Thrifty Rent-a-car Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Thrifty Rent-a-car franchise requires a total initial investment of $879K – $16.2M, including a $25K – $500K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. SBA 7(a) loans show a 21.4% charge-off rate across 28 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $879K – $16.2M
- 53rd pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 15th pct Automotive
- Units
- 302
- 42nd pct Automotive
- SBA charge-off
- 21.4%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
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 $879K – $16.2M including a $25K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 30/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 21.4% across 28 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Thrifty Rent-A-Car System, LLC
- Parent company
- Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- The Hertz Corporation (via Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.)
- Predecessor
- Thrifty Rent-A-Car System, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- Oklahoma
- HQ
- 8501 Williams Road, Estero, Florida 33928
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $9.4B
- vs $9.0B prior year
Overview
About
Thrifty is a vehicle rental franchise where franchisees operate rental counter/lot locations, managing customer reservations, vehicle maintenance, fleet acquisition, and daily rental operations. Franchisees typically employ staff to handle customer service, vehicle logistics, and administrative functions while paying 6-8% royalties on gross receipts to the parent company.
- CEO
- Gil West
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 1950
- FDD year
- 2026
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 878% above the typical automotive franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $500K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $834K | $15.7M |
| Total initial investment | $879K | $16.2M |
Source: Thrifty Rent-a-car 2026 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
- $879K – $16.2M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $500K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $500K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Thrifty Rent-a-car makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Thrifty Rent-a-car unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
6.0% royalty + 2.0% ad fund — lower than the category average.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
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 Thrifty Rent-a-car Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 302
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Turnover rate
- 2.5%
- Company-owned
- 221
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 27%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 14
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 2
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 21 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 contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 28
- Loan volume
- $11.5M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 21.4%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 78.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 20
- Defaults
- 6
- Typical loan rate
- 6.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 5321
- Jobs supported
- 277
- 2.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 11%
- top lender's share
Vintage analysis
Thrifty Rent-a-car charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Thrifty Rent-a-car franchisees
Showing 3 of 20 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Thrifty Rent-a-car's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 14-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 21.4% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 5 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 21.4% — 34% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
On May 22, 2020, Thrifty Rent-A-Car System, LLC, its Parent (The Hertz Corporation), and certain U.S./Canadian affiliates filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware; emerged from bankruptcy June 30, 2021.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ernst & Young LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 100 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 180 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Florida (state where franchisor headquarters is located) |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 22 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- On-the-job training
- 16 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee proposes, franchisor reviews/approves within 30 days
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Approved Counter System (6 approved suppliers)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Approved Counter System (6 approved suppliers)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
31 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Thrifty Rent-a-car franchise?
The total investment to open a Thrifty Rent-a-car franchise ranges from $879K – $16.2M, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Thrifty Rent-a-car franchise owners earn?
Thrifty Rent-a-car makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
What is Item 19 in the Thrifty Rent-a-car 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 Thrifty Rent-a-car FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Thrifty Rent-a-car's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Thrifty Rent-a-car has a charge-off rate of 21.4% across 28 loans, meaning 21.4% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Thrifty Rent-a-car franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Thrifty Rent-a-car has 302 total units in the United States, including 81 franchised units and 221 company-owned units.
Is Thrifty Rent-a-car a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Thrifty Rent-a-car as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 30 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
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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.