Quick Verdict · who it fits
Tommy's Express fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale automotive concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$3.5M - $7.5M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$50K
Royalty (Item 6)
4% + 2% ad
Item 19 median rev
$1.75M franchised outlets, open more than 12 months, excluding outle…
System size (Item 20)
244 +46
Agreement term
20 yrs
Item 3 litigation
3 suits
Model Tommy's Express's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Where units actually land — not just the headline average.
P25
$817k
Median
$1.75M
P75
$2.75M
▪ n = 197 units · franchised outlets, open more than 12 months, excluding outlets open less than 12 months, corporate outlets, and transferred locations · calendar year 2025 · Source: 2026 FDD Item 19
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 4% + ad fund 2% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$1,750,000
$100k$3.2M
Royalty (4%)
—
Ad fund (2%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
260
Total units open
44
Units opened last year
1
Units closed last year
44
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Tommy's Express ranks against 66 Automotive peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
98th pct · of 66 peers
Franchise fee
78th pct · of 66 peers
System size
75th pct · of 66 peers
Automotive industry averages
Avg investment
$335K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$34K
Avg system size
210
Franchises analyzed
66
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy's Express | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $7.5M | 4% | 244 |
| Bridgestone BandagSimilar price | None | $3K | $357K - $6.5M | — | 160 |
| Jiffy Lube InternationalBiggest system | Disclosed | $35K | $211K - $510K | 3–4% | 1,765 |
| Systemforward AmericaTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $118K - $191K | 7% | 309 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
Mavis never acquired Big O Tires. It bought NTB and Tire Kingdom from TBC in 2023 and closed on Midas in June 2025. Big O is still a wholly-owned TBC subsidiary, and its FDD issued June 30, 2025 reports a $2,824,712.79 average across 457 stores.
Brand Analysis
Byrider franchise costs run $947,000 to $1,577,500 per the 2026 FDD, and most of that money never touches the building. It funds the loans you make to your own customers. Here's the full breakdown, including real Item 19 earnings by quartile.
Brand Analysis
Big O Tires runs 461 franchised stores and zero company-owned, charges a 3.5% to 5.0% royalty matrix, and does disclose Item 19: an average of $2,824,712.79 across 457 stores. It is a TBC brand, not a Mavis one. Here is what the FDD supports.
Tommy's Express requires a $50,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $3,482,389–$7,529,460, per the most recent FDD on file.
Tommy's Express franchises are sold by Tommy's Express LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. Tommy's Express discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $1,749,041. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 4% of Gross Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 2% of Gross Sales on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Tommy's Express has 244 total locations, with 46 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
Per the FDD, Tommy's Express discloses an initial agreement term of 20 years, a renewal fee of $2,500, a transfer fee of $10,000. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
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