CAR WRAP VS PAINT: 11 REASONS TO WRAP YOUR CAR

When you want to change your vehicle’s appearance, you can choose between painting it or wrapping it. Both options allow you to outfit your vehicle with a new look, but there are some major differences between them.

Full vehicle wraps offer a few key benefits compared to painting, such as lower costs, better quality, greater protection and more design options.

Vehicle wraps’ advantages make them an ideal choice for car owners and fleet managers, whether they’re looking to save money or create a one-of-a-kind design.

Find out more about vehicle wraps and the 11 main reasons to wrap your vehicle.

WHAT ARE VEHICLE WRAPS?

Vehicle wraps are large vinyl decals or graphics designed to cover the exterior of a vehicle. Depending on your designs, these vinyl films can resemble paint or come with specialty graphics.

Companies may want to wrap their fleets to add custom logos to the outside of their vehicles, while individual drivers may want the look of a high-quality paint job for a fraction of the cost.

You can also find high-quality wraps in different sizes, with some geared towards wrapping the whole vehicle and others made to cover just a part of it, such as a decal.

Imaging companies usually make vehicle wraps out of vinyl, printing custom colors, designs and graphics onto the vinyl to match a customer’s needs. Vinyl vehicle wraps typically feature an adhesive backing designed to attach the wrap to the vehicle and a laminated coat on the surface to protect the vinyl.

When considering the main wrap vs. paint pros and cons, you’ll find that vehicle wraps offer several benefits over paint. Some areas where vehicle wraps excel include better quality, durability, lower costs and faster installation than paint.

Here are some of the top reasons to wrap your vehicle instead of painting it:

1. BETTER QUALITY

While both paint and wraps quality can vary by the type you choose, vehicle wraps tend to be of higher quality than paints. A poor-quality paint job may look good, but it will fade, crack, and scratch over time.

Even paint jobs featuring better quality paints can suffer damage more easily than wraps, as they don’t offer the same level of protection against the weather, sun exposure, and road hazards.

A good vehicle wrap will keep your vehicle looking its best long after a paint job would. An experienced wrap supplier constructs vehicle wraps out of long-lasting, durable materials designed to protect your vehicle’s appearance.

Since vehicle wraps don’t fade as fast as many paints do and won’t chip, they offer higher-quality visuals and protection. This level of quality attracts many car owners, as it helps them get more for their money.

2. LOWER COSTS

Alongside choosing wraps for their better quality, you may want to know more about wrap vs. paint costs. People want their car to look its best but don’t want to spend a lot of money.

Imaging companies meet both of these needs by offering high-quality vehicle wraps at prices lower than what buyers would pay for a premium paint job. Generally, paint jobs range between $3,000 and $10,000. In contrast, you can find a high-quality car wrap between $2,500 and $5,000.

Since a good paint job can cost more than double the cost of a professional vehicle wrap, many companies with fleets choose them over paint. The lower costs allow buyers to save money while getting an attractive look meeting or exceeding a top-tier paint job and reduce the overall expense of wrapping multiple vehicles.

Additionally, paint jobs require more maintenance, leading to higher costs. Vehicle wrap maintenance is much easier, allowing you to save money.

3. MORE DESIGN OPTIONS

Another area where quality vehicle wraps beat paint is the number of options they provide to buyers. When you purchase a vehicle from the lot, it likely comes with limited color options. If none of these options appeal to you, you’re stuck picking a color you don’t love.

With a vehicle wrap, you can select from many different colors and design options, including holographic effects and details that can be difficult to manage with paint but are simple with vinyl.

Custom vehicle wraps can match the exact color pallet you want for your car. You can also outfit a wrap with custom designs to advertise your business, such as lettering, logos and specialty graphics.

When you choose a vehicle wrap, you’ll have more options to select from while also receiving a new look for your car faster and for less money.

4. HIGHER VEHICLE RESALE VALUE

When it’s time to resell your vehicle, quality wraps can help you keep its value higher than paint will. For many buyers, a car featuring its original manufacturer’s paint in good condition is incredibly valuable.

The paint can get scratched or chipped when the owner drives their vehicle. Additionally, exposure to the sun and other weather elements can cause the paint to fade and wear down. Damage or wear to the car’s original paint can reduce the vehicle’s resale value.

A vehicle wrap is perfect if you own a car and want to change its appearance while keeping the original paint.

