Quick Verdict · who it fits
Carstar fits owner-operators looking for a mid-scale automotive concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$24K - $804K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$10K
Royalty (Item 6)
1.5–4% + 1–1.5% ad
System size (Item 20)
471 +48
Agreement term
5 yrs
Model Carstar's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory✓Semi-absentee eligible✓No bankruptcy disclosed
Data extracted from the 2025 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.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 1.5–4% + ad fund 1–1.5% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$3,210,000
$100k$5.8M
Royalty (1.5–4%)
—
Ad fund (1–1.5%)
—
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.
471 franchised units
Total units open
48 units
Units opened last year
32 units
Units closed last year
16 units
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2025 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How Carstar ranks against 61 Automotive peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
6th pct · of 61 peers
Franchise fee
11th pct · of 61 peers
System size
90th pct · of 61 peers
Automotive industry averages
Avg investment
$314K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$34K
Avg system size
193
Franchises analyzed
61
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carstar | Disclosed | $10K | $24K - $804K | 1.5–4% | 471 |
| Victory Lane Quick Oil ChangeSimilar price | Disclosed | $50K | $240K - $765K | — | 10 |
| Jiffy LubeBiggest system | None | $18K | — | 4% | 2,083 |
| 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.
Carstar requires a $10,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $23,500–$804,300, per the most recent FDD on file.
Carstar franchises are sold by CARSTAR Franchisor SPV 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. Carstar discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 1.5% to 4.0% and an advertising fund contribution of 1.0% to 1.5% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2025 FDD, Carstar has 471 total locations, with 48 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. Carstar does not grant exclusive territory rights under Item 12. The franchisor retains the right to operate or grant additional units inside or adjacent to your trade area.
Per the FDD, Carstar discloses an initial agreement term of 5 years. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt