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AU Business Analysis

Automatic Car Wash ROI Calculator

Analyse self-serve and tunnel car wash economics.

Automatic car washes (self-serve bays, in-bay automatics, tunnels) are capital-intensive but very low-labour. Volume per bay and water/chemical efficiency drive returns.

Wages % of revenue
5–12%
Typical range
Rent % of revenue
8–14%
Typical range
COGS % of revenue
3–8%
Typical range
Net margin %
18–28%
Healthy band

Sources: IBISWorld — Other Personal Services (Car Wash)

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Business Details

2

Revenue

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Annual Expenses

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Purchase & Loan

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Owner Details

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Scenario Testing

Sales Drop0%
Rent Increase0%
Wage Increase0%
Interest Rate Rise0pp
Live Analysis

Automatic Car Wash

Automatic Car Wash · benchmarks: Australian industry data

HealthyLow Risk
Net Profit
$139,900
Margin 34.1%
EBITDA
$214,900
Before owner & loans
ROI
22.6%
Payback 4.4 yrs
DSCR
4.71
Debt cover ratio
Monthly Repayment
$3,801
$45,609 p.a.
Cashflow After Loan
$94,291
Break-even Revenue
$306,633
$5,897/week
Owner Earnings
$214,900
Profit + replacement salary

Investment Risk Score

100/100
Low Risk

Higher score = safer investment

Revenue Breakdown

  • COGS5.4%
  • Wages6.8%
  • Rent8.8%
  • Other44.9%
  • Net Profit34.1%

Industry Benchmarks · Automatic Car Wash

vs Australian averages
Wage RatioHealthy
6.8%
Benchmark: 5%–12%
Rent RatioHealthy
8.8%
Benchmark: 8%–14%
COGS RatioHealthy
5.4%
Benchmark: 3%–8%
Net MarginHealthy
34.1%
Benchmark: 18%–28%

Loan Repayment Projection

Outstanding balance over loan term

Insights

Strengths
  • • Net margin 34.1% is within healthy range for Automatic Car Wash.
  • • DSCR of 4.71 indicates comfortable loan serviceability.
Weaknesses
  • No major weaknesses detected.
Red Flags
  • No red flags.
Buyer Questions
  • • Can you provide 3 years of tax returns and BAS statements?
  • • What is the remaining lease term and rent review schedule?
  • • Are there any key staff dependencies or pending resignations?
  • • How transferable are supplier and franchise agreements?
  • • Why is the current owner selling?
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General information only. This calculator provides general information only and does not take into account your personal circumstances, financial situation, objectives, taxation position, or business needs. Please seek independent professional advice before making financial or business decisions.

What makes a healthy Automatic Car Wash business?

Self-serve and automatic car washes typically run wages 5–12% and very low COGS (3–8% — mainly chemicals). The big variable cost is utilities at 15–25% (water + electricity).

Net margins 18–28% are achievable, making these among the most profitable small businesses on a per-hour-of-owner-time basis.

Capex is significant — tunnel washes can cost $500k–$2M to install. The site (DA approval, water recycling, drainage) is often more valuable than the equipment.

Typical asking-price multiple

2× – 3.5× SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings). Tunnel washes with monthly membership programs trade higher (3.5–5×).

Red flags
  • • Water recycling not compliant with current regulations
  • • Equipment > 10 years old
  • • No monthly membership / subscription revenue
  • • Site lease (rather than freehold) without long term
Green flags
  • • Monthly unlimited wash membership revenue
  • • Freehold site or long lease (15+ years)
  • • Water recycling system installed
  • • High-traffic location with strong visibility
Key due-diligence questions
  • 1. What's the cars-per-day count and seasonal variation?
  • 2. What's the membership penetration and churn?
  • 3. What's the water recycling rate and compliance status?
  • 4. What's the equipment age, manufacturer and parts availability?

Frequently asked questions