Average vehicle signage costs…

[Robert Lambie]

Interesting topic, David, and one I have been working on and off for the past 18 months.
I say 18 months, but actually started due to my pricing segment on my wrap training courses on the Truck, going back as far as 2013. (More on this will also become apparent on UKSB, early January)

I have lost count of the amount of companies that I spoke with on my wrap training courses, that would scoff at how I came to some ballpark figures for wraps, yet they had no real pricing structure of their own, nor did they have a valid argument other than “our customers won’t pay that!”

vehicle graphics fall into the same scenario. The real issue is that without understanding the true costs of what we do, and how much we truly need to profit from a job. Then, 9/10 signmakers will settle for the general public’s perceived value of vehicle graphics, which is largely influenced by the crap they see online.

The real reason that there is no single solution to the vehicle graphics or wrap pricing problem is that there are so many variables that must be taken into consideration.

EG
* You charge £300 for a small van.
* I charge £300 for the “exact same” small van.

* I might have more overhead than you, so I make less profit than you do.
* You might have less staff, so it takes you longer to design, manufacture and install. Whilst I spit the job out in hours, not days, and I have a volley of these jobs, so I make more money.

The list of variables is endless. We all, as signmakers, offer our customers fully customised vehicles. Therefore, the end price must reflect the effort and materials that have gone into each job in turn.

However, I have said many times before, the only way to have some benchmark pricing structure is to standardise your own vehicle graphics templates, as an entry pricing point for your own customers. Anything outside that comes in as a premium service, of sorts.

So, where does this “average cost” come about? Primarily, the vinyl coverage of a particular size of van can be very similar across regional areas. Exactly what you’re indicating above, and I get that.

The problem with that comes in when the variables are brought into consideration, the complexity of the graphics, the grade of the vinyl, the difficulty of the installation (non-wrap), the chevron kit coverage, the grade of the chevrons, the time spent with the graphics setup and more etc.

If we, the signmaker, fully understand our true costs of providing the customer with vehicle graphics, from start to finish, i.e.
Sales – Graphic design – Manufacturing – Graphics Installation – Accounts. (not forgetting premises, vehicles, machines, heating blah blah)
Take everything into consideration, then work out what they need to add, to then start making some money. Only then will they begin to hit more accurate quotes. But looking over our shoulder at the guy down the road and what he charges and aiming to beat them, is just nonsense.

I believe I charge fair prices for the overall quality of our services and products. I raised my prices twice in 2025, and I will be doing the same again starting back in January 2026.