How Much Does It Cost To Install Car Audio?

Installing a car audio system in your can be an excellent way to increase the value of your car, or even to improve your driving experience. There is nothing quite like a good audio system in a good car.

Installing a car audio system can be a challenge, and the biggest unknown is always the cost. This leads many people to ask, how much does it cost to install car audio?

As a general rule, the cost to install car audio is around $400, and it is enough to replace a car radio and speakers. With a budget of $1100, you can further improve car audio by adding an amplifier and subwoofers. This also includes installation costs if you decide to hire a professional.

Let’s take a deep dive into how much it costs to upgrade car audio.

How Much Should I Spend on a Car Audio?

Car audio sound systems come in very varied price ranges. You can spend $400 on a car audio system, or you can pay $20 000 on a system.

How much you should spend on a car audio sound system depends on what you want from the system and how much money you have to spend on the system.

The truth of the matter is that you do not have to use your entire life’s savings to install a decent audio system in your car. It is possible to build a proper audio system specifically designed for your vehicle for relatively little cost.

The amount you spend on your car audio system will depend on how much you have to pay, the type of components you want to use, the quality of the components of the audio system, the size of the sound system, and the car you install it in.

Having the sound system professionally installed is a factor; unless you know how to install it all correctly yourself, you will need someone to help you, which increases the cost.

To put a figure on it, a decent sound system that includes a head unit, speakers, one subwoofer, and an amplifier will cost a minimum of $400.

A sound system in this price range is not a top-of-the-line system, but it will do well for a mid-range system. Spending less than $400 will not get you anything decent unless you look at the second-hand market.

Spending more will increase the quality of the system. If you have already paid $400, increasing the budget even slightly will drastically improve the system’s quality.

A budget of $600 will be enough for a good system for any car, and if you are willing to spend $1000, you will be able to build a system that will serve you well for many years without needing to be upgraded at all.

A $1000 – $1100 budget for a car audio system will allow you to purchase 4 – 6 good quality component speakers, a head unit with plenty of features, including mobile smartphone connectivity, a decent amplifier, and a good subwoofer.

The type of system and its components also play a role in how much the system will cost. For example, component speakers cost more than coaxial speakers.

If you use coaxial speakers in your system, you may be able to half the amount you need to spend on car audio. Still, it will be more of a challenge to build a high-quality, customized audio system using these speakers, and they do not usually sound as good as component speakers.

At the end of it, the amount you spend determines the system’s quality, but you do need to spend more than $400 – $1100 on an excellent car audio system.