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 franchise fee. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 21.4% charge-off rate across 28 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above 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
- 44th pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 24th pct Automotive
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 302
- 35th 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
- Total investment $879K – $16.2M including a $25K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above average), verdict score 54/100 (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).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Thrifty Rent-A-Car System, LLC
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 753% 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 |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $854K | $16.2M |
| 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
- N/A
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- -n/d
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
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
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
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.
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
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
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 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 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.
Is Thrifty Rent-a-car a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Thrifty Rent-a-car as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 54 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.