How we chose
We started from the twenty-odd car detailing firms Google Maps shows across Telford. Trade standing was sourced from the trade association directory and the motor industry register, each firm's own website and review platforms [1] [2]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Nine firms met all three. We looked first at what customers say, then trade standing, then trading history and whether cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Start by naming the job in the detailer's own language. A valet means cleaning inside and out; a detail adds decontamination and protection; paint correction means machine polishing out swirls and scratches in one or more stages; ceramic coating seals the corrected paint; tinting darkens glass with film. Say which of these you want, plus your car's size and condition, and send the same description to every firm so the quotes come back comparable.
Car detailing has no mandatory licence, so the checks are ones you run yourself. Search the trade association directory for the business name: listed members have had their insurance checked, and assessed members have passed theory and practical assessment [1]. For tinting firms, ask whether technicians hold motor industry accreditation and look the name up on the professional register [2]. Ask for membership details in writing rather than taking a logo at face value.
If the job involves front glass, know the legal limits before you agree a shade. Cars first used since 1985 must let at least 75% of light through the windscreen and 70% through the front side windows, with no limits on rear glass, and the police and vehicle examiners measure tints at the roadside [3]. Film that is too dark brings a prohibition notice or a penalty, and it counts as a modification, so tell your insurer before the work is done [3].
Get an itemised written quote that separates labour, materials and VAT and names the package, the correction stages and hours, the coating brand and its stated durability, any add-ons such as engine bay or roof work, the start date, how long the car is kept, how you get the car back, and what changes the price if the paint proves worse than expected. For mobile work the quote should say what the detailer needs from you: driveway space, water, power and a weather plan [4] [5].
Ask for insurance cover in writing and check a limited company's record on the public register, where you can see its status, age and registered office [6]. Agree who moves the car and holds the keys, and for studio work confirm the address, opening hours and how you get home while a coating cures. Keep the exchange in messages or email you can refer back to.
At handover, collect an itemised invoice, the coating maker's aftercare sheet and any durability statement in the firm's own terms. A deposit for materials is normal while full payment before completion is not, and you should never feel rushed to pay before inspecting the car in daylight. If the finish falls short of the written scope, raise it straight away and keep every message until it is put right [7].
Telford and Wrekin adds a few local wrinkles. The borough holds eight conservation areas, including the Severn Gorge, which is also a World Heritage Site, and Wellington town centre [8]. Those controls govern buildings and streetscape rather than car cleaning, and detailing itself needs no licence — but on gorge-side streets in Ironbridge and the Gorge, parking is tight and residents use a permit system for the council car parks at Dale End, the Wharfage, the Square, Waterloo Street and Ironbridge Central [9]. Lawley keeps growing, with a further two hundred and fifty homes proposed at Lawley West [10]. Whatever your street looks like, tell each firm where the car will stand, whether a van can park beside it, and where water and power come from for mobile work.
A typical job runs the same course whatever the firm. First contact means sending the same description everywhere: the service you want, the car's size and condition, daylight photos of the paintwork and your postcode. Compare the replies on scope first and price second, watching for who names stages, hours, products and extras and who answers in generalities. The booking confirmation should repeat the agreed scope, the fixed price, the start date and duration, and where the car will be with how you get it back. On the day, hand over the keys with the car's condition noted, keep the firm reachable, and treat the daylight inspection as the sign-off point before the balance is paid. If anything falls short of the written scope, raise it there and then and keep every message until it is put right [7].
Two smaller points save arguments later. Ask how long a quoted price holds before you set the date or turn another firm down, and get that date on the quote itself. If a coating is part of the job, ask whether the maker registers the coating in your name and get that confirmation alongside the aftercare sheet, since a durability promise is only as good as its paperwork. Pay any deposit by a traceable route rather than cash with no receipt, and keep the whole paper trail in one place from the first enquiry [7].
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough UK ranges run like this: a basic exterior wash £15–£30, a mini valet from around £55, and a full interior-and-exterior valet £90–£140 depending on vehicle size [4]. Telford firms with published menus sit inside those bands: JT Detailed Valeting lists cleans from £30 to deep cleans up to £180, and Poison Ivy Autocare lists a £45 safe wash. Treat national figures as context and Telford quotes as the answer.
Step up to detailing and the bands widen: a full detail £150–£250, paint correction £150–£400 as a standalone service, and ceramic coating £300–£800 or more professionally applied, with premium packages combining correction and coating reaching £800–£1,500 and beyond [4]. Poison Ivy's published menu tops out at a £700 ceramic coating with two-stage correction, which shows where a priced Telford studio lands.
Size moves the price most: a large SUV typically costs a fifth to two-fifths more than a small hatchback for the same valet [4]. Paint condition and correction stages come next, then add-ons such as engine bays, fabric roofs and headlight restoration, and whether the work happens mobile or in a studio. City price guides list vehicle size, correction stages and coating extras among the standard price drivers [5].
Ask whether VAT is included or added on top, since published ranges usually exclude it [4]. Firms in this round mostly quote rather than publish rates, so treat any single fixed price for correction or coating with no stages, hours or products named as a question, not an answer. Get the scope, the price and any durability statement in writing before work starts, and keep every quote, invoice and aftercare sheet together [7].
Tints and film are quoted, not menu-priced, in this round: both tinting firms price through online quotes rather than published rates. What moves the figure is how many windows are filmed, the film brand and shade, and whether paint protection film or a wrap extends the job beyond glass. Front glass sets the legal boundary, with the windscreen and front side windows held to strict light limits [3], so get the shade and the price for each window named together in the quote.
Correction and coating quotes reward close reading. The honest measure is stated hours and named stages: a single-stage polish on sound paint takes far less bench time than multi-stage correction on neglected paint, which is what climbs the band [4]. Be wary of a coating priced over paint the firm has never assessed for correction, since a coating seals in whatever finish lies beneath. Compare rival quotes stage for stage, hour for hour, and product for product.
Red flags
Quotes paint correction or a ceramic coating without seeing the car or asking for photos of the paintwork.
Offers front window tints darker than the legal limits with no mention of the roadside rules [3].
Will not name its insurer or put cover in writing when asked.
Gives one fixed price for correction or coating with no stages, hours, products or VAT position [4].
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms [7].
Gives no business name, address or reachable contact route on its paperwork or messages.
Promises a coating will last for years without naming the product or providing the maker's aftercare in writing.
Starts polishing, coating or filming with no agreed price, finish time or collection arrangement.
Wants the balance paid before you have seen the car in daylight [7].
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.