Memberships Are 71% of Car Wash Revenue. Here Is What Buyers Will Ask About That

Memberships now account for roughly 71% of same-store car wash revenue, up from 66% a year ago, according to Rinsed’s Q3 2026 report. Same-store revenue grew 3.2%, the slowest pace in five quarters. Membership revenue rose 9.8%, retail revenue fell 9.6%, and at sites open at least two years, total revenue grew 1.1%.

 

The growth is real, but it rests on one revenue stream. For owners planning a sale, the question buyers will ask is how durable that stream is.

The retail pool is shrinking, and conversion is uneven

Retail revenue at established locations has declined in 19 of the past 24 months, per Rinsed. Q3’s 9.6% drop was the largest of the past five quarters. A smaller pool of retail customers leaves fewer chances to convert drivers into members.

 

Conversion rates in the same report vary sharply by scale. Locations with 4,000 or more active monthly members converted 17.1% of retail customers into members. Mid-sized locations (2,000 to 4,000 members) converted 10.7%, and locations under 2,000 members converted 3.3%.

 

Our read: the sites with the most members are best positioned to keep adding them, and smaller sites have the least room. A buyer underwriting a smaller wash will want to see how it plans to grow members as retail traffic declines.

Slower growth traced to signups, not cancellations

AMP’s Q3 analysis of its platform data found monthly cancellations held near 5% from March through September. New signups fell by nearly half from February’s peak and reached 64% of that level by September. AMP also reports that same-site members per site ended September at a new high, after dipping through July.

 

Discounting is where the quality question sits. AMP found two in three new members start on a discount. Among January through September 2025 signups, roughly one-third of discounted members were still active a year later, versus closer to half of full-price members. That is an observed relationship, not proof that the discount caused the difference.

 

A buyer will test the same thing. A membership count built on introductory pricing supports less income than the same count at full price. Owners who can show first full-price renewals and retention by signup group give a buyer something to underwrite.

 

Definitions matter when comparing churn. Rinsed’s 7.8% average monthly churn combines 4.5% voluntary cancellations and 3.3% credit-card losses. AMP’s roughly 5% measures cancellations. The two are not the same metric.

Two datasets, two retail stories

Rinsed reports same-store retail revenue down 9.6%. AMP reports same-store retail revenue up 3.1%, on 1.7% fewer retail washes and higher tickets. Both can be accurate. Rinsed draws on more than 3,000 locations and defines same-store as sites open at least one year. AMP draws on its own platform of 1,000-plus locations, with wash-count benchmarks from NCS Wash Intel and Rubicon Analytics covering roughly 75% of U.S. tunnel sites.

 

Owners should not average the two or pick the more flattering number. The right comparison is a site against its own prior results and its local competitors. AMP’s own guidance points the same direction: judge retail by dollars and site age, and compare sites of the same age with each other.

New competitors arrive with introductory offers

On October 23, Express Wash Concepts announced the acquisition and reopening of a former Mach-1 Express Wash in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. The company called it its 149th location and its 14th Clean Express in greater Pittsburgh, with six more Pittsburgh openings planned by year-end. The launch offer includes free washes from October 30 through November 8 and 50% off the first three months of the Clean-est Ultra membership. The announcement did not disclose a price.

 

For nearby owners, the operating question is specific: do retail visits, signups or cancellations change after a competitor opens with an offer like that? Track those three numbers monthly from the opening date.

The bottom line for owners

When revenue growth leans on memberships, buyers will underwrite the membership base before they underwrite the headline. Whether a sale is near or several years out, keep a monthly record of:

• Retail transactions, average ticket and revenue.
• Beginning and ending paying members.
• New signups, introductory pricing and first full-price renewals.
• Voluntary cancellations and failed-payment losses, tracked separately.
• Site-level earnings, maintenance spending and upcoming equipment needs.

 

These reports do not set a valuation multiple for an individual wash. They do show what a seller needs to explain: how revenue was earned, how much of it is likely to continue, and what it costs to maintain.