Vehicle wraps allow you to retain the car’s original paint job, as a high-quality vehicle wrap won’t damage the paint and will provide a protective cover over it.

Once you decide to sell the car, the paint will often look like it did the day you first wrapped it, raising the vehicle’s resale value compared to damaged paint.

5. FASTER INSTALLATION

A major benefit of wrapping your car instead of painting it is getting it back in your hands faster. A new paint job can take weeks to complete as the company fits you into their schedule, paints your vehicle, and waits for the paint to dry between each coat, including a clear coat finish.

This waiting period can be very inconvenient for individuals and companies that need their fleet on the road, resulting in lost revenue.

When you decide to wrap your vehicle, the process usually only takes a few days. An imaging company only has to print out your desired wrap and then install it on your vehicle, getting it back to you in less than a week.

Some companies can even wrap your vehicle in only a single day. As a result, you get your car back faster than if you’d gone with paint.

6. LONGER LASTING

While high-end paint jobs can last a while, low-end paint jobs may only last for a couple of years. A cheap paint job will often start chipping, wearing, and fading in two years, leaving you to pay for another coat of paint.

Even if you receive the best paint job money can buy, it’s susceptible to damage from scratches, inclement weather, rocks and other environmental harm, and minor fading.

Since you probably want your car to look its best for as long as possible, you may want to turn to car wraps. These wraps feature durable vinyl that lasts up to 10 years and offers greater protection from scratches from rocks and other environmental dangers.

Additionally, you can select vinyl wraps with a UV-resistant coating to keep your wrap’s colors as vivid as the day you first installed it on your vehicle for many years.

7. EASIER COLOR AND DESIGN SWAPPING

When you want to change the look of your car, vehicle wraps have the edge over paint jobs. If you choose to paint, you must repaint the entire vehicle to get a new look, which can take a lot of time.

Additionally, placing special effects and finishes on your car with paint is often difficult, limiting your options when you decide to change your vehicle’s appearance.

Unlike paint, you can quickly swap out older vehicle wraps for new ones, allowing you to update your branding or style as needed and in less time than it takes to paint the vehicle.

Simply peel the older vehicle wrap off and apply a new one to the car to give it a new look.

Vehicle wraps can also more easily facilitate effects, colors and finishes that paint can struggle with. For example, color shift, satin, pearl and chrome finishes are much easier to add to your vehicle with vehicle wraps instead of paint.

8. SIMPLER MAINTENACE

Paint requires much more maintenance than vinyl if you want it to look its best for a long time. Generally, car owners must wax their vehicles to protect the paint and wash it regularly to prevent contaminants from harming the paint.

When car owners don’t wash their vehicle’s exterior, contaminants, like pollutants and microparticles, will form in the paint’s pores and corrode the paint. Regular washing and reapplying protective coats can take lots of time and money.

Vehicle wraps offer an attractive alternative to paint, as they don’t require such intensive maintenance. You won’t need to wash your vehicle as often since vinyl doesn’t have pores like paint that allow contaminants to embed themselves in the wrap.

Washing vinyl is easy as well, with simple maintenance requirements. If you operate a fleet, you can save money since you don’t have to devote as much labor or purchase as many specialty products to keep your vehicles looking their best.

9. SAFER AND EASIER REMOVAL

Paint can be difficult to remove.

When you need to remove a coat of paint or restore a scuffed panel to its former glory, you’ll often have to remove paint via a sanding device manually. You may also need to pay for mechanical or chemical paint removal solutions if manual options aren’t ideal.

Manual removal requires hard work, and mechanical removal can damage the car.

In contrast, vehicle wrap removal is incredibly easy and doesn’t require any intensive processes to remove it. Removing a vehicle wrap usually involves heating the decal, peeling it off by hand and then using an adhesive remover.

As long as a wrap is removed in a time frame that doesn’t exceed the manufacturer’s instructions, sometimes up to 10 years, it won’t typically damage the paint underneath it. Due to a wrap’s design, vehicle wrap removal is a safer and simpler process than paint removal.

10. GREATER PAINT PROTECTION

When you place a wrap over your vehicle’s paint, you protect it from damage. Cars that don’t have wraps on them put their paint in harm’s way, as it’s exposed to weather, environmental hazards, dangers on the road and even car wash damage.

