Car-X franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Car-X franchise takes $315,200 – $512,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $30,000 – $35,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 10%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Car-X franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $30,000 | $35,000 | $30,000 to $35,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $315,200 | $512,000 | $315,200 to $512,000 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $315,200 | $512,000 | $315,200 to $512,000 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Car-X's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 10% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 15 years |
See the full Car-X cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Car-X's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Car-X's disclosed cost sits against the Auto & Travel category:
- Minimum startup cost of $315,200 — about 1.8× the Auto & Travel median of $177,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $30,000 — about in line with 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 Car-X's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2021: began the window at 165 units; 20 units opened, 50 closed, ending at 80 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Car-X 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 Car-X 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 Car-X 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 Car-X 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 Car-X 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 Car-X franchise
Car-X is an auto & travel franchisor with 80 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2021, it began the window at 165 units; its filings record 20 unit openings and 50 closures, ending at 80 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Car-X, LLC.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
The franchised business is a motor vehicle center specializing in the repair and replacement of automotive products and services such as air conditioning, brake systems, maintenance service, muffler and exhaust systems, ride control products, tires, and other automotive products and services that is operated under the Car-X Auto Service brand name. You may purchase a single franchise or an area development franchise.
Car-X franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Car-X franchise cost?
- $315,200 – $512,000 all-in to open, per Car-X's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Car-X units are there?
- 80 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Car-X's units held up?
- 93% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).