Valvoline Instant Oil ChangeFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchise requires a total initial investment of $192K – $3.5M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.7M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 5.4% charge-off rate across 61 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $192K – $3.5M
- 22nd pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- 19th pct Automotive
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 8th pct Automotive
- Units
- 2,039
- 41st pct Automotive
- SBA default
- 5.4%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Automotive · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Automotive avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1988. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
30% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Within the 15-30% range most franchise investors consider acceptable.
Large franchise systems benefit from brand recognition, supply chain leverage, and proven operations.
Bottom line
- Total investment $192K – $3.5M including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.7M/year (median $1.6M), with an estimated 30% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 37/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 5.4% across 61 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Valvoline Instant Oil Change Franchising, Inc.
- Parent company
- Valvoline Inc.
- Predecessor
- entities (collectively
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Lori A. Flees
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 100 Valvoline Way, Suite 100, Lexington, Kentucky 40509
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.4B
- vs $1.7B prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- of VIOCF)
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate fast-lube oil change service centers offering quick vehicle maintenance (oil changes, fluid top-offs, filter replacements). Day-to-day operations include managing technicians, scheduling appointments, maintaining inventory, customer service, facility upkeep, and compliance with corporate standards and local environmental regulations.
- CEO
- Lori A. Flees
- Headquarters
- KY
- Founded
- 1988
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 46
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start-up Suppliesnot refundable | $22K | $30K | |
| Royalties | — | — | |
| General System Fund | $7K | $8K | |
| Local Advertising Spend or Contribution | — | — | |
| National Advertising Fund | — | — | |
| Regional Advertising Cooperatives | — | — | |
| Transfer | $3K | $30K | |
| Renewal | $3K | $5K | |
| Specialized Computer Services | $50 | $300 | |
| Computer Hardware Upgrade | $150 | $15K | |
| Product Testing and Product Suppliers | — | — | |
| Audit | — | — | |
| Interest | — | — | |
| Insurance | — | — | |
| Total initial investment | $35K | $88K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$285K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
15%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.6 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $192K – $3.5M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $65K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $3K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 3.3 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $30K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $22K – $30K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.6M
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $550K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 29.9%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 785 units
- vs category median 70 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $535K→$3.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $1.2M→$2.7M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 221 Automotive brands
Revenue is only 0.9x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Automotive averages
How Valvoline Instant Oil Change Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2,039
- Opened
- 117
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 0.1%
- Company-owned
- 976
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 52%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +10.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +20.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 11
- Transfer rate
- 1.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 45 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
- South Dakota
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 61
- Loan volume
- $44.9M
- Median loan
- $616K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 5.4%
- 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)
- 94.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 39
- Defaults
- 3
Vintage analysis
Valvoline Instant Oil Change charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Valvoline Instant Oil Change's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 24-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Moderate-to-cautious opportunity with material litigation risk, unverified financial claims, and demonstrated compliance gaps that warrant deep franchisee-level validation before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
1 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $28
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debt under the bankruptcy code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a d
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ernst & Young LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 37 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHActive class action litigation (Moore v. Valvoline) regarding misrepresentation of oil change intervals creates reputational and potential operational risk
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial performance data provided; average net income of $549,958 cannot be independently verified against actual franchisee performance
- 03MINORHigh capital requirement ceiling ($3.48M) with wide variance suggests significant operational complexity and potential for underperformers
- 04MINORRecent Washington State enforcement action on no-poach provisions indicates compliance and HR management weaknesses at corporate level
- 05MINORGraduated royalty structure (4-6%) incentivizes under-reporting of revenue during critical early years
- 06MINORSystem growth of 10.5% YoY is moderate; no visibility into unit-level profitability trends or churn rates
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 15 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Kentucky |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 70 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 288 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor's facility and on-site at Restaurant
- Time to open
- 24 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- VIOC POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: VIOC POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1,061 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Valvoline Instant Oil Change · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchise?
The total investment to open a Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchise ranges from $192K – $3.5M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Valvoline Instant Oil Change FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.7M. The median is $1.6M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Valvoline Instant Oil Change's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Valvoline Instant Oil Change has a charge-off rate of 5.4% across 61 loans, meaning 5.4% 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 Valvoline Instant Oil Change franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Valvoline Instant Oil Change has 2,039 total units in the United States, including 827 franchised units and 976 company-owned units. 117 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Valvoline Instant Oil Change a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Valvoline Instant Oil Change as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 37 out of 100, 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.
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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.