How Much Does It Cost to Soundproof a Car?

How Much Does It Cost to Soundproof a Car?

How Much Does It Cost to Soundproof a Car?

If you have problems with road noise, the hum of the engine or rattling panels in your car, adding soundproofing can completely change how your car feels and sounds. Drivers often want to know: how much does it cost to insulate their car from noise? The following aspects may determine the answer: what type of vehicle it is, the type of coating you choose and if it is installed professionally or you do it yourself.

Soundproofing your car helps get rid of any noise you don’t want to hear inside it. We usually place acoustic mats, foams or sprays on doors, floors, roofs, trunks and wheel wells to stop vibrations and reduce the amount of sound that escapes. As well as making the audio quieter, it improves the sound quality and boosts the bass. Music enthusiasts, people who travel daily and luxury car owners are likely to try these types of systems for their quiet drive and full-bodied sound.

How Much Does It Cost to Sound Deaden a Car?

It may cost you anywhere from $200 up to $2,000 or more, depending on whether you want a quiet ride, what type of car you have and decide to install it yourself or hire professionals.

Here’s a breakdown by common installation options:

1. DIY Soundproofing (Basic to Moderate Coverage): $200 – $600

SoundSkins Global is a company that sells sound deadening material in DIY kits to make your own installation. Such mats are usually sticky-backed and are meant for doors, floors, trunks and headliners.

  • Small vehicles (e.g., coupes or sedans): ~$200–$400

  • Larger vehicles (e.g., SUVs, vans, trucks): ~$400–$600

This option is budget-friendly and effective, especially if you’re comfortable taking apart your car’s interior panels. Tools like rollers and trim removal kits are usually needed but inexpensive.

2. Professional Installation: $700 – $2,000+

If you prefer not to tackle it yourself, hiring car sound deadening installers is a reliable option. They handle everything from surface prep to precise material application. The higher cost accounts for labor, expertise, and guaranteed results.

Here’s what you might expect:

  • Partial treatment (just doors and trunk): ~$700–$1,000

  • Full interior treatment (floors, doors, roof, wheel wells): ~$1,200–$2,000+

Luxury and performance car owners often go this route to maintain vehicle value and get premium results.

Factors That Affect Soundproofing Costs

Several variables influence how much you’ll spend:

1. Vehicle Size and Type

A compact car will require fewer materials and labor compared to a large SUV or cargo van. More surface area equals more cost.

2. Materials Used

High-performance materials like SoundSkins Pro (a 3-in-1 layer of foam, butyl rubber, and foil) cost more than basic deadening mats, but they deliver better acoustic results with fewer layers.

3. Scope of Coverage

Are you only treating the doors, or going full-out with floors, trunk, roof, and wheel wells? The more you cover, the quieter your ride—but also the higher the cost.

4. Labor Costs

Professional installation varies by region. Searching for “car soundproofing near me” will give you a better idea of what local shops charge. Some offer package deals or bundle it with audio upgrades.

What’s Included in a Full Car Soundproofing Package?

A comprehensive soundproofing job typically includes:

  • Doors: Blocks wind and traffic noise; improves speaker clarity.

  • Floor: Reduces road and tire noise.

  • Roof/Headliner: Minimizes rain and wind noise.

  • Trunk: Essential for hatchbacks and subwoofer installations.

  • Wheel Wells & Firewall: Damps engine and road vibrations.

The more layers and areas you treat, the greater the noise reduction—often up to 50–70% improvement depending on the vehicle.

Is Car Soundproofing Worth the Cost?

If you value comfort, better audio, and a more peaceful driving experience, then yes—soundproofing is worth it. Here’s why:

  • Reduces driver fatigue by blocking long-distance road noise

  • Improves music quality, especially bass and mid-range tones

  • Enhances resale value for luxury or modified vehicles

  • Makes conversations easier, especially during highway driving

It’s a one-time investment that pays off every time you drive.

Example Cost Comparison: Sedan vs. SUV

Area Covered

DIY Sedan

Pro Sedan

DIY SUV

Pro SUV

Doors Only

$150

$400

$200

$500

Doors + Floor

$300

$800

$400

$1,000

Full Interior

$500

$1,500

$600

$2,000+

Estimates only. Prices vary by location, brand, and installer.

Finding Car Sound Deadening Installers Near You!

When searching for car sound deadening installers or car soundproofing near me, look for:

  • Reputable audio shops with experience in acoustic treatments

  • Online reviews and testimonials

  • Before-and-after examples or demo cars

  • Warranty or satisfaction guarantee

Some companies also offer mobile installations if you can’t visit a physical shop.

Why Choose SoundSkins Global?

SoundSkins Global is another trusted industry name we can mention, that produces top of the line triple layer deadening materials using foam, butyl and foil together in the same product. Installation is easier and less layers are required.

Car enthusiasts and audio professionals alike love popular product like SoundSkins Pro. Way superior sound dampening, thermal insulation, long term durability, for affordable DIY and professional installs.

If you want a more comfortable drive or just peace, SoundSkins are worth considering because they deliver effective performance and cost less.