For example, if your car kicks up a rock while you’re driving, it can hit your car’s paint, chipping it or scratching it. Additionally, prolonged sun exposure can cause a paint’s color to fade.

Wraps prevent damage to your paint by covering your vehicle with vinyl. These vinyl vehicle wraps are much more resistant to hazards and other dangers than paint, helping your car maintain its great looks year-round.

You can purchase thick vinyl wraps to safeguard your paint from rocks and scratches from other vehicles. As was discussed earlier, vehicle wraps keep your vehicle’s value high by protecting the underlying paint.

11. MORE TEXTURE OPTIONS

Another area where vinyl shines is in its texture options.

By its nature, paint only comes in one smooth texture, with any rough textures coming from contaminants lodged in the surface. This lack of textural options can be a major downside to buyers who want to personalize their vehicle and stand out while driving.

Vehicle wraps can come in various textures and even matte finishes to give your vehicle a particular feeling when you run your hands over it. Besides their ability to change how a car feels, textured wraps can also significantly change the vehicle’s look.

Since different textures react to light in various ways, so they can change your vehicle’s appearance a great deal, giving them more depth and elegance and drawing more eyes to a company’s graphics. Some popular options include satin, gloss and matte vehicle wraps.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT VEHICLE WRAPS

As you consider investing in a vehicle wrap for your car or fleet of vehicles, take a moment to review answers to some of the most common questions about vehicles wraps:

• Are car wraps more durable than paint? Vehicle wraps are generally more durable than paint. While a top-tier paint job can last the life of a vehicle, standard paint jobs typically only last a couple of years. A high-quality vehicle wrap will last up to 10 years. Additionally, car wraps are thicker than paint and don’t have pores, making them more resistant to damage and easier to maintain.
• Can a wrap look like paint? Buyers can often choose from multiple kinds of vehicle wraps resembling paint. If you want a traditional-looking vehicle without the downsides of paint, vehicle wraps can deliver just that. You can also purchase vehicle wraps that don’t resemble paint if you want to stand out on the road. This level of choice makes vehicle wraps incredibly versatile and customizable to a buyer’s tastes.
• Does wrapping a car damage the paint? If you properly install vinyl and remove it, it won’t usually damage your car’s paint. It can better protect it, as a wrap is a protective layer over the paint. When you install a new wrap on your car, you should pre-test the paint to ensure it’s in good condition. If the paint’s in bad condition, vinyl wrap removal may cause peeling, so it’s important only to wrap vehicles with paint in good condition.
• Is it possible to wrap a vehicle yourself? Attempting to do it yourself is not recommended unless you’re an expert wrap installer. It’s much safer to allow a professional to install vehicle wraps, as putting on a wrap correctly can be difficult for those who aren’t trained to install them. By sticking to professional installation, you can avoid bubbles and wrinkles in your wrap, ensuring your car looks its best.
• Do you have to replace the entire wrap if a section is damaged? Accidents can happen, and sometimes a vehicle wrap will get damaged. One benefit of vehicle wraps is that you often don’t have to replace the entire wrap when you need to repair a specific area. Instead, you can purchase a partial wrap matching your full wrap’s design and color, with a professional lining it up seamlessly with the rest of the design.
• Can you wrap a leased vehicle? While leasing companies have varying vehicle restrictions, they generally allow buyers to use vehicle wraps. Since vehicle wraps can protect a car’s paint and usually won’t harm it, many leasing companies are happy to allow clients to wrap their vehicles.
• Who uses car wraps? Usually, car owners who want to upgrade their vehicle’s style and companies that want to market their business are the primary car wrap users. Since vehicle wraps are easy to duplicate and feature eye-catching graphics, companies love placing them on their fleets to raise brand awareness. Many car owners enjoy using them to make their exterior stand out.

CHOOSE ZION WRAPS FOR YOUR VEHICLE WRAP NEEDS

With all the reasons to wrap vehicles instead of painting them, you might also be interested in adding a custom wrap to your car. As the nation’s largest network of imaging studios specializing in large-format graphics, we can outfit your vehicle or fleet with durable vehicle wraps you’ll love.

You can submit your DIY design for our high-quality vinyl wraps or work with one of our specialists to find the perfect fit for your vehicle.

Find your local Zion Wraps today to speak with one of our representatives about what we can do for you.