Vehicle Branding Cost in Dubai: Prices, Permit Fees and Quotes

You asked three companies to price branding for the same Toyota HiAce and got three numbers that do not look like the same job. That is normal in Dubai, and it is rarely about one supplier being dishonest. Each quote is built on a different film, a different amount of coverage and a different idea of what is included.

This guide sets out what vehicle branding actually costs here, by vehicle and coverage, which government fees sit on top, and what moves a quote up or down. It is written from the pricing we do every week at our Naif workshop, so you can read any quote line by line, including ours.

Vehicle branding prices in Dubai by vehicle type

These are typical market ranges for the wrap only, without the permit fee. They assume printed cast vinyl with lamination, which is what a wrap meant to last years should be made of.

Our own starting prices sit at the bottom of those ranges: car logo or door stickers from AED 300, car partial wrap from AED 600, car full wrap from AED 2,000, van partial from AED 1,500, van full from AED 4,000, 3-ton truck wraps from AED 2,000, and buses from AED 4,000 partial or AED 10,000 full. A starting price is for a standard vehicle, a ready logo and clean paint. Most real jobs land somewhere inside the range, and the sections below explain where and why.

The jump from sedan to SUV is not only size. An SUV has deeper bumpers, bigger mirrors, roof rails and more recesses around the lights, and each of those takes film, relief cuts and installer hours. Vans and trucks are the opposite: lots of area, but much of it flat. Each vehicle type has its own price page: car branding, van branding, truck branding and bus branding in Dubai.

Permit and government fees to add to the wrap price

Commercial branding in Dubai needs a Permit to Advertise on Vehicles, issued by Mada Media, which handles what most people still call RTA approval. These are the car fees from our recent quotes:

The authority sets these fees and can change them, so a good quote shows the current figure as its own line rather than hiding it in the total. For vans, trucks and buses we confirm the fee for that vehicle and coverage when we quote.

The colour fee catches people out. It applies when the wrap changes the vehicle's main colour, meaning more than half the body. A white van with blue sides and doors may cross that line; a white van with a logo band does not. When it applies, the Mulkiya must be updated too, which is a visit and some paperwork rather than a big cost. The documents and steps for the permit itself are on our vehicle advertising permit page.

What drives a vehicle branding quote up or down

1. Coverage

Door logos use a fraction of the film and an hour or two of fitting. A partial wrap covers chosen panels and lets the paint do the rest. A full wrap covers every painted panel, so the film, print time and labour all multiply. Coverage is the biggest single lever, and it is the one to decide first.

2. Film grade

Economy calendered vinyl, monomeric or polymeric, is cheaper and fine for a promotion of a few months. On a long-term wrap in Dubai it shrinks back from edges and fades early. Printed cast films from 3M, Avery Dennison, Hexis, Arlon, Mactac or Orafol, with UV lamination, last about 3-5 years in UAE heat and cost more per metre. Which film suits which job is covered in our guide to choosing vehicle wrap vinyl; for pricing, the point is that two quotes using different grades are not comparable.

3. Print and lamination

We print on EPSON SureColor machines with heat-resistant ink, then add UV lamination, with gloss or matte varnish if wanted. Skipping lamination saves money on day one and costs colour by the second summer, especially on a roof or bonnet facing the afternoon sun.

4. Panel shape and labour

A 3-ton truck box is flat and quick to wrap. A small sedan with sculpted doors, deep bumpers and recessed handles needs cast film heated into every curve and much more time per square metre. This is why a full wrap on a compact car can cost more than partial branding on a large truck.

5. Design work

A logo, a service line and a phone number cut from coloured vinyl needs little design time. Intricate printed graphics that must line up across doors, sliding panels and rear doors add about AED 500-2,000.

6. Surface condition

Old graphics, baked-on adhesive and failed clear coat all add preparation time, and sometimes the honest answer is that the paint is not fit to wrap. We look at the vehicle, or at clear photos, before giving a final figure.