Final Thoughts

The exact cost to reduce car noise can change a lot, but what’s certain is you’ll face less noise, get better sound and enjoy your ride more. No matter if you handle the job yourself or pay a professional, sound deadening gives you’re driving a noticeable improvement.

Ensure the parts you buy are suitable, see who is doing the repair and focus on the parts that need attention. Keep in mind that adding better doors and floor panels first can make a big difference and then add on other upgrades over time.

If you're ready to explore premium options, check out SoundSkins Global for top-tier products and installation guides.

 

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Step 1

To install the material you need be working on the metal surface of the car, remove upholstery. If you have never done this, we suggest searching it up on YouTube. Once the upholstery is removed, make sure there is no debris, waxy oils or rust by cleaning the surface with denatured alcohol.

Step 2

Once surface is clean and ready to go, cut the sound deadening material to the right size so it fits desired area. For small surfaces, we recommend that you measure the dimensions and then cut to fit.

Step 3

With the surface area clean and pieces cut to desired dimensions, peel off the paper and apply material to surface area starting from the top to bottom using the car door holes to help with alignment. We recommend using a hand roller to ensure that there are no air pockets and ensure the adhesiveness.

Sound Deadener Install On Jeep

SOUNDSKINS GLOBAL

Sound Deadener Install FAQ: Tips & Tricks

What tools will I need to for a sound deadening project?  
  • Rag & Denatured Alcohol: Apply the alcohol to the rag and use to clean the metal surface areas you will be applying the material to.
  • Gloves: Our product is pretty safe to install without gloves but if you have never installed a sound deadener mat, we recommend using gloves.
  • Hand roller: We highly recommend using a small roller to reach the tighter surface areas of your vehicle. You can find these on Amazon or most online retail shops. There are wooden, rubber and metal rollers, we recommend wooden or rubber, try and stay away from metal as they can tear the material.
  • Utility Knife: The utility blade is to cut the material. Make sure to cut the material on top of a pice of cardboard so that your blade stays sharper longer, if it's a big job, have some extra blades around.
How do you apply sound deadener material? 

We sell our roll on sound deadener product in 2 different formats: custom cut to fit pro kits and an easy to work with rolled up large sheet. If you can measure, cut, peel and stick you can install sound deadener! You can use your hand to apply pressure when positioning the material and then use a roller to make sure it sticks down to metal surface.

After you cut the material and are ready to stick it on, some customers find it easier to peel off a small portion of the release liner and then apply it to metal surface, and then work their way across the sheet, peeling off a small section at a time.

Make sure to always remove the air bubbles with the roller. The second most important thing when it comes to quality of sound deadener is the quality of adhesion to the surface area. You want the material to be stuck down properly to ensure it stays in place.

Where do you apply the sound deadening material?  

The great thing about our sound deadening material is that it can be applied to all types of metal surfaces. All SoundSkins sheets use extremely strong adhesive and they can even be mounted on fiberglass, plastic and even wooden surfaces, but it's not very common to apply to these surfaces since they don't vibrate as much. By covering all metal surfaces such as your doors, roof, trunk and floor you can make a significant difference to unwanted road noise.

Your top priority when applying a car sound deadener is to cover the doors, floor and trunk. If you have extra material then proceed to other metal surfaces you wish to cover for extra sound insulation.

How much surface area should I cover?  

To properly deaden the metal surfaces, we recommend to at least do 25% coverage with our SoundSkins material, this will make a difference in unwanted road noise, but to have a huge impact we recommend covering up 60% of metal surfaces. If you want to get the most used from your sheet, one effective strategy is the CHECKER BOARD APPROACH, using this technique you cut the SoundSkins sheet into small pieces and apply them to the metal surface in a checkered pattern.

It is very common for our customers to do close to 100& coverage to any metal surface because not only are they looking to reduce road noise, they also want to insulate their car from heat or they like the way the material looks on the car's bare metal surface.

How do I make sure the sound deadener sticks well?

SoundSkins products are made with a very strong adhesive and create a extremely strong bond with the metal, it's really hard to NOT make it stick. To ensure the best possible bond, we highly recommend cleaning the metal surface before applying our material and then using a hand roller to firmly attach the SoundSkins deadening mats.

Great adhesion with no air bubbles is the absolute key if you want to get the best performance. Remember that any air pocket with poor adhesion means you will not get the full benefit of the deadener.

How to install car sound deadener: Recap
  1. Remove upholstery and carpet from your vehicle. Proceed to vacuum to get rid of debris and dirt. Clean all greasy spots with denatured alcohol, other solvents or degreasers will leave behind a film that prevents a solid contact surface. Allow metal surface to try.
  2. Cut the SoundSkins sheet to desired size and cut using a sharp utility knife. Use gloves to avoid any cuts.
  3. Peel off the wax paper from the back of material and apply to surface, this can be done by small sections at a time. Use roller to create a strong bond between material and metal surface and to get rid of any air bubbles.

If you have any questions, make to reach out to use and we'll be happy to help.

SOUNDSKINS GLOBAL