Car Wash Startup Costs: 2024 Data From 230 Real Car Washes

Interested in learning more about how much it really costs to start a car wash business? The costs involved can vary significantly depending on the type (mobile vs. full-service) and the size of the car wash (the number of bays for example).

First, we examined the investment required for 5 popular car wash franchises representing together 230 real car wash businesses, as a metric to gauge the costs of what starting a non-franchise car wash would actually cost.

On average, for a standard full-service car wash, owners invest between $1,500,000 and $3,000,000 upfront. Costs include anything from car wash equipment (conveyors, drying systems, signage, legal fees, marketing, lighting, etc.).

Car Wash Startup Costs: Real Data From 230 Car Washes

We examined the 4 largest car wash franchises to provide a clear picture of the costs associated with starting your own car wash business. Together, these 4 car wash franchises collectively represent 280 car wash businesses.

In the table below, we break down the low-end and high-end investment costs for these car wash franchises, offering insights into what potential entrepreneurs can expect when starting a car wash.

FranchiseInitial Investment (Low)Initial Investment (High)Business model
Prime Car Wash$1,509,500$2,960,000Full-service car wash
Tommy’s Express$2,539,643$3,102,945Full-service car wash
Spiffy$48,300$101,150Mobile car wash
No-H20$135,000$163,000Mobile car wash
Fleet Clean USA$160,000$436,000Mobile car wash
Note: all the costs presented here exclude building construction costs and franchise fees

As you will see, the costs vary significantly from one franchise to another, this is mainly due to the fact that not all car wash have the same business model, equipment and size.

This is especially true between mobile car wash (Spiffy) and ‘standard’ full-service car wash businesses (Tommy’s Express, Prime Car Wash)

Let’s have a look in detail at 3 of the car franchises discussed here to see exactly what you would pay for, for each of these 2 business models:

Full-Service Car Wash Startup Costs: Tommy’s Express

Tommy’s Express is what you would call a full-service car wash.

This type of car wash offers a comprehensive range of services, including exterior and interior cleaning, detailing, and additional services such as vacuuming, waxing, and tire cleaning. Full-service car washes often combine automatic conveyor systems for exterior cleaning with manual labor for detailed interior cleaning, providing a thorough and personalized vehicle care experience.

That’s why costs are much higher, as they include some expensive hardware, conveyors, and extra building costs to account for the space and equipment the business requires.

Note that the low-end of the cost range ($2,539,643) assumes 8 vacuums and 2-lane POS. Instead, the high-end estimate ($3,102,945) is based on 12 vacuums and 3-lane POS.

Type of ExpenditureAmount (Low)Amount (High)
Architectural Services$48,000$80,000
Building Costs*$883,819$974,205
Lighting$51,790$51,790
Signage$82,810$117,669
Conveyor$137,350$138,130
Car Wash Equipment$196,660$215,211
Cloth$20,952$22,931
Drying System$128,556$139,889
Support Equipment$239,771$284,280
Wash Controls$134,376$161,068
Vacuum System$128,397$180,738
Point of Sale System$72,186$89,500
Accessories$27,718$118,985
Installation$152,208$168,529
Insurance$12,000$36,000
Permits and Licenses$350$5,500
Office Equipment and Supplies$1,000$1,500
Furniture and Fixtures$2,500$17,000
Training Expenses$17,500$22,500
Marketing$22,000$22,000
Additional Funds (3 months of working capital)$75,000$75,000
Mortgage or Rent (3 months)$105,000$180,000
TOTAL$2,539,643$3,102,945
* building costs for the bays (e.g. not for the building itself)

Full-Service Car Wash Startup Costs: Prime Car Wash

Similar to Tommy’s Express, Prime Car Wash offers a full-service car wash service.

Type of ExpenditureAmount (Low)Amount (High)
Utility Costs$500$25,000
Licenses, Permits, and Professional Services$150,000$600,000
Site Evaluation$0$5,000
Signage$120,000$200,000
Computer and POS Equipment$160,000$250,000
Tunnel and Vacuum Equipment$900,000$1,400,000
Inventory$20,000$40,000
Insurance$4,000$10,000
Training Expenses$20,000$50,000
Advertising$15,000$25,000
Development Services$20,000$55,000
Project Management Services$0$100,000
Additional Funds$100,000$200,000
TOTAL$1,509,500$2,960,000

This table categorizes the various expenses and provides a clear overview of the costs associated with starting a Prime Car Wash franchise.

Full-Service Car Wash Startup Costs: Spiffy

Instead, Spiffy is a mobile car wash company, hence the required investment upfront is relatively low. The vas majority of costs include mobile car wash equipment and vehicle leasing costs.

Here are the detailed costs by category:

Type of ExpenditureAmount (Low)Amount (High)
Vehicle Costs$3,300$9,900
Property Costs$8,000$25,000
Supplies and Equipment$26,750$35,750
Utilities and Insurance$2,000$5,500
Other Costs$8,250$24,000
TOTAL$48,300$101,150
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