Why the cheapest quote often costs more

The pattern we see most in Deira is a van wrapped on economy film that looked fine at handover. By its first August, the edges around the rear doors have pulled back, the red has gone pink on the roof line and sand has collected under the lifting corners. The owner then pays for removal, which is harder on shrunk, brittle film, and for a second wrap. The cheap job ends up the expensive one.

Use this decision rule:

• Graphics needed for weeks or a few months (an event, a seasonal offer): economy film is a fair choice and saves money.
• Graphics meant to stay a year or more: cast film with lamination, every time. The price difference is smaller than one re-wrap.

Also check what protects you after fitting. Our wraps carry a warranty of up to 2 years against peeling, lamination failure and fading, plus 6 months of free touch-ups. A quote with no written warranty is cheaper because the risk has moved to you.

Three example budgets, built line by line

Here is how real totals come together from the figures above. Your quote will differ with the vehicle and design, but the structure is the same.

The third row shows why full-wrap budgets surprise people: the fees and design can add more than the cheapest partial wrap costs on its own. If the goal is visibility rather than a new colour, a partial wrap that keeps the factory paint as the main colour avoids the colour fee and the Mulkiya step. The coverage options are compared in our guide to types of vehicle branding.

How fleet size changes the price per vehicle

Branding ten identical vans is not ten times the work of one. The design, the mockups and the permit preparation are done once and shared across the fleet. Colour calibration and lamination set-up happen once per print run. After the first van, installers know every cut and seam, so each vehicle goes faster and matches the one before.

Two things work against the saving. Mixed models, say four HiAces, three Urvans and a pickup, each need their own templates and mockups. And every vehicle needs its own permit, so the fee does not shrink with volume even if the admin does. Our fleet branding service explains how we price and schedule programmes so vehicles are off the road in small batches.

How to get an accurate quote in one message

Most quote back-and-forth comes from missing details. Send these together and you will get a figure that does not move later:

1. Make, model and year of each vehicle, or a photo of the Mulkiya.
2. Photos of all four sides in daylight, so we can see paint condition and any old graphics.
3. The coverage you have in mind: door logos, partial or full, and whether the main colour should change.
4. Your artwork: logo as a vector file (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG), or a note that you need design.
5. Number of vehicles and your deadline, so we can plan the permit and the bay time.

When the quotes come back, compare film brand and grade, lamination, design, permit, removal of old graphics and warranty line by line, not just the total. Our checklist on how to choose a vehicle wrap company lists the red flags to look for.

Frequently asked questions

Why can a full wrap on a small car cost more than branding a truck?

Labour follows shape, not only area. A truck box is flat and quick to cover, while a compact car has curved doors, deep bumpers and recessed handles that need cast film heated into each curve. A full car wrap therefore takes more hours per square metre than partial graphics on a 3-ton truck.

Do I pay for design if I already have a logo?

Usually very little. A logo, service line and phone number laid out on the doors needs only basic setup. Design becomes a real cost when you want printed graphics that run across several panels, which adds about AED 500-2,000 depending on detail and the number of vehicle models.

Is removing old graphics included in a new wrap price?

Not by default. Removal time depends on how old and baked the existing film is, so we price it after seeing the vehicle or clear photos. Ask every supplier to show removal as a separate line, so one quote is not cheaper simply because it leaves it out.

Does a business wrap also pay the Dubai Police colour fee?

Yes, if it changes the main colour of the vehicle, meaning more than half the body. The AED 120 fee and the Mulkiya update apply to company vehicles as well as private cars, on top of the Mada Media advertising permit.

Get a line-by-line quote

Send the vehicle model, four photos and your logo on WhatsApp to +971 56 925 9327, and say whether you want door logos, a partial or a full wrap. We reply with a written quote that lists the wrap, design, permit and any colour-change fee separately, so you can see exactly where the money goes.