Prime Car Wash Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Prime Car Wash is an automotive franchise operating express and full-service car washes with detailing. Franchisees run the sites, managing equipment, staffing, and membership wash plans.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Prime Car Wash franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.9M – $3.7M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.9M – $3.7M
- 56th pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 4th pct Automotive
- Units
- 7
- 8th pct Automotive
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Automotive · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Automotive avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $1.9M – $3.7M including a $50K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 disclosed "Annual Income, Costs, NOI, and EBITDAR" of $2.0M across 9 locations. This appears to be a profitability metric, not gross revenue.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 44/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Prime Car Wash Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- PCW Holdings, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Robert Hatfield
- Incorporated in
- Indiana
- HQ
- 10100 Lantern Road, Suite 175, Fishers, IN 46037
- Auditor
- Sponsel CPA Group
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $176K
- vs $171K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Robert Hatfield
- Headquarters
- IN
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 201% above the typical automotive franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $200K | $400K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $1.7M | $3.2M |
| Total initial investment | $1.9M | $3.7M |
Source: Prime Car Wash 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.9M – $3.7M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $200K – $400K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Prime Car Wash did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Prime Car Wash unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
5%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 disclosed "Annual Income, Costs, NOI, and EBITDAR" of $2.0M across 9 locations. This appears to be a profitability metric, not gross revenue.
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 7
- vs category median 70 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.3M→$2.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 167 Automotive brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.0% — below the Automotive average of 9.3%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +100.0% over 3 years (0 opened, 0 closed).
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Automotive averages
How Prime Car Wash Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 7
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 29%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +100.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +100.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 3 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
3
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $6.3M
- Median loan
- $275K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (6 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern; audited financials with Item 19 disclosed (avg gross sales $2,061,059). Small young 7-unit system (mostly company-owned) is the only mild note; no financial red flags disclosed.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Sponsel CPA Group
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 44 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHNo litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern
- 02MINORAudited with Item 19 (avg gross sales $2.06M)
- 03MINORSmall 7-unit system, mostly company-owned
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Indiana |
| Litigation count | 1 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 8 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 184 hrs
- POS system
- DRB
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: DRB
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Prime Car Wash franchise?
The total investment to open a Prime Car Wash franchise ranges from $1.9M – $3.7M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Prime Car Wash franchise owners earn?
Prime Car Wash does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Prime Car Wash FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Prime Car Wash FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Prime Car Wash's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Prime Car Wash (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Prime Car Wash franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Prime Car Wash has 7 total units in the United States, including 2 franchised units and 5 company-owned units.
Is Prime Car Wash a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Prime Car Wash as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 44 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.