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How much of Main Street private equity owns

15% of US car washes with employees belong to chains backed by private equity.

We counted the locations of 15 multi-site groups on their own websites and compared them with the government's count of US car washes.

The findings.

  1. Chains backed by private equity run 15% of US car washes with employees.
  2. Mister Car Wash is the largest, with 2.8% of the country's car washes, followed by Whistle Express at 2.4% and Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts at 1.9%.
  3. In Arizona, four chains backed by private equity run 39% of car washes: Super Star, Cobblestone, Mister and Quick Quack.
  4. Tennessee, Colorado, Utah and Texas follow, at 27% to 30%.
  5. Chains backed by private equity have car washes in 42 states.
  6. Adding the family-owned and lender-owned chains, multi-site groups run 17% of car washes.

Who owns the most car washes.

Mister Car Wash runs 2.8% of US car washes, Whistle Express 2.4% and Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts 1.9%.

  1. Mister Car Wash: 2.8%Leonard Green & Partners
  2. Whistle Express: 2.4%Oaktree Capital Management
  3. Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts: 1.9%Wildcat Capital Management
  4. Quick Quack: 1.9%Seidler Equity Partners and the founders
  5. Tidal Wave Auto Spa: 1.7%Golden Gate Capital
  6. MOJO Family of Brands (Mammoth Holdings): 1.2%, at the size it statesPrivate equity
  7. ZIPS Car Wash: 0.9%Owned by its lenders
  8. GO Car Wash: 0.8%Imperial Capital
  9. WhiteWater Express: 0.8%Freeman Spogli
  10. Spotless Brands (Cobblestone, Flagship): 0.8%Access Holdings
  11. ModWash: 0.7%Founder-owned
  12. Super Star Car Wash: 0.6%TSG Consumer Partners
  13. Summit Wash (Russell Speeder's, Waters): 0.5%New Mountain Capital
  14. Autobell: 0.5%Family-owned
  15. El Car Wash: 0.5%Warburg Pincus
  16. Caliber Car Wash: 0.3%Private equity
  17. Tommy's Express: 0.1%, at the size it statesFamily-owned franchisor, company sites only

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Where private equity owns the most car washes.

Arizona leads at 39%, then Tennessee, Colorado, Utah and Texas at 27% to 30%.

  1. ALAlabama: 25%
  2. AKAlaska: Fewer than 100 car washes
  3. AZArizona: 39%
  4. ARArkansas: 18%
  5. CACalifornia: 11%
  6. COColorado: 30%
  7. CTConnecticut: 13%
  8. DEDelaware: Fewer than 100 car washes
  9. DCDistrict of Columbia: Fewer than 100 car washes
  10. FLFlorida: 18%
  11. GAGeorgia: 21%
  12. HIHawaii: Fewer than 100 car washes
  13. IDIdaho: 14%
  14. ILIllinois: 4.6%
  15. INIndiana: 1.8%
  16. IAIowa: 12%
  17. KSKansas: 22%
  18. KYKentucky: 9.1%
  19. LALouisiana: 12%
  20. MEMaine: Fewer than 100 car washes
  21. MDMaryland: 0.7%
  22. MAMassachusetts: 0.0%
  23. MIMichigan: 13%
  24. MNMinnesota: 19%
  25. MSMississippi: 23%
  26. MOMissouri: 23%
  27. MTMontana: 2.8%
  28. NENebraska: 19%
  29. NVNevada: 4.9%
  30. NHNew Hampshire: Fewer than 100 car washes
  31. NJNew Jersey: 3.3%
  32. NMNew Mexico: 20%
  33. NYNew York: 3.7%
  34. NCNorth Carolina: 12%
  35. NDNorth Dakota: Fewer than 100 car washes
  36. OHOhio: 13%
  37. OKOklahoma: 19%
  38. OROregon: 2.0%
  39. PAPennsylvania: 3.9%
  40. RIRhode Island: Fewer than 100 car washes
  41. SCSouth Carolina: 24%
  42. SDSouth Dakota: Fewer than 100 car washes
  43. TNTennessee: 30%
  44. TXTexas: 27%
  45. UTUtah: 29%
  46. VTVermont: Fewer than 100 car washes
  47. VAVirginia: 16%
  48. WAWashington: 6.5%
  49. WVWest Virginia: Fewer than 100 car washes
  50. WIWisconsin: 14%
  51. WYWyoming: Fewer than 100 car washes

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The typical car wash for sale in the US asks 5.0 times its yearly cash flow. What car washes for sale ask

Software for a roll-up.

A roll-up runs the same work at every site it buys, from booking and estimates to billing and payroll. We write the software those sites share, one process at a time, and the owner keeps the code. How we work with buyers and operating partners.

Book a thirty-minute callHow a build works

The data.

We counted the locations on September 30, 2026.

Groups and owners (CSV)States (CSV)
Questions

How many car washes does private equity own?

Chains backed by private equity run at least 15% of US car washes with employees. The largest are Mister Car Wash, Whistle Express and Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts.

What is the largest car wash chain in the US?

Mister Car Wash, with 2.8% of US car washes. Whistle Express is second at 2.4%, and Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts third at 1.9%.

Which state has the most private equity car washes?

Arizona, where chains backed by private equity run 39% of car washes. Tennessee, Colorado, Utah and Texas follow at 27% to 30%.

