size and what you will pay for branding.

How do I avoid overpaying for my vehicle branding?

The best way to avoid overpaying for vehicle branding is to find a company that offers an all-in-one design, print and install service. This saves you paying the cost of sourcing 3 separate companies to do the job of one dedicated vehicle branding service.

Such a company will also be able to look after you in the long term, as they will have your records on file, and can easily replace or update your branding as your company grows.

Companies that offer an all-in-one service will also be able to adhere to much higher levels of quality control. This is because any errors made translating the design from one stage of production to the next can quickly be resolved, without passing on any stress or costs to you.

If you used 3 services on the other hand and there is a mistake, good luck getting those services to agree whose fault it is!

How do I find a vehicle branding company that’s worth the cost?

After reading the above, you now understand the factors that affect vehicle branding price, but now you need to answer the following question: How do I find a vehicle branding company that’s worth the cost?

At Raccoon, we are passionate about educating our readers and potential customers: we want to provide you with as much information as possible to help you find a vehicle branding service that best suits you.        

To find a vehicle branding company that’s worth the cost, follow these 3 tips:

1. If a price looks too good to be true, it most likely is - Inexperienced wrap installation companies may well offer to brand your vehicle(s) for a cheap price, but that doesn’t mean they will do a good job.
2. Avoid cheap materials – The type of vinyl used to wrap your vehicle with your printed branding is important. If it’s not 3M, Arlon, Avery Dennison, or a similarly well-known brand, then think twice about the service. Cheap materials often bubble, fade or peel in weeks; established brands last years!
3. Read this list - 10 questions to ask a vehicle wrapping company. You can use these questions to screen vehicle branding companies for quality and professionalism. The guide will quickly help you see who is worth the cost and who isn’t.