Honest1 Auto Care
Bottom line
- Total investment $256K – $1.2M including a $75K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.5M/year (median $1.4M).
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 60/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 5 loans (below the industry average).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Honest1 Auto Care unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
31%
In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Honest1 Auto Care units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
34.4%
4.38× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
2.37×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$5.4M
on $14.9M purchase
Total debt
$9.5M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Honest1 Auto Care franchisees operate independent automotive service centers providing maintenance, repair, and diagnostics. Daily operations include managing technician teams, customer service, inventory management, and scheduling—with support from franchisor systems and brand standards. Franchisees are responsible for local marketing, staffing, and facility management within their protected territory.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Honest1 presents elevated risk due to unit decline, undisclosed profitability, dual litigation, lack of Item 19 financials, and questionable franchisor financial stability—warranting deep validation before committing $250K-$1.2M.
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 1.6% YoY suggests system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MINORNo Net Income disclosure (Item 19) prevents validation of actual profitability claims; average revenue of $1.49M may not translate to promised returns
- 03HIGHActive litigation on two fronts (franchisor lawsuit + regional developer arbitration with counterclaim) indicates operational/contractual friction and potential governance issues
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($255K-$1.24M) with 20-year commitment creates long payback exposure if unit economics deteriorate
- 05MINOR6% royalty on gross sales (not net) means franchisees pay regardless of profitability, amplifying risk during economic downturns
- 06HIGHGoing Concern status = False suggests potential financial stress at corporate level, raising sustainability questions
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
72 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Honest1 Auto Care · FDD (2024) PDF