Automotive Service Franchises

Automotive franchising covers a wide spread of operating models, and that range shows up clearly here. Some brands are built around full-service repair centers, while others focus on tires, collision work, oil changes, or even mobile tool sales on a defined route. That means the day-to-day business can look very different from one concept to the next, even within the same category.

Across the 53 automotive brands here, the median startup investment is $218,000, with a very broad overall range from $19,500 to $26,634,000. Median recurring fees sit at 6.0% royalty and 2.0% marketing, which gives a useful middle ground, but individual brands can land well above or below that. Some concepts also do not clearly disclose royalty or marketing fees in the summary data, so it helps to compare each brand carefully rather than assume the category behaves as one market.

Scale varies too. The median outlet count is 155, yet several automotive systems are much larger. Midas has 975 outlets, Mac Tools has 820, MEINEKE® has 716, Tire Pros has 605, CARSTAR has 471, and Take 5 - 2025 Renewal/Registrations has 432. For a buyer, that creates a practical tradeoff: larger systems may offer a more established footprint, while smaller or more specialized concepts may differ in cost structure, service mix, and local operating demands.

The category is also not limited to storefront repair. A route-based model like Mac Tools sits alongside center-based operators such as Midas and MEINEKE®, retail tire businesses like Tire Pros, collision repair through CARSTAR, and quick-maintenance formats such as Take 5 - 2025 Renewal/Registrations. If you're comparing options, the most useful questions are usually about facility needs, service complexity, fee load, and whether you want a customer-facing location or a business built around an assigned route.