Quick answer: Vehicle livery and wraps turn your car, van, lorry or fleet into moving advertising — and unlike most marketing, you pay for it once and it keeps working every time the vehicle is on the road. Costs range from under £150 for simple cut-vinyl graphics on a car to several thousand pounds for a full lorry wrap, and most jobs are ready within a few days.
What’s the Difference Between Livery, Wraps and Graphics?
These terms get used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same thing:
| Option | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cut vinyl graphics | Individual letters, logos and simple shapes cut from coloured vinyl and applied directly to the paintwork | Company name and contact details on a car or small van, on a tight budget |
| Partial wrap | Printed vinyl covering specific panels — bonnet, doors, rear — combined with cut graphics elsewhere | Businesses that want strong branding without wrapping the whole vehicle |
| Full wrap | Printed vinyl covering the entire vehicle, including a full colour change if needed | Maximum visibility, fleet consistency, or hiding an unwanted paint colour |
| Fleet livery | A consistent design template applied across every vehicle in a fleet | Multi-vehicle businesses that want every van or lorry to look identical |
Car & Van Wraps
Cars and small vans are the most common starting point — a wrapped work van or branded car is often the first piece of marketing a tradesperson or small business invests in. Full colour wraps, partial wraps and simple cut-vinyl signage are all options depending on budget, and because the vehicle is on the road daily, doing school runs, deliveries or site visits, it’s advertising that works without any ongoing spend.
Lorry & Truck Graphics
Larger vehicles give you a much bigger canvas — a full-size lorry or box van can carry a design that’s genuinely eye-catching from a distance, which matters on motorways and dual carriageways where most cars simply can’t compete for attention. Because of the surface area involved, we usually recommend a mix of printed panels and cut vinyl to keep costs sensible while still covering the vehicle properly.
Fleet Branding & Consistency
If you run more than one vehicle, consistency matters more than any single design choice. A fleet where every van looks slightly different — different logo placement, different colours, some wrapped and some not — undermines the professional impression you’re trying to create. We can produce a single template design and apply it across your whole fleet, so a new van added next year looks identical to the one you had wrapped this year.
What Affects the Cost?
Vehicle wrap pricing depends on a handful of factors:
- Vehicle size — a car costs less to wrap than a van, which costs less than a lorry
- Coverage — cut vinyl graphics cost far less than a full printed wrap
- Design complexity — a simple logo and contact details is quicker to design than a full illustrated wrap
- Fleet size — wrapping multiple vehicles to the same template usually costs less per vehicle than doing one alone
As with shop signage, this is an investment rather than a cost to minimise — a professionally designed wrap reflects directly on how customers judge the business behind it, exactly as it does with a shop front. See our shop sign cost guide for how we think about pricing signage generally.
Do You Need to Tell the DVLA?
If a wrap changes your vehicle’s colour — a common outcome with full wraps — you’re legally required to update the colour recorded on your V5C logbook with the DVLA. It’s a straightforward update, but it’s often overlooked, and driving with a V5C that no longer matches your vehicle’s appearance can cause problems if you’re ever stopped or if you come to sell the vehicle.
How Long Does It Take?
A simple cut-vinyl job on a car can be designed and fitted within a few days. Full wraps take longer — design and print typically take a week or so, with installation itself taking a full day for a van and up to two days for a lorry, depending on complexity. We’ll always give you a realistic timeline before work starts so it fits around your business.
How Long Does a Wrap Last?
A well-fitted wrap using quality vinyl typically lasts 5-7 years with normal use, though vehicles that are washed frequently, parked outdoors constantly, or used for heavy-duty work may see a shorter lifespan. We can advise on care and cleaning to help your wrap last as long as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a van wrap cost?
It depends on size and coverage — cut vinyl graphics on a small van cost far less than a full printed wrap on a large panel van. Get in touch with your vehicle’s make and model for an accurate quote.
Do I need planning permission for a vehicle wrap?
No — vehicle wraps and livery are not covered by advertising planning permission in the way that shop signs and fascias are. See our guide to shop sign planning permission if you’re also looking at fixed signage for your premises.
Can you wrap just part of my vehicle?
Yes — partial wraps and cut vinyl graphics are a genuinely popular option, especially for businesses that want strong branding without the cost of a full wrap.
Will a wrap damage my paintwork?
No — a professionally fitted, good-quality wrap protects the paintwork underneath it and can be removed without damage when fitted and removed correctly.
Do you cover areas outside Doncaster?
Yes — we regularly wrap vehicles for businesses across a roughly 50-mile radius of Doncaster, mostly to the south, including South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.