Why you keep losing money on the big vehicles
Because the price list was built around a sedan, and a three-row SUV is not a bigger sedan — it's a different job.
Published ranges reflect this. Housecall Pro lists $175–$250 for a sedan or SUV against $500–$650+ for a large SUV or van. Jobber lists $150–$250 for a sedan against $200–$500 for a truck. The top of the large-vehicle range is roughly two to three times the sedan price — but most one-page price lists carry a single "full detail" number.
Where the extra time actually goes
It isn't proportional to length. It's the things that scale badly:
- A third row, usually with the worst-condition upholstery in the vehicle and the least access.
- Cargo area that has been carrying whatever a family or a trade carries.
- Vertical surfaces — a tall vehicle means ladder work or reaching, and both are slower.
- More glass, more trim, more seams.
- Condition correlation. Family SUVs and work trucks are, on average, in worse shape than the commuter sedan.
A vehicle that takes 40% longer at the same price is a 40% pay cut on that job — and it's usually your longest day of the week.
Build a size multiplier, not a bigger guess
Take your baseline sedan price, then apply a published multiplier band rather than eyeballing it:
| Vehicle class | Typical multiplier on a sedan baseline |
|---|---|
| Coupe / small car | 0.9× |
| Sedan | 1.0× (baseline) |
| Small SUV / crossover | 1.2× |
| Truck | 1.3–1.6× |
| Large SUV / 3-row / van | 1.8–2.5× |
These bands are derived from the published ranges above — they are a starting structure, not a law. The point is that the multiplier should exist and be written down, so the decision isn't made under pressure on the phone.
Price condition separately from size
Size and condition are two different variables and folding them together is the second half of the problem. A clean large SUV can be quicker than a filthy sedan. Two options that work:
- A condition tier — light / standard / heavy — applied on top of the size multiplier.
- Photos before quoting. Three photos (front seats, back seats, cargo area) take the customer thirty seconds and remove most of the guesswork. It also sets the expectation that the price depends on what you find.
Say it out loud before the job, not after
The conversation that goes badly is the one where the price changes on arrival. The one that goes fine is where you said, at quote time: "That's for the vehicle as described — if the interior needs significantly more work than the photos show, I'll call you before I start rather than surprise you at the end."
Then work out what the job actually needs to earn. The calculator gives you the hourly floor; the multiplier tells you the hours.
Rigsheet. "Why you keep losing money on the big vehicles." Baker Ventures LLC, September 4, 2026. https://rigsheet.bakerventuresstudio.com/guides/stop-underquoting-large-vehicles