Costs
What driveway cleaning costs in Sydney
Published Sydney figures converge on $200 to $400 for a single driveway and $300 to $650 for a double. That is the read across Sydney operator price pages, cost guides and one NSW aggregator as at 3 September 2026. Size moves it most, then oil, then access.
Ours: $329 for a single driveway up to 35 square metres, $499 for a double up to 65, and $90 for oil stain treatment added to either. Every figure includes GST.
What Sydney operators publish for a driveway
Of 22 Sydney operators checked, 18 published no prices at all. These are the figures that were published, by the kind of source they came from. None of them is ours, and almost none says whether GST is in or out.
| Job | Published price | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Single car driveway, 30 m² | from $250 | Sydney operator price page, 3 September 2026 |
| Single car driveway | $200 to $350 | Sydney operator cost guide, 3 September 2026 |
| Medium or double driveway | $300 to $550 | Sydney operator cost guide, 3 September 2026 |
| Large, paved or sealed driveway | $450 to $800 and over | Sydney operator cost guide, 3 September 2026 |
| Small to medium driveway, second guide | $190 to $350 | Sydney operator cost guide, 3 September 2026 |
| Double driveway across NSW | $300 to $650 | Australian cost aggregator, 3 September 2026 |
| Oil stain treatment added to a driveway clean | $50 to $100 | Sydney operator cost guide, 3 September 2026 |
The square metre question
Most Sydney operators price a driveway per job, not per square metre. One does publish a real tiered rate card, and it is the most useful number in the market because it is a price someone will actually trade at.
- Up to 50 m²$6.00 per m²
- 50 to 100 m²$5.50 per m²
- More than 100 m²$5.00 per m²
- Minimum charge$159
Sydney operator price page, 3 September 2026. GST not stated on the source. A Sydney cost guide puts residential hard surface work lower, at $3.00 to $5.00 a square metre.
Our square metre rates
For hard surface that is measured on site rather than booked as a driveway package. A guide, not a package, and every figure includes GST.
- up to 100 m²$6.50 per m²
- 100 to 250 m²$6.00 per m²
- over 250 m²$5.50 per m²
- Minimum$249
We sit above that rate card on purpose. The difference is the time it takes to contain and recover the wash water, which a low square metre rate does not leave room for.
One worked through
A single driveway of about 30 square metres with an oil patch under where the car sits. That is the most common driveway job there is.
- The Sydney operator that publishes a driveway price starts at $250 for 30 square metres.
- A Sydney cost guide adds $50 to $100 for oil stain treatment, so the market lands at about $300 to $350 before GST is clarified.
- Ours is $329 for the driveway and $90 for the oil, which is $419 including GST, with the wash water contained and the oil treated with hot water.
So we are above the published starting point, and we say so. What the extra buys is containment, hot water on the oil, and a written price that is the price on the invoice.
What moves it
- Area
- Single, double and large driveways are the bands every source uses. Paths, the front porch and the side passage add up quickly.
- Oil and fuel
- Oil soaks into concrete. It needs a degreaser, dwell time and heat, and it is a separate line almost everywhere.
- Surface
- Plain concrete, exposed aggregate, pavers and sealed surfaces each take a different pressure. Pavers with sand joints need the sand put back.
- Where the water can go
- A driveway that falls to a kerb pit takes more containment than one that falls to a lawn. This is the part cheap quotes leave out.
- Water on site
- A working tap within reach keeps the job simple. Our rate card publishes what it costs when there is not one.
Before the price: whether it can be washed at all
Sydney Water's Water Wise Guidelines are mandatory every day of the year. A driveway may be cleaned with drinking water only for the reasons the gazetted notice lists, in these words:
cleaning of paths, driveways, concrete or other paved areas when cleaning with water is necessary for reasons of safety, health, emergency, construction activity (including resurfacing) or surface contamination
From the NSW Government Gazette, Notice of Water Restrictions, 1 December 2020.
Safety
Algae, moss and lichen turning a path, a ramp or a driveway slippery. This is the commonest one by a distance, and it is the reason most people call about without knowing it.
Surface contamination
Oil, fuel and hydrocarbon staining on a driveway, a workshop floor or a loading dock. Contamination is the reason, and removing it is also what stops it washing into a drain in the next storm.
Health
Organic build up around bin bays, back of house concrete and drains, where the mess itself is the problem.
Construction activity
Cleaning down before or after building work, including resurfacing, which the guideline names in its own words.
Making a clean driveway look newer. A hard surface with nothing wrong with it, washed with drinking water because the owner wants it brighter, does not sit under any of the listed categories. That is the job we either move onto tank water or decline.
The full explanation, both readings of the wording and the penalties, is in the guide to pressure cleaning a driveway in Sydney.
Our driveway prices
Single driveway, up to 35 m²
$329
up to 35 m²
Double driveway, up to 65 m²
$499
up to 65 m²
Oil stain treatment added to a driveway
plus $90
Minimum attended job
$249
Every figure includes GST. Driveway work is priced in writing from photographs, with the reason for the clean written on the job sheet. The full card is on the prices page.
What people ask about driveway cleaning prices
How much does driveway cleaning cost in Sydney?
Published Sydney figures converge on $200 to $400 for a single driveway and $300 to $650 for a double. Ours is $329 for a single driveway up to 35 square metres and $499 for a double up to 65, including GST.
What does pressure washing cost per square metre?
The one real tiered rate card we found in Sydney charges $6.00 a square metre on small jobs, falling to $5.00 on larger ones, with a minimum charge of $159. A Sydney cost guide puts residential work at $3.00 to $5.00. Ours runs from $6.50 down to $5.50 with a $249 minimum.
Does oil stain removal cost extra?
Almost always. A Sydney cost guide puts it at $50 to $100 on top of a driveway clean, and the biggest national franchise leaves oil out of its cheapest driveway offer altogether. Ours is $90 added to a driveway, done with hot water.
Am I allowed to have my driveway pressure cleaned in Sydney?
Where there is a safety, health, emergency, construction or surface contamination reason, yes. Slippery algae and oil stains are the usual ones. Washing a sound driveway with drinking water purely to make it look newer is not one of the listed reasons.
Why are some quotes so much cheaper than others?
Some are promotional floors with surcharges behind them for size and oil. Some leave out containing the wash water, which is the part that costs time and that the law requires. Across Sydney the effective floor for a real attended job is $199 to $250.
Is sealing included?
Not in our driveway prices, and not in most of the market figures on this page. Sealing is a separate job with its own materials, and we quote it after a look.