Franchise Intelligence

CARSTAR.

Specialty Retail franchise. 275 outlets. Here's what opening a CARSTAR franchise actually costs in 2026 — and what you can expect to earn.

Updated Apr 21, 2026 EFDID480000

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Initial investment

$9K – $0.8M

Per unit, build-out incl.

Total outlets

275

+38 in last year

Royalty rate

of gross revenue

Median unit revenue

$2.3M

Item 19

The answer, up front

How much does a CARSTAR franchise actually cost?

The published range is $9,000 to $824,300 all-in per unit, per the latest FDD filing.

Line item	Amount	Source
Initial franchise fee	$14,995	FDD Item 5
Total initial investment — low	$9,000	FDD Item 7
Total initial investment — high	$824,300	FDD Item 7
Royalty rate (ongoing)	1% of gross	FDD Item 6
Marketing fee (ongoing)	1% of gross	FDD Item 6

Overview

About CARSTAR.

CARSTAR is a specialty retail franchise with 275 locations system-wide.

The brand has reached sufficient scale that operational playbooks are well-established and multi-unit franchisees drive the growth story. At this size, decisions about technology, marketing, and real estate are typically centralized at corporate while day-to-day operations are franchisee-led.

Initial investment ranges from $9,000 to $824,300. Detailed breakdown of where the capital goes is in the full FDD — unlock below.

The economics

What does a unit actually earn? Locked

Item 19 of the latest FDD reports median and quartile unit revenue. Unlock for the full distribution, breakeven timeline, and peer comparison.

Metric	Top quartile	Median	Bottom quartile
Gross revenue	$1,742,000	$1,301,847	$847,000
Unit count (reporting)	812	527	294
Breakeven month	Mo 14	Mo 22	Mo 34+

Unlock unit economics

Full Item 19 distribution, breakeven timelines, peer comparisons for CARSTAR and specialty retail category.

Technology

Required tech stack. Locked

The systems CARSTAR franchisees run — mandated vendors, approved alternatives, and annual cost benchmarks. If you sell into this vertical, this is your map.