QR code size for a vehicle wrap

Size vehicle-wrap QR codes for the parked case: 20 cm reads from 2 m on the pavement, 50 cm from across the street at 5 m. Do not aim codes at moving traffic; dwell time and angle rule it out and drivers should not scan. Use error correction Q for road grime and abrasion.

The parked vehicle is the billboard that works

A wrapped van spends most of its life stationary (outside jobs, at the kerb, in car parks), and that is when its code gets scanned. Size for those moments:

Scenario	Distance	Minimum code width
Passer-by on the pavement	2 m	20 cm
Across a residential street	5 m	50 cm
Driver stopped behind, at lights	8–10 m	80–100 cm
Any vehicle moving	n/a	do not design for it

The moving case is a billboard problem with worse geometry: both parties may be moving, the dwell is seconds, and the only person positioned to scan is driving. Print a short, memorable URL and phone number in large type for the traffic audience, and let the code serve the pavement audience. For tradespeople, the van parked outside a job is the campaign: the neighbour who scans it is the warmest lead a trades business gets.

Placement on the vehicle

Rear doors and side panels, between roughly 0.8 and 1.5 m off the ground, pavement eye-line, and the flattest sheet metal on the vehicle.
Avoid compound curves: wheel arches, bumper corners, sculpted body lines. A code bent in two axes distorts the grid the same way cylindrical packaging does, but less predictably.
The rear-door code earns the lights-queue scan from a passenger; 80–100 cm of door is rarely available, so treat that audience as a bonus, not the plan.

Grime, sun and the uniform-loss trap

EC Q is right for wraps: stone chips, scratches and edge wear are localised damage that error correction repairs. But the wrap-specific failure is different, road film. A layer of traffic dust dims the whole code evenly, and uniform contrast loss is something error correction cannot touch, because no individual module is "damaged"; the whole image is just greyer. A laminated cast-vinyl wrap wipes clean in seconds; unlaminated matt prints hold the film. Specify laminate, and put "wipe the code" on the vehicle-cleaning rota alongside the number plate.

Sun exposure is the slow version of the same failure: UV fading lifts the dark modules toward grey over a wrap's 5–7 year life, so start from maximum contrast: black modules on a white panel, per the contrast rules.

Run the payload through the size calculator at 2 m before the wrap shop scales the artwork, and confirm the final file decodes: a wrap is among the most expensive places to fix a dud code. Material and installation notes live on the vehicle wraps surface page.

FAQ

How big should a QR code be on a vehicle wrap?

20 cm to be scanned from the pavement at 2 m, 50 cm from across a street at 5 m. Size for the parked vehicle. That is when wrap codes actually get scanned.

Do QR codes on moving vehicles work?

No. Dwell time is a few seconds, the geometry changes constantly, and the person best positioned to scan is driving. Give moving traffic a memorable URL and phone number in large type instead, and let the code work while parked.

Where should a QR code go on a van?

On flat panels (rear doors and body sides) between about 0.8 and 1.5 m off the ground. Avoid wheel arches and sculpted curves, which bend the code in two axes and distort the grid.

What error correction level suits a vehicle wrap?

Q, for stone chips and scratches. Note that error correction cannot fix an even film of road grime, which dims the whole code uniformly, specify a laminated wrap that wipes clean, and clean the code regularly.