Australia has the most complete published detailing grid of the five markets on this site — eight packages by three vehicle sizes with every cell filled — and no published hours at all. The calculator above prices from that grid and borrows its hours from New Zealand, the nearest market that prints any. That borrow is the weakest input on this page, and it is named rather than hidden.
How the calculator works
- Package and size pick the cell. Three tiers by three sizes.
- Mobile adds about 22%, and brings a travel cost. The reference grid is a shop, so the premium goes on top.
- Condition moves the quote up the range. The only part anyone prices is heavy pet hair, at A$84.50–A$137.50 by size.
- Your state. Prices are adjusted by a state labour-cost index. New South Wales carries the highest, about 11% above the national average.
- Your economics. “Your costs and margin” shows what the grid leaves you after GST is netted out.
Typical Australian detailing prices in 2026
| Package | Small | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry — everyday detail | A$88–A$143 | A$99–A$165 | A$134–A$217 |
| Standard — full detail | A$275–A$352 | A$371–A$475 | A$418–A$535 |
| Premium — cut and polish | A$330–A$495 | A$446–A$668 | A$502–A$752 |
Classes are the operator’s own: small covers coupes, hatchbacks and sedans; medium covers wagons, small SUVs, vans and 5-seater utes; large covers SUVs, vans, dual cabs and 7-plus seaters. Operators bill A$60–A$160 an hour on this work. Minimum around A$88. All figures include GST.
Where the Australian numbers are strong
The size multipliers. Eight packages measured on one complete grid give 1.35 and 1.52, and they are the only direct measurement of vehicle-size pricing outside Canada. They disagree with Canada’s 1.13 and 1.26 — both are real measurements of different markets, so neither is imposed on the other.
A second source confirms the level from above: another operator puts Australian detailing at A$70–A$500 overall and a full detail at A$300–A$500, which sits 9–20% above the Adelaide band. Adelaide is not the country’s dearest city, so the direction is right.
Where they are thin, said plainly
No published hours anywhere. Both Australian sources price the work and neither times it. Everything the calculator says about your hours on an Australian job is borrowed from New Zealand.
One reference operator. The grid is Adelaide’s. The second source gives a range, not a grid.
One operator was read and rejected. An Adelaide competitor publishes A$6–A$9 per square metre and A$70–A$120 an hour, and its own two figures disagree by a factor of two. A source that contradicts itself is not used here.
Worked example
A large vehicle, premium tier — a cut and polish — mobile, heavily soiled. The quote lands at A$795 including GST (range A$705–A$885). About A$72 of it is GST, so A$723 stays with you. At A$28 an hour, the first whole dollar above the award floor, the 12 hours and the supplies, drive and overhead cost about A$474. That leaves A$248, a 34% margin on the price without GST. The hours are borrowed from New Zealand, because no Australian source prints any. The “Fill with sample data” button loads this exact job.
What this calculator does not price
Ceramic coating and paint correction proper — the grid’s A$660–A$1,020 paint correction is two-stage work, a different job from the cut and polish in the premium tier. Smoke and odour removal at A$440–A$550, leather care, headlight restoration and the other eleven car-care lines the grid prices separately. Quote those from your own records.
The calculator gives you the number. For typical rates and how to build a quote, read our US car detailing pricing guide. Its rates are in US dollars.