What Does It Cost to Put a Car Lift in Your Garage?

When it comes to optimizing a garage, no item looks cooler than a car lift. These majestic machines are the perfect item for DIYers looking to learn the anatomy of their vehicles. But finding the right quality lift for your garage can be tough.

The first thing home mechanics look at is cost. Some may have the means of buying any lift they want. But for the most part, these pieces of equipment are beyond the budget for many. Not to worry, though, JMC is here to guide you in the right direction. What does it cost to put a car lift in your garage?

Will a Vehicle Lift fit in my Garage?

Before the cost, you need to determine whether your garage will accommodate a lift. Don't worry, we'll have costs for you soon.

Length of a Garage

Before we dive into the two-post lifts vs. four-post lifts, let's see if your garage can fit either. A two-post lift is on average about 9 feet tall. This allows this type of lift to be installed in almost any professional at-home garage with a ceiling as low as 9 feet 6 inches.

Two post lifts can present issues for opening vehicle doors. This applies to vehicles parked under the lift, or next to it. Keep this in mind. You also have to keep in mind that lifts can have the motor within the posts or outside the posts. This will extend the width so be sure to plan your installation around this as well.

Garage Ceiling Clearance when Installing a Vehicle Lift

Here is where money starts to make its presence known. Without buying the lift.

With an installed lift, it may be necessary to raise the way the garage door opens. This is to clear the lift posts and any vehicle on the lift. The company that installed your garage door can address this but it will add to the cost of installation.

Will my Garage Floor Support the Weight of a Vehicle Lift?

This won't be an issue as most lifts don't add to the weight on the garage floor.

Voltage and Accessories to Run the Lift

While some lifts run on standard household current, other models need higher voltages and electrical work. Some even require a connection to a compressor for their use.

Now, About the Lift Cost

Lifts all vary in cost, size, and construction. See our vehicle lifts guide here to learn about the various types.

If you're going to be working on one or two cars (recreational use), a lower capacity two-post lift will be ideal.

If your plan is to use the lift to store a vehicle in a raised position, or need more stability/access to vehicle doors, a four-post lift will be more suitable.

As you can see, the cost depends on specific requirements.

For instance: A quality four-post lift with 9K lb. capacity costs roughly $4,500. Ask for the models that include free shipping.

A two-post lift with similar characteristics (9K lb. capacity) will roughly be $2,700.

Installation Costs

We don't know your level of expertise when it comes to these installations. But for safety purposes, we're going to recommend investing in professional services. The following are some (not all are required) of the estimated costs.

Installation of the lift itself - $1000

Adding high-lift kit/equipment to the garage door - $900

Anchoring to garage floor - $350 (less if done at the time of initial installation)

Electrical work and compressor might not be necessary. This will depend on the make and model of the lift purchased, but if necessary, you will need to add those expenses.

Purchasing Your Lift

Once you've decided to proceed with your purchase, be sure to double-check the measurements. These measurements include ceiling clearance (including the top of the lift posts) as well as the height of the vehicle once raised.

You'll likely want to test the height on a normal-sized vehicle. But we recommend you consider the largest, heaviest vehicle you expect to raise. Then, be sure to allow a little extra buffer for measurement mistakes.

Be sure to add a compressor and electrical service costs to your budget. Once this done, you'll be ready to move forward with installation.

Why the Spike in Cost?

For those who don't work in the industry, you're likely aware of the spike in costs for automotive equipment.

Four post lifts that were once $3000 back in 2015, 2016, today are over $4000. Similar pricing changes have been applied to two-post lifts as well as all other products.

Since the events of 2020, the cost of steel, shipping, and even installations have gone up. We hope this doesn't translate to even more increases in costs as we wish to continue to be the place for high-quality automotive equipment at an affordable cost.

Though we don't know what the future will hold in terms of prices, we're available round the clock to help you get your garage started.

Contact us today for more information on how to get started.