When it comes to restyling or protecting your vehicle, multiple choices are available. Two of the most common options are paint protection film and vinyl wraps. Many people will have this confusion, – what’s better if paint protection film vs vinyl wrap?
Hopefully, this article can help you find the film that works best for your specific needs.

What is Paint Protection Film and How Does It Work?

Paint Protection Film (also known as PPF) is a transparent urethane film that is self-healing. PPF is placed to the surface of vehicles to provide impact protection, shielding your vehicle’s paint from scuffs, scratches, and rock chips. Besides, it helps protect vehicles’ paint against environmental hazards such as UV light, oil spills, bird droppings, and watermarks.

What Is A Vinyl Wrap and How Does It Work?

Vinyl wrap is a PVC-based thin and flexible film. It typically comes in a variety of colors, finishes, and textures. The back of the vinyl wrap film has a specially designed adhesive that allows it to safely attach to the surface and conform to the shape of whatever it is applied to. Vinyl wraps are commonly used to change the appearance of a vehicle. Your selections are almost infinite due to the wide range of colors and finishes available.
Car vinyl wrap made by qualified manufacturers like ACME Graphic has a 3-9 years’ outdoor lifespan, based on different materials and processing techniques. It’s UV-resistant, waterproof, and scratch-resistant.

Paint Protection Film VS Vinyl Wrap – How to choose?

Before considering which is the ideal solution for you and your vehicle, you must consider whether your priorities are more protection-oriented or cosmetic-oriented, what durability you expect, and what your budgets are.

Protection Compare

The paint protection film is still the best way to protect the paint on your vehicle, as the name implies. It works as a self-healing top layer, shielding your vehicle from freeway hazards, grocery store parking lot scratches, and paint abrasions caused by an adjacent vehicle flinging their door open.
Vinyl wrap is thinner than PPF, so it will not protect the paint from a deep scratch or a scuff. However, vinyl wraps can protect your vehicles from minor rock chips, bird droppings, and the negative effects of UV light.
To put it simply, PPF is perfect if you are looking for extensive protection. It is perfect for off-road or highway driving. However, if you are mostly driving in the city, vinyl wraps are able to provide a degree of protection as well.

Appearance Compare

Since the PPF is clear, it does not make your vehicle look different after application except more shiny.
Vinyl wraps are mostly used for decorative purposes. Carbon fiber films, chrome, chrome deletes, color shift, metallics, pearlescent, and camouflage, there are limitless options. The main purpose of vinyl wraps is to customize the appearance of your vehicle.

Lifespan Compare

The paint protection film is usually backed by a manufacturer’s warranty, which can last around 5 to 10 years. Staining, cracking, and fading are all covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
Vinyl film – There are two types of vinyl film: cast and calendered. Cast grade has a service life of 5-9 years, while calendered grade has a service life of 3-5 years. They have the warranty certificate from the manufacturer. (Check the differences between cast and calendered vinyl wrap.)

Cost Compare

The costs of PPF film and vinyl wrap are both determined by labor costs, the expected life of the materials used, and the vehicle’s size.
Not counting the installation cost, PPF material fees is around USD 250-800 for a full wrap on a sedan. Meanwhile, a full vinyl wrap material ACME manufactured will typically cost you around $100-600 for a similar-sized vehicle.
Regarding the installation process, PPF wrapping will cost higher than vinyl wrap because it’s a bit more complicated.

Installation Differences

PPF uses wet installation, meaning the film needs to be wet in order to adhere to the surface of your car.

Vinyl wrap, on the other hand, is installed dry. In fact, any water during the installation process can make the wrap job fail.

There is one potential problem about PPF you may need to know. Because PPF is typically not wrapped around the edge of the panel, so over time the cut line might start to accumulate dirt and become slightly more visible.

After understanding the above differences between PPF and vinyl wrap, we believe you will be able to select the most suitable product for your cars!