Does this count self-service car washes?

Only the ones with employees. The count of car washes is the Bureau of Labor Statistics count of businesses with paid staff, so self-service bays run without staff aren't in it, and with them the share would be lower.

How does this compare with other estimates?

Car Wash Advisory puts private equity and other institutional investors at 61% of the highest-volume express car washes in 2025. That's a narrower set of washes than all car washes with employees, and it includes owners this study doesn't count, such as smaller platforms and franchisees, so the share here is a floor.

Who owns Mister Car Wash?

Leonard Green & Partners owns Mister Car Wash. It runs 2.8% of US car washes.

Who owns Whistle Express?

Oaktree Capital Management owns Whistle Express. It runs 2.4% of US car washes.

Who owns Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts?

Wildcat Capital Management owns Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts. It runs 1.9% of US car washes.

Who owns Quick Quack?

Seidler Equity Partners and the founders own Quick Quack. It runs 1.9% of US car washes.

Who owns Tidal Wave Auto Spa?

Golden Gate Capital owns Tidal Wave Auto Spa. It runs 1.7% of US car washes.

Every group
GroupBrandsOwnerLocationsShare
Mister Car WashMisterLeonard Green & Partners5572.8%
Whistle ExpressWhistle; ex-Take 5Oaktree Capital Management4882.4%
Club Car Wash and Express Wash ConceptsClub; Moo Moo; Flying Ace; Clean/Green/Bee Clean ExpressWildcat Capital Management3861.9%
Quick QuackQuick QuackSeidler Equity Partners and the founders3811.9%
Tidal Wave Auto SpaTidal WaveGolden Gate Capital3421.7%
MOJO Family of Brands (Mammoth Holdings)20+ brandsPrivate equity250 stated1.2%
ZIPS Car WashZIPS; Rocket Express; Jet BriteOwned by its lenders1880.9%
GO Car WashGOImperial Capital1560.8%
WhiteWater ExpressWhiteWaterFreeman Spogli1530.8%
Spotless Brands (Cobblestone, Flagship)Flagship; Cobblestone; Ultimate Shine; Okie; Bluebird; Epic ShineAccess Holdings1510.8%
ModWashModWashFounder-owned1360.7%
Super Star Car WashSuper StarTSG Consumer Partners1160.6%
Summit Wash (Russell Speeder's, Waters)Russell Speeder's; Speeders; WatersNew Mountain Capital990.5%
AutobellAutobellFamily-owned950.5%
El Car WashElWarburg Pincus950.5%
Caliber Car WashCaliberPrivate equity640.3%
Tommy's ExpressTommy'sFamily-owned franchisor, company sites only30 stated0.1%
Every state
StateEstablishmentsPrivate equityShare
Alabama3308125%
Alaska460Fewer than 100 car washes
Arizona40215539%
Arkansas2464418%
California2,32724911%
Colorado39011630%
Connecticut2553413%
Delaware560Fewer than 100 car washes
District of Columbia130Fewer than 100 car washes
Florida1,68530118%
Georgia73515821%
Hawaii611Fewer than 100 car washes
Idaho1732514%
Illinois783364.6%
Indiana44781.8%
Iowa3023512%
Kansas2094622%
Kentucky287269.1%
Louisiana2893612%
Maine920Fewer than 100 car washes
Maryland28820.7%
Massachusetts44500.0%
Michigan6688613%
Minnesota2464719%
Mississippi1543623%
Missouri3748523%
Montana10632.8%
Nebraska1773419%
Nevada206104.9%
New Hampshire910Fewer than 100 car washes
New Jersey661223.3%
New Mexico1342720%
New York964363.7%
North Carolina7088412%
North Dakota603Fewer than 100 car washes
Ohio7879913%
Oklahoma2414519%
Oregon24452.0%
Pennsylvania672263.9%
Rhode Island760Fewer than 100 car washes
South Carolina3117524%
South Dakota772Fewer than 100 car washes
Tennessee46914030%
Texas1,91552027%
Utah3139229%
Vermont250Fewer than 100 car washes
Virginia4817616%
Washington413276.5%
West Virginia8612Fewer than 100 car washes
Wisconsin2673814%
Wyoming540Fewer than 100 car washes
How we did it

We counted the US locations of the largest car wash groups on September 30, 2026, from each group's own website. Groups that don't list their locations in one place count at the size each one states and are shown apart. Tommy's Express, whose washes are mostly franchised, counts its company-owned sites only.

The number of car washes is the Bureau of Labor Statistics count of private establishments with employees for the first quarter of 2026, 20,042 car washes (NAICS 811192). Car washes without staff aren't in it. A state's count of businesses is the larger of the Bureau of Labor Statistics count for the first quarter of 2026 and the Census Bureau's 2023 County Business Patterns count. The first can fold a chain's sites in a state into one report, and the second misses sites opened since 2023, so the larger count keeps a state's share from running high. Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming use the first count only.

These shares are floors. Groups we didn't count aren't in them. The full method

Cite this page

Fulkerson Advisors (2026). Who Owns US Car washes: Private Equity's Share, September 2026. https://www.fulkersonadvisors.com/research/private-equity-ownership/car-washes

Use any of these numbers or charts. Credit Fulkerson Advisors and link to this page. The data is under a CC BY 4.0 license.