Cactus Car Wash franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Cactus Car Wash franchise takes $2,370,000 – $3,805,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is From $45,000. To qualify, Cactus Car Wash asks for $600,000 in liquid cash and a $750,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Cactus Car Wash franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $45,000 | n/d | From $45,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $2,370,000 | $3,805,000 | $2,370,000 to $3,805,000 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $750,000 | $750,000 | $750,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $600,000 | $600,000 | $600,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $2,370,000 | $3,805,000 | $2,370,000 to $3,805,000 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | Not disclosed |
See the full Cactus Car Wash cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Cactus Car Wash's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Cactus Car Wash's disclosed cost sits against the Auto & Travel category:
- Minimum startup cost of $2,370,000 — about 13× the Auto & Travel median of $177,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $45,000 — about 1.3× the Auto & Travel median of $33,740.
Category medians are computed from the Auto & Travel brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Auto & Travel franchises
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How Cactus Car Wash's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2014: began the window at 4 units; 4 units opened, 3 closed, ending at 5 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Cactus Car Wash or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Cactus Car Wash for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Cactus Car Wash is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Cactus Car Wash grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Cactus Car Wash can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Cactus Car Wash franchise
Cactus Car Wash is an auto & travel franchisor with 5 units at the end of 2014 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2014, it began the window at 4 units; its filings record 4 unit openings and 3 closures, ending at 5 units. Its parent company is Cactus Franchise Company, LLC.
Litigation history not in our data for Cactus Car Wash — FDD Item 3 is the primary source to check directly.
Cactus Car Wash franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Cactus Car Wash franchise cost?
- $2,370,000 – $3,805,000 all-in to open, per Cactus Car Wash's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Cactus Car Wash units are there?
- 5 units at the end of 2014 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Cactus Car Wash's units held up?
- 62.5% of units at risk between 2012 and 2014 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).