- Register as a sole proprietor or incorporate with BC Registries (~$40–$380)
- File your Surrey business licence (~$85/yr)
- Get general liability insurance
- Set your rates ($150–$400+ per vehicle, ceramic and paint correction from $600–$2,000+)
- Build a brand, website, and online booking
- Set up card payments and simple bookkeeping
- Launch a Google Business Profile focused on Surrey
Every city rewards a different kind of mobile detailing business — here's what Surrey specifically pays for. Surrey is truck country — work trucks, lifted pickups, and family SUVs on driveways with hose access, spread across the region's biggest geography. Volume, route discipline, and fleet accounts win here.
Why Surrey specifically
Where the work is: Batch bookings by neighbourhood — Cloverdale Tuesday, Fleetwood Thursday — to protect margin. Neighbourhoods like Fleetwood, Cloverdale, South Surrey each have their own client base — your Google Business Profile and local pages should name them.
Startup costs in Surrey
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| BC business registration (sole prop) | ~$40 |
| Name request fee | ~$30 |
| Surrey business licence | ~$85/yr |
| General liability insurance | $500–$1,200/yr |
| Equipment & supplies | $2,000–$6,000 (pressure washer, extractor, polisher, water/power setup) |
| Branding, website & booking setup | $0 DIY – $3,000+ agency |
Government fees change — confirm current amounts with BC Registries and the City of Surrey. Surrey's business licence is among the region's cheapest (~$85/yr) and is filed through the city's online services portal.
Realistic earnings
Mobile Detailing rates in Metro Vancouver commonly run $150–$400+ per vehicle, ceramic and paint correction from $600–$2,000+. A solo operator with a steady calendar can realistically build toward $4,000–$9,000+ per month solo — results vary with your niche, your area, and how established you look. No certification required; water discharge rules vary by municipality.
Let's name it
The thing that stops most Surrey starters isn't cost — it's this. “What if I damage a customer's paint, or a ceramic job doesn't hold?” A pre-work condition report with photos, a waiver, and insurance make disputes short — Prontco launches include the paperwork done properly.
Talk it through on a free callMobile Detailing Pricing Calculator
Work out what to charge before you quote your first job in Surrey. Set the job size, condition and the hourly rate you need to earn, and get a defensible number in seconds.
Open the calculator →Your first clients in Surrey — the mobile detailing playbook
- Pitch small fleet accounts (5–15 vehicles) to Surrey trades companies — weekly wash contracts smooth revenue.
- Sell truck-specific packages (undercarriage, interior work-crew resets) priced above car rates.
- Batch bookings by neighbourhood — Cloverdale Tuesday, Fleetwood Thursday — to protect margin.
The shortcut
Every step above is DIY-able if you have the evenings to spare. The alternative: Prontco builds it all in roughly 10 business days — Surrey licence filed, brand and website live, booking and payments connected, books set up — then stays with you for 30 days of launch support. From $997, and you own everything.
Related guides
How to start a mobile detailing business in BC · How to start a business in Surrey · The complete BC startup guide · Free calculators & checklists