QR Codes on Vehicles: Where to Put Them on a Van or Car Wrap

A QR code on a vehicle works when the vehicle is parked. The people who scan it are standing next to it: customers at a job site, people walking past a van outside a shop, someone in a car park. Put the code where those people stand, size it for 1 to 3 metres, and never aim it at other drivers.

A wrap costs real money and stays on the vehicle for years, so the code on it should keep working as your offers change.

Who scans a QR code on a vehicle

• Customers at the job. A neighbour sees the van outside a house and scans for a quote.
• Pedestrians. People walking past a parked van or food truck.
• Car parks and loading bays. People who have time to stop and look.

Not other drivers. In the UK, for example, it's illegal to hold and use a phone while driving, including when stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic (GOV.UK). Design for people on foot, and don't write anything that invites drivers to scan.

Where to put the code

• Rear doors of a van: people stand behind a parked van, at a predictable distance.
• Side panel, under the window, at roughly eye level for someone on the pavement.
• Flat areas only. Avoid curves, seams, door handles, wheel arches and windows; a code split across a panel gap won't scan.
• Away from mud and road spray, which collect on low panels.

Repeat the code on both sides and the back if the budget allows. People approach a parked vehicle from any side.

How big to print it

Size the code to the distance, about one tenth of it (the 10:1 rule from the QR code size guide):

Go bigger outdoors: low light, dirt and viewing angles all make scanning harder.

Make it readable on a wrap

• Dark code on a light panel. A wrap's photo or brand colors behind the code will stop it scanning. Put the code on a plain white or light panel. The QR code colors guide shows which colors work.
• Keep the white border. The code needs a clear margin four modules wide on every side.
• Matte, not gloss. A glossy laminate reflects sunlight straight into the camera.
• Give your designer an SVG file, which stays sharp at any size.

Tell people why to scan

A code on its own is easy to ignore. Put a short reason right next to it:

• "Scan for a free quote"
• "Scan to book"
• "Scan for today's menu" (food trucks)

How QRZY keeps a wrap useful for years

The wrap is printed once. With a QRZY code, where it points is not:

• Change the link any time. New website, new offer, new booking system: open the code, click Edit, change the Default URL and Save. Every vehicle in the fleet follows the new link. This works on every plan, including Free.
• Route scans by time of day. Under 2 · Smart rules, add a Time of Day (Hours) step so scans during opening hours go to your contact page, and scans after hours go to an online booking form. Time rules are included on the Free plan.
• Route by city (Pro). A fleet working in several cities can send scans to the nearest branch with a Location (Country/City) rule, based on where the person scanning is.
• See which vehicle gets scanned. Print a channel version of the code on each vehicle, for example go.qrzy.co/<code>/van-3, and compare scans per van (channels from the Starter plan).
• Print it smaller. A QRZY code always holds a short link, so its grid stays small and easy to read at distance.

Getting it right once is crazy simple, and every change after that happens in the dashboard, not at the wrap shop. On the Free plan, scans see a 5-second QRZY countdown first; paid plans from $100 a year redirect instantly. See how dynamic QR codes work, read how to change a QR code after printing, or see QR codes for business.

Frequently asked questions

Can you put a QR code on a car? Yes. Put it where people stand next to the parked car, such as a rear or side panel, on a plain light background, at least 10 cm wide.

Where should a QR code go on a van? On the rear doors and on the side panels under the windows, on flat areas away from seams, handles and curves.

How big should a QR code be on a vehicle? About one tenth of the distance people will scan from: 10 cm for 1 metre, 20 cm for 2 metres, 30 cm for 3 metres.

Is it legal to scan a QR code while driving? Using a hand-held phone while driving is illegal in many places, including the UK. Vehicle QR codes are for people on foot or in parked cars.

Can I change the link after the wrap is printed? With a dynamic QR code, yes. The printed code stays the same and you change its destination from the dashboard.