For businesses · 6 min read · Updated October 2026

Car Advertising: 12 Questions Businesses Ask Before Signing

Cost, contract, design, reach and what happens when a driver leaves: straight answers to what local businesses ask before they start a Lunar campaign.

Most local businesses ask the same dozen things before they put money into car advertising: what it costs, how long they are tied in, who makes the design, how many people see it and what happens if something goes wrong. Short version: Lunar plans start at $500 a month for two cars, run on a 3- or 6-month term, and include a sticker design our team makes and you approve. Apart from the $50 deposit, nothing is charged until your first sticker is on a driver's car. The details below are the answers we give on every call.

1. What does it cost?

There are two plans. Half Moon is $500 a month for 2 cars. Full Moon is $1,500 a month for 7 cars, which works out to about 14% less per car. The plans differ only in the number of cars and the price: the design, the dashboard and the way matching works are the same on both. There is no sticker fee and no setup fee. See the pricing page for the current numbers.

2. Is there a deposit?

Yes, one. When you tap Start matching in a city, Lunar charges a $50 deposit for that city. It counts toward your plan, or it is refunded if no driver is found within 7 days. Apart from that deposit, nothing is charged until your first sticker is on a driver's car.

3. How long is the contract?

You choose a 3-month or a 6-month term, billed monthly. Terms are binding, so cancelling early still owes the rest of the term. A 6-month term is 10% off every month for the same number of cars. If you are unsure, the 3-month term is the lower-commitment way to see how it feels for your business.

4. When does the billing clock start?

Billing is per slot. A slot's first charge is taken when its sticker is on a driver's car and the install photo has been approved. Each charge buys 30 days of verified driving. If a slot is empty because a driver left and you are waiting on a new one, that slot is simply not billed while it is empty.

5. Who designs the sticker?

Our team makes it. You send us your logo and brand details, we send back a design, and you approve it before anything prints. It is a small circle that goes on a car door, so it is built to read quickly: a clear mark, a few words and good contrast. For more on what works, see what makes a good car ad design.

6. Where does the QR code send people?

Each printed sticker carries a small QR code. You choose where it sends people: your website, a phone number or an email address. You can change that destination later and the printed code keeps working. Lunar counts scans and nothing else: no call tracking, no email tracking, no visit tracking. Your campaign view shows the number of scans, which is one honest signal that people noticed the sticker.

7. How many people will see it?

Reach is an estimate, and we try to be plain about that. The industry estimate for a wrapped vehicle tops out at 70,000 impressions per car per day (OAAA, published by AdQuick and 4OVER4), and Lunar uses that top-of-range number. Over a 30-day month that is about 2,100,000 per car. On Half Moon that is about 4,200,000 estimated impressions a month, a CPM of about $0.12. Full Moon is about 14,700,000, a CPM of about $0.10. It is an industry estimate, not a count of views, and a door sticker is smaller than a full wrap, so use it to compare channels rather than to promise yourself a result. The dashboard explainer covers how it is shown.

8. Can I choose the neighbourhood?

You set target areas on a map, each a point and a radius, for the places your customers live or work. Lunar's team then offers your slots to drivers whose driving areas overlap with yours. We do not target by ZIP code, and nothing tracks where a car goes, so think of it as a local presence in an area rather than a guarantee about particular streets.

9. Do I pick the driver?

No. Lunar's team matches drivers to businesses, one offer at a time. A driver has 48 hours to accept or decline, and a driver's accept makes the match final: the sticker goes to print. Neither side has a veto step after that. You see vehicle type, status and approved mileage on your dashboard, never a driver's address or payment details.

10. How long until my sticker is on a car?

It takes time: we match a driver, print and ship the sticker, the driver installs it themselves from the instructions in the kit, and then sends an install photo that a person reviews. We do not promise a number of weeks, because each step depends on the match and on the driver. Ask us about your city and we will tell you what we are seeing there.

11. What if the driver leaves, or the sticker looks wrong?

Drivers do a weekly check with photos of the sticker and an odometer reading, and a person reviews them. If a driver leaves, their spots are held for a short period and checked, and if they do not stay, Lunar's team rematches your slot. You are not billed for the days a slot has no car carrying your sticker.

12. Is it worth it for a business like mine?

It depends on whether your customers are local and whether the same neighbours see the same cars week after week. Services with a local radius (trades, clinics, cafes, studios, pet care) tend to be the best fit. A brand that needs a click-to-buy path measured in dollars may be better served by search ads, and you can use both. Our guide to thinking about car advertising ROI walks through how to judge it for your own numbers.

Before you sign

Write down the one thing you want the sticker to do, such as more calls, more walk-ins or a known name in two neighbourhoods. Pick a term you are comfortable holding for the full length. Then check the numbers on the pricing page and start matching in your city when you are ready.