So your considering wrapping your golf cart and are worried it may be out of your budget? I have personally had my golf cart wrapped and done some research on getting it done so I feel comfortable giving some recommendations and estimates.
In general, the cost to wrap a golf cart for vinyl only is $225-500 and for getting it fully printed and installed is $550-800, this of course will depend on your shop and the quality of materials.
How Much Does It Cost to Wrap a Golf Cart?
The biggest fear most people have is that a custom job on a golf cart will cost them the same as a car would. When we’re speaking about cars a custom wrapping job can go from $2500-3500. With golf carts rest assured this is not the case, there are a few reasons they are cheaper and one of them includes the fact that golf carts just have much less surface area.
A typical golf cart will have about half the surface area of a car and 1/3 that of a truck so the cost to cover it is much lower. Also, golf carts have fewer trims and grooves, and details making them easier to cover.
So what’s the cost?
Well, there are a few quotes out there but a common workshop I personally used quoted me $250, another workshop I went to said $200. So you can expect to pay between 225-500 depending on the job.
So if we’re going to break it down I would say:
For a wrap “kit” that is Vinyl only
$225 – 500
For full printed and installed
$550 – $800
Factors That Effect Wrap Price
There are a few factors that will determine what the price is for the wrap.
1. Pattern/brand of wrap you choose. There are different wrap patterns that cost more, these patterns are priced by their manufacturer and similar to buying branded clothing some wraps may cost more than others and these prices are created subjectively.
Some of the most common brands include 3m, Avery Dennison, and Oracal.
2. Amount of material needed. This is the biggest factor and the most obvious. The more material you need for the wrap the more it’s going to cost you. Similar to buying the paint you are paying for the amount of wrap you will need. Usually, the size is denoted in feet and starts at 5ft x1ft going up to 5ft x 25 yds for larger orders.
3. Installation. This is the pricing factor that is most often overlooked. Many people look at the pricing of materials and style and then forget about the cost of installation. If you are a do-it-yourselfer there is no issue but if you want someone to professionally install the vinyl it will cost you hourly. Most installers include the install price in their cost for a full golf cart since if they do this regularly they can receive a discount on the materials costs when buying in bulk, this cost is in our estimates above.
Design Elements to Consider
1. Partial or Full Wrap?
A full wrap is going to cost more because it is going to use more material and cover the entire cart. These wraps are great for making a golf cart look like it was just painted and protecting from UV rays and other types of debris.
A partial wrap is just the opposite and is more for people looking for some quick aesthetics. For quotes on partial wraps mostly people will charge by doing the eyeball test and giving a rough estimate of material cost and time.
Keep in mind that if you choose an uncommon material it will cost more since the installer will not benefit from the economies of scale they get from purchasing large orders of a common material.
Cart Brand Can Affect Price
You would be surprised to know that specific golf cart brands have their own types of wrap Made specifically for them. Usually, if you order these types of wrap they are specifically made for your golf cart model and brand, and make sure that you get the perfect type of material and amounts without sacrificing any other factors. These can be cheaper than custom jobs because they make sure you get the exact amount of material you need.
It’s important to note that these are usually not directly from the manufacturer.
For example, a thousand and six Yamaha golf cart graphic kit could go for $300.
The common brands that have wraps that are specifically made for them include the following.
Yamaha: Usually the Yamaha brand is known for being cheaper than the other types of golf cart brands and this pricing translates to the cost of specific wraps made for it.
Club car: This brand has a fully customized type of wrap made directly for them that makes sure every inch of material is accounted for.
E-Z-Go: This brand also has specialized wraps although they do not come directly from the brand officially.
Garia: This brand is a bit more expensive than other brands so likewise, their wraps are a bit more expensive kind of like painting a Mercedes versus painting a Corolla.
Polaris: These golf carts can get surprisingly expensive when it comes to wraps because of their eco-friendly and specific design.
Other names of note: Star EV, American custom golf carts ACG, Tomberlin.
Other Factors That Affect Wrap Price
Special Equipment. It depends on how much safety equipment you want. While you can apply materials in a closed garage it’s recommended you find or rent to squat that is well ventilated and you purchase a respirator mask and other safety equipment.
Do It yourself or get an expert? The Debate. While it may be tempting to wrap your golf cart on your own there are many reasons you may want help with it. Wrapping a golf cart on your own could be a very satisfying do-it-yourself project but there are a lot of things to keep in mind – the most common thing I see when people try to wrap their golf cart on their own is they misalign the wrapping and just think that they have better hand-eye coordination than they actually have.
If you have seen American Idol and people sing terribly thinking they’re great this is an exact example someone might think they can put the wrap on their own cart and in the end habit look hideous. If you’re thinking about wrapping your cart yourself you should really consider what kind of experience you have. If you are good with small models and you have created and painted them before as a hobby or if you were great in art class in school you may be suited to this work however if you have bad hand-eye coordination you should outsource this or it’s going to end up extremely messy. (1)
You would be surprised how many people start this job with the wrap they purchased and then find out they can’t finish it or they have messed up the job and have to purchase all over again the same wrap and have a professional do it. I would even be as bold to say that 50% of people that try and lay their own wrap end up messing it up and having to re-buy it and have it installed expertly.
This may be one of the biggest pricing considerations as you can imagine that paying double the price for a botched job is not something anyone wants to do.
Why Install a Cart Wrap? (Price Related)
Increases the value of your golf cart. Imagine you have the choice between a dull blue Yamaha golf cart or one that has a clean graphic finish. This may not be for everyone for certain people your design may be a big differentiator between all of the other golf carts for sale. Don’t be surprised to see a 20% increase in the value of your golf cart if it is wrapped.
Preserve the paint job of your golf cart. You would be surprised to learn that it’s actually quite easy to take off golf cart wrap after it is laid on. If you don’t like it or eventually a buyer wants the original color it can easily be removed and you would immediately see the benefit of having the wrap on in the first place because the original paint job would have been protected from the sun, salt and other dangerous depreciating factors that could have damaged the paint job of the golf cart. (2)
Wrapping Up
Whatever your purpose in purchasing golf cart wrapped know that the pricing is usually pretty similar if you try and buy the wrap yourself with the main factors being the brands, the size, and the delivery. However, if you choose to have someone else do the rapping for you this is usually the better option and is much easier because it can prevent any mistakes you might make leading to the cost being double. If you choose to go this way the two main factors are whether it’s a partial wrap or full with the difference being $200-$500 versus $500-$800.
Take a look at some of our related articles below.
References
(1) American Idol – https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Idol
(2) preserve the paint – https://www.howtogeek.com/319872/how-to-store-leftover-paint-the-right-way/
