How much does ceramic coating cost?
Typically $600 – $2,000. Glass-like nano layer that bonds to your paint. 2–5 year protection from UV, bird droppings, and brake dust. Below: the range by vehicle and tier, an instant estimate, and three local pros.
A typical market range, not a quote. Your final price comes from the detailer.
Ceramic Coating price by vehicle
What each price level gets you
What ceramic coating actually is
Ceramic coating is a liquid polymer that chemically bonds to your clear coat and hardens into a glass-like layer. It does three things: repels water (so rain sheets off without leaving mineral spots), blocks UV (so red paints don't oxidize), and resists chemical etching from bird droppings, tree sap, and brake dust.
It is not a wax. A wax sits on top of the paint and washes off within months. A ceramic coating cures into the surface and stays for two to five years depending on chemistry, prep, and how you wash the car between visits.
The cost is mostly labor, not chemistry. A bottle of consumer-grade SiO₂ coating is $50; a professional 5-year coating bottle is $150–$300. What you're paying for is the 8–16 hours of prep — washing, decontamination, paint correction, panel-wipe alcohol prep — that determines whether the coating bonds correctly. Skip the prep and the coating peels within months.
What it doesn't do: Ceramic coating does NOT protect from rock chips. For that you need PPF (paint protection film), which is a different conversation and a different price tag.
Questions to ask the detailer
- Which brand and warranty (IGL, Gtechniq, Ceramic Pro, CQuartz, Kamikaze)?
- What level of paint correction is included?
- Is the work done in a covered, climate-controlled space?
- What's the maintenance schedule and is there a warranty registration?
- What's the price difference for adding wheels and glass coating?