This is definitely a frequently asked question by many of our customers who want to advertise their business with a custom vehicle wrap or car graphics. Car, vehicle, and trailer wraps give businesses huge advertising potential and reach thousands of people every day, so it's understandable that you'd want your wrap to be the best it could be. So what's the difference between a full wrap and a half wrap and which one is best? We've answered these questions here.

So what's the difference?

A full vehicle wrap covers every exterior part of the body of a car or vehicle (except the roof unless otherwise wanted), so none of the original color shows through.

Full wraps are typically used when the original paint needs to be hidden. Full custom vehicle wraps can use digital printing and cut vinyl graphics. Here's an example of a full bus wrap that used cut vinyl to create custom graphics on a music star's tour bus:

This bus was fully wrapped in matte black with white vinyl graphics for the singer's name and logo. What a great look!

A half vehicle wrap or partial vehicle wrap covers only part of the car or vehicle's body. Because the car's original color will show (on the part that is not covered by the wrap) when a partial vehicle wrap is installed, the original color needs to be taken in consideration when the wrap is designed.

Keep in mind that every car has different body lines. A half wrap can work with and blend well with the different body lines of your car, meanwhile saving you money by not using as much wrap material.

Here's an example a half or partial vehicle wrap:

You would never think that these 2 different bus wraps ... are actually on the same vehicle! Each side has a different design. The original color is white. Although it's not a full wrap, the partial wrap and vinyl lettering make this truck look great and provide effective mobile advertising!

So what's the best thing for my business advertising?

Opt for the full wrap if you want a complete do-over for your car. This means new color, big graphics, and big message.

If you're on a tight budget and you don't mind the color of your car or vehicle, opt for the partial wrap. Designers can work with that color when designing the artwork for your wrap.

But ... if you want to keep your color the same and you just need a phone number, a website, and your company name on your vehicle, consider just placing vinyl letters on the sides and back.

This NiteLites truck is a great example of playing off the color of the vehicle and using both a partial vehicle wrap and vinyl graphics to convey their brand message. Check it out! 

This Chevy SSR already stood out with its original yellow color. To really make a statement, we wrapped the front grill and the lower areas of the truck's sides with a bold sapphire blue, complimenting the brand name and logo. This is a great example of advertising using cut vinyl graphics and a partial vehicle wrap!

Have more questions? Contact us.