Car Detailing vs Valeting: What is the Difference?

If you are looking for a professional to take care of your vehicle and keep it in immaculate condition, then you’ve probably heard of both car valeting and detailing services. But what is the difference between them? And which type of service is best for your requirements? In this guide we’ll take you through all the differences between detailing and valeting so you know exactly where to go from here.

Car detailing services are more expensive and take longer to complete compared to valeting services. Car valeting focuses on getting the vehicle clean, whereas detailing also includes additional stages which aim to restore the condition and protect it, for example by machine polishing and applying ceramic coatings.

What is Car Valeting?

Car valeting is a service which focuses on cleaning the interior and exterior of a vehicle. There are many different valeting packages available, but the most common are:

Interior Valet: involves a deep clean of all interior surfaces to reset the cabin back to factory-fresh
Exterior Valet: involves a complete clean of all exterior surfaces. Some exterior valeting services also include extras like tar removal, and the addition of a wax or sealant application to the paintwork.
Full Valet: combines both the interior and exterior valeting packages into a single service to ensure the entire vehicle is thoroughly cleaned.
Maintenance Valets: these are designed to keep the car’s interior and exterior in-check on a regular basis (usually at least monthly).

Within the valeting industry there is a lot of variation in terms of the price and level of service provided.

Cheaper valeting services will follow similar approaches to roadside car wash stations, and perform the service very quickly for a low cost. However, unfortunately this means that they often cut corners and do not pay much care and attention to the condition of the vehicle, besides getting it looking clean again.

For example, they may use poor quality tools (e.g. brushes and sponges) instead of premium microfiber mitts and towels, and they may skip the “pre-wash stage” and jump straight into hand-washing the car. This unfortunately leads to the infliction of clear coat scratches and swirl marks which cause the vehicle to look dull and tired, and look unsightly in bright light.

Premium car valeting services take a more careful approach, by using safe-wash techniques to ensure that the vehicle is treated in the best way possible to prevent scratches and swirls. They also use high-quality chemicals to avoid staining, which is common when using cheap roadside valeting services.

At NVS Valeting we pride ourselves on only ever using safe-wash techniques to prevent clear coat defects, and premium car care chemicals to avoid surface-damage.

What is Car Detailing?

Car detailing goes a step further than valeting, by offering additional services which focus on restoring the finish and protecting it. Let’s break these two aspects down.

Restoring the Finish

As mentioned previously, poor wash techniques can lead to clear coat defects such as scratches and swirl marks. In order to remove these defects, the paintwork must be polished. This essentially involves removing a layer of clear coat to eliminate or reduce the appearance of scratches. The result being an ultra-glossy finish (see the before and after image below). This process is typically referred to as “machine polishing” or “paint correction” in the detailing industry. Restoring the finish can also apply to other areas for example removing oxidisation from cloudy/ yellowing headlights, or polishing the exhaust tips to remove tar and carbon deposits.

Protecting the Surfaces

Car detailing also places a much larger emphasis on protecting the vehicle in order to preserve the newly restored finish. The paint can either be protected with a wax, sealant or ceramic coating. Ceramic coatings are the most popular option offered in car detailing services as they offer the best level of protection and are the most durable choice. Other surfaces can also be protected though, including the glass, alloys, tyres, trim, plastics, and interior.

Comparing Valeting and Detailing

Now that we’ve been through the basic definitions of car valeting and detailing, let’s address the specific comparisons. Here we’ll be breaking this down into three categories:

The Processes Involved
The Time Required
The Price

Processes Involved

The lines between car detailing and valeting services have become somewhat blurred in recent years. For example, at NVS Valeting we offer full valeting services which use safe wash techniques (to prevent scratches and swirls), chemical decontamination (to remove iron and tar) and the application of a paintwork sealant. Many in the industry would actually consider these to be “detailing services”.

The easiest way to think about the difference between detailing and valeting is to consider the overall goal. With valeting, the main focus of the process is ensuring a thorough clean, whereas with detailing, there is also additional focus on restoring and protecting the finish. Detailing essentially just goes a few steps further, so the start of the process is typically the same as a premium valeting service, with both including:

Interior deep clean to reset the vehicle back to factory-level cleanliness
A thorough clean of the wheels
Pre-wash stage using citrus/ snow foam
Hand-wash stage using car shampoo and a microfibre wash mitt
Chemical decontamination using tar and iron removers

Car detailing then includes additional stages such as:

Clay bar treatment: to remove bonded contaminants and make the paint/ glass feel ultra-smooth
Machine polishing: to remove clear coat scratches and swirl marks
Protection: using high-quality ceramic coatings rather than just waxes and sealants

Time Required

With detailing involving extra steps compared to valeting, it’s no surprise that the service takes significantly longer. Most valeting services take around 2-4 hours to complete, but can take up to a day in some cases depending on the condition of the vehicle. Detailing services often take at least a day to perform, as much more time is required for the restorative stages (e.g. machine polishing) in particular.

Price

With detailing services taking longer than valeting services, again it won’t come as a shock to find out that they are also significantly more expensive. In the UK, valeting services typically cost between £50-£150 (depending on the exact level of service being carried out), whereas detailing services involving paint correction will cost over £300, and in some cases can even be over £1000.

Detailing & Valeting Packages Explained

As you have probably already guessed, the difference between detailing and valeting isn’t very clear cut, so in order to try and make things as straightforward for our customers as possible, we offer four main packages.

Valeting Packages:

Interior Valet: includes a deep clean of all the interior surfaces to leave the cabin looking and feeling brand-new again
Exterior Valet: involves a thorough wash using safe techniques, tar removal, iron removal and the application of a 6-month sealant

Detailing Packages

Single-Stage Machine Polish: involves all stages of the Exterior Valet, plus clay bar treatment and an enhancement machine polish to remove light swirl marks. There is also the option to add a ceramic coating to this service.
Two-Stage Machine Polish: involves all stages of the Exterior Valet, plus clay bar treatment and a two-stage machine polish to remove moderate clear coat scratches. There is also the option to add a ceramic coating to this service.

If your vehicle has recently been treated to any of our valeting or detailing packages, then you will also be offered a place on our maintenance plan which is designed to keep your vehicle in check on a monthly or fortnightly basis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about valeting and detailing.

Which service is best for my vehicle, valeting or detailing?

If you have a lower budget and just want your vehicle to be cleaned, then a valeting service will be the best option for you. If however, you want the removal of scratches and swirl marks, and are looking for high-quality paint protection in the form of a ceramic coating, then a car detailing service will be the right choice for you.

What is a ceramic coating?

Ceramic coatings offer industry-leading protection against the environment so your car stays looking glossy for many years. They make the vehicle easier to maintain, and also help to keep it cleaner between washes. The incredible chemical resistance and hardness of a coating also shields it against traffic film, road salt and corrosion, keeping it in the best possible condition. Please visit our Ceramic Coating service page for more information.

Is it worth getting my car detailed?

Car detailing services, although more expensive than valeting services are worth it if you take pride in your vehicle’s appearance. Having your vehicle professionally detailed will ensure it looks in the best possible condition, and stays protected for years to come. This can even improve its resale value, hence why car detailing services have become extremely popular over the past decade in the UK.

Which detailing and valeting services do you offer?

We offer a range of detailing and valeting services to suit all budgets and requirements. Please visit our individual service pages (listed below) for more information: