How Much Does a Full Valet Cost in Scotland? Prices From a Livingston Detailer

Our mobile Full Valet starts at £75 for a small car in Livingston and West Lothian. It's £85 for a medium car, £95 for a large car and £105 for an XL vehicle. Those are starting prices; a heavily soiled car can take longer and cost more.

The short answer

The table below shows our Full Valet and Deep Clean prices by vehicle size. These are VDS prices, so another Scottish valeter may quote differently.

Get a mobile valet quote with your make, model, postcode and a quick description of the car's condition. The Full Valet suits a car that needs a thorough clean; the Deep Clean Valet adds steam cleaning inside and tar and iron removal outside.

What counts as a full valet

A “full valet” can mean different things at different businesses. Check what they clean inside and out, how long they allow and whether they finish the paint with wax or sealant.

When we say full valet, we mean the whole car, inside and out:

• Wheels, arches and tyres cleaned before anything else touches the car.
• Citrus prewash and pH-neutral snow foam to soften the dirt, then a two-bucket lambswool mitt wash so the grit is lifted off rather than dragged across the paint.
• Badges, grilles, panel gaps, handles, fuel flap and door shuts degreased by hand.
• Purified water rinse, towel dry, crevices blown out so nothing drips down the doors an hour later.
• Trim and tyres dressed, then a spray wax for gloss and beading.
• Inside, we remove rubbish, agitate and vacuum the carpets and seats, and take the mats out to clean both sides. We also clean the boot liner, roof lining, vents, buttons, cup holders, glovebox and sun visors.
• Plastics and facias cleaned and dressed, interior glass done, air freshener in your choice of scent.

You can check the itemised list on our Full Valet page against another quote. If a package does not mention door shuts, mats coming out, or what is going on the paint at the end, ask.

Full valet prices across Scotland

If you're comparing quotes across Scotland, ask each valeter whether they include the cabin and exterior, which size band your car falls into, how they charge for staining or pet hair, and what protection they apply.

A starting price assumes a particular vehicle size and condition. The same package on a seven-seater will normally require more time than on a small hatchback. Ask for the final price before committing, including any travel charge.

With a mobile service, check parking, access and whether you need to supply water or power. We bring both and check your postcode and working space before booking. Our coverage areas page lists the places we visit and the options for travel further afield.

Why valet prices vary

The size of the car, its condition, the work included and whether the valeter comes to you all affect the quote.

Vehicle size

A seven-seat SUV has more carpet, glass and paintwork to clean than a supermini. Getting through the extra seats and boot space takes time, which is why we charge by size. If you're comparing a flat-rate quote with a size-based one, make sure both cover your vehicle.

Condition

Two identical Golfs can be a two-hour job and a four-hour job depending on what's been living in the back of them. Dog hair woven into fabric seats, juice that went down a seat rail last spring, sand from a summer of beaches, mould from a leaky sunroof nobody noticed. Those all need extra time or a different treatment.

Tell us about that when you enquire so we can allow enough time and quote for the work the car needs.

What is included

Some full valets cover a thorough clean. Others include tar and iron decontamination, steam cleaning, wet extraction or machine polishing. Those jobs take extra time and equipment, even if the packages have similar names.

Our Full Valet covers a thorough clean with spray wax for short-term protection. Tar and iron removal, steam cleaning and machine extraction of fabric seats are part of the Deep Clean Valet. Machine polishing is separate, so you only pay for it if your paint needs the work.

Mobile against static

We carry water and power in the van, and travelling to you is part of the cost. A valeter working from a unit can spread their overheads across more cars in a day, but you need to drop yours off and may need a lift home. Compare the total quote, the work included and the time you'll need to set aside.

What we charge and what you get

We publish our starting prices by vehicle size. The quote is what you pay unless we find something on the day that changes the work needed. We'll discuss that with you before doing any extra work.

Every one of those is mobile and fully insured. We bring water and power, so all we need from you is access to the car and somewhere legal to park the van.

