Ziebart Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Ziebart is an automotive franchise providing vehicle protection services, rustproofing, undercoating, detailing, films, and accessories. Franchisees run a service center managing applications, technicians, and dealer and retail accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Ziebart franchise requires a total initial investment of $450K – $924K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.3M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 12.5% charge-off rate across 25 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $450K – $924K
- 37th pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- 14th pct Automotive
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 27th pct Automotive
- Units
- 96
- 24th pct Automotive
- SBA charge-off
- 12.5%
- % 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 $450K – $924K including a $45K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.3M/year (median $1.0M).
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 71/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 12.5% across 25 loans (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
- Ziebart Corporation
- Parent company
- Ziebart International Corporation
- Predecessor
- Artech Franchising, Inc. (for ARTECH-branded franchises only)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and CEO of ZInt
- Thomas A. Wolfe
- Incorporated in
- Michigan
- HQ
- 1290 E. Maple, Troy, Michigan 48083
- Auditor
- BDO USA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $19.7M
- vs $19.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Thomas A. Wolfe
- Headquarters
- MI
- Founded
- 1962
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 22
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 32% below 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 | $45K | $45K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $100K | $150K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $305K | $729K |
| Total initial investment | $450K | $924K |
Source: Ziebart 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
- $450K – $924K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $150K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Renewal fee | $15 |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales land near the automotive norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
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
$202K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
25%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.0M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 82 units
- vs category median 75
- Range (low → high)
- $253K→$5.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 220 Automotive brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.3M/year in gross sales. Median is $1.0M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 2.0x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 10.0% (near the Automotive average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
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 Ziebart Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 96
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 2.4%
- Company-owned
- 11
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 2
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 23 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
- 25
- Loan volume
- $5.7M
- Median loan
- $225K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 12.5%
- 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)
- 87.5%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 2
- Typical loan rate
- 6.8%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 17.8%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 218
- 3.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 36%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 80% went to startups / new businesses, 20% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in automotive parts and accessories stores, franchised businesses charge off at 17.8% vs 19.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 9% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Ziebart franchisees
Showing 3 of 10 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 Ziebart'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 10 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 10-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 12.5% — 22% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower 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
Clean, long-established system (franchising since 1962): no litigation, no bankruptcy, audited financials, Item 19 disclosed. Strong net worth $6.15M and net income $3.68M on $19.7M revenue. Healthy 96-unit system with +4.3% growth, strong AUV ($1.35M) and very low 2.35% turnover.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BDO USA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 71 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo litigation or bankruptcy
- 02MINORNet worth $6.15M, net income $3.68M
- 03MINORStable 96-unit system, AUV $1.35M, 2.35% turnover
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% 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 | 10 years |
| 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 | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Michigan |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 132 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 180 hrs
- POS system
- iBart
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: iBart
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
98 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Ziebart · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Ziebart franchise?
The total investment to open a Ziebart franchise ranges from $450K – $924K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Ziebart franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Ziebart FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.3M. The median is $1.0M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Ziebart's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Ziebart has a charge-off rate of 12.5% across 25 loans, meaning 12.5% 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 Ziebart franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Ziebart has 96 total units in the United States, including 85 franchised units and 11 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Ziebart a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Ziebart as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 71 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.
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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.