How to Quote a Vehicle Wrap: The UK Pricing Guide
Most wrap quotes go wrong in the same two places: the vinyl is estimated by "feel" instead of measured panels, and the labour is a round number that ignores which panels are actually being fitted. This guide walks through the method professional shops use to build quotes that win jobs and protect margin.
1. Price from panels, not from the whole vehicle
A "medium van wrap" can mean anything from £1,200 to £3,000 because the phrase hides the real question: which panels are covered? A quote built panel-by-panel — both sides, rear doors, bonnet, roof — is measurable, checkable and easy to adjust when the customer says "actually, skip the roof". Measure each panel's width and height in millimetres (manufacturer body dimensions or a calibrated photo work well) and keep the list with the quote.
2. Convert panel sizes into linear metres of vinyl
Wrap vinyl is bought by the linear metre from rolls typically 1370mm or 1520mm wide, so your material cost depends on how panels nest onto the roll, not on their combined area. Two rules matter:
| Rule | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Panels can't always sit side-by-side | A 1400mm-tall side panel uses the full width of a 1520mm roll — nothing else fits beside it |
| Every roll has lead/trail waste | Allow roughly 1m per roll for loading, test prints and trimming |
For a typical LWB panel van, expect 25–30 linear metres for a full wrap including waste. Our companion guide, How Much Vinyl Does It Take to Wrap a Van?, gives per-size figures.
3. Cost the material honestly
Printable cast vinyl plus laminate typically lands between £9 and £15 per linear metre at UK trade prices. Multiply your nested linear metres by your real cost per metre — and if a job spills onto a second roll, cost the whole roll consumed, because the leftover tail is rarely usable for the next job.
4. Price labour per panel, not per day
Fitting time varies hugely by panel: a flat van side might be 90 minutes, a recessed rear door with handles two hours, a deep-ribbed panel more. Build a fitting-time table for the vehicles you wrap most, then price labour as (total fitted minutes ÷ 60) × your hourly rate. UK wrap labour typically runs £35–£55/hour depending on region and experience. Add separate line items for design (typically 1–3 hours), print/production time and travel if you fit on-site.
5. Add margin deliberately — then sense-check
Materials and labour are your cost. Apply your markup per line (25% is a common starting point) rather than one blanket figure, so discounting one line doesn't silently destroy the whole job's margin. Finally, sense-check against the market: full wraps for a medium UK van commonly quote in the £1,800–£2,800 range; if your build-up lands wildly outside that, check the vinyl calculation first — it's usually the culprit.
6. Put it in writing, fast
The shop that quotes the same day wins a disproportionate share of jobs. Keep your panel dimensions, materials and labour rates somewhere reusable so a repeat vehicle takes minutes, not an evening — and send a written quote with the panel list on it, so scope changes are renegotiations rather than arguments.