At £75 for a small car, we allow one to two and a half hours for the Full Valet, depending on size and condition. That's the time for the interior and exterior work listed above.

Add-ons and when you need them

These are separate from the base valet price. We'll discuss any that your car needs when we quote:

• Seat extraction, about £10–£15 per seat with a Full Valet, depending on condition. Cleaning solution is sprayed into the fabric and vacuumed back out, for marks that have soaked in and won't come out with vacuuming. It's already included in a Deep Clean. Our car seat and upholstery cleaning guide covers stains, seat materials and drying.
• Leather Restoration & Protection, from £65. For dry, tired or dirty leather that needs more than a dust-off.
• Paint Enhancement Add-On, from £80. Clay bar, hand polish, sealant or wax to improve gloss. Machine correction is a separate service.
• Engine Bay Cleaning, from £35. Cleans up the engine bay for presentation, particularly before a sale.
• Ozone Odour Removal, from £40. For lingering smells from smoke, damp or spoiled milk after cleaning.
• Excessive pet hair, up to £15. Ordinary dog hair is included in a Deep Clean. Heavy build-up takes extra tools and time.

You will not need most of these. We would rather tell you that on the phone than add them to a bill.

Keeping road salt off your car

The gritters are out across West Lothian for months at a time and the roads stay wet with brine long after the snow has gone. Salt collects in the arches, sills, lower doors and number-plate recess. Where paint is chipped or scuffed, the exposed metal is more vulnerable to corrosion. Having existing chips touched in can improve and seal those spots before winter, though it cannot stop fresh chips. Leaving salt on the car from November to March gives it months to sit in those awkward areas.

Then the salt comes inside with you, ground into the carpets and mats every time you get in with wet boots.

Regular cleaning removes road salt and gives you a chance to spot damage. It cannot guarantee protection from corrosion or future repair bills. We recommend maintenance washes between valets to keep the salt off without paying for a full interior clean each time.

For winter maintenance, choose a careful wash method and products suited to any existing protection. Avoid dragging dirty brushes across the paint. If you're keeping costs down, a protection wash and wax a couple of times through winter lets you clean and protect the exterior without booking another full valet.

Which package should you book?

If the car is basically fine but grubby, book a Full Valet, from £75. It suits a regular clean, getting ready for a holiday or wedding, or when you've had enough of the state of it.

For a car that needs more work after months of kids, dogs or a long commute, there's the Full Deep Clean Valet, from £125. We remove tar and iron contamination from the paint, machine-extract the fabric seats and steam-clean suitable surfaces inside. Allow three to four hours.

The Pre-Sale & Lease Return Valet, from £100, includes hand polish, glaze and micro-scratch correction on two panels of your choice, plus the full interior. It improves presentation before a sale or hand-back, but it cannot guarantee a lease inspection pass or remove chargeable damage.

If the paint looks flat or swirled, machine polishing starts at £150. Swirl marks are defects in the clear coat, so washing alone won't remove them.

For protection that lasts years, ceramic coating starts at £200. The paint needs preparing first; coating over swirls leaves them visible underneath. If you've bought a used car, our guide to whether ceramic coating is worth it covers the costs and preparation.

Our car wash, valet or detail guide explains the work included in each if you're still deciding.

Getting an exact price for your car

To give you a quote, we need three things:

1. Your make and model, so we know which size band you're in.
2. The car's condition. Tell us about pets, kids, smoking, stains or old spills so we can allow enough time.
3. Your postcode, so we can check coverage and the diary for your area.

We are based in Livingston and cover West Lothian, West Edinburgh and the wider central belt as a fully mobile, fully insured service. Every town we cover is on the coverage areas page.

Call or WhatsApp +44 7591 780753, email info@vdsautodetailing.co.uk, or use the contact form and we'll come back with a price and a slot. Prices in this article are current starting prices. Size, condition and any agreed extra work affect the final quote.

See the full price list if you would rather read it yourself first.