2.7× The typical car dealership for sale in the US asks 2.7 times its yearly cash flow.
We read 185 car dealerships listed for sale on a major online marketplace and compared each asking price with the cash flow its seller reported.
The findings in eight sentences.
- The middle half of car dealerships ask between 1.9 and 4.2 times their yearly cash flow.
- Car dealerships ask more than the typical business for sale, which asks 2.6 times.
- The typical asking price for a car dealership is $695,000.
- Measured against revenue, the typical car dealership asks 0.4 times its yearly sales.
- 29% of car dealerships for sale offer seller financing, against 22% overall.
- 53% of owners who say why they're selling are retiring.
- 20% of car dealerships for sale show no revenue, cash flow or EBITDA, against 18% overall.
- 21% of the car dealerships for sale are listed in Florida, 10% in California and 9% in Texas.
Of the auto and transport industries, car dealerships ask less than most.
Car washes ask the most, 5.0 times their yearly cash flow, and gas stations the least, 2.4 times.
- Car washes: median 5.0×, middle half from 3.3× to 6.7×
- Boat dealers and marine services: median 3.3×, middle half from 2.6× to 4.3×
- Limo and passenger transportation companies: median 3.0×, middle half from 2.4× to 3.8×
- Trucking companies: median 3.0×, middle half from 2.4× to 3.5×
- Moving companies and shipping stores: median 2.8×, middle half from 1.8× to 3.6×
- Car dealerships: median 2.7×, middle half from 1.9× to 4.2×
- Auto repair shops: median 2.7×, middle half from 2.0× to 3.4×
- Gas stations: median 2.4×, middle half from 1.7× to 3.1×
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44% of car dealerships ask between two and four times their yearly cash flow.
28% ask less than two, and 28% more than four.
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Bigger car dealerships ask more for each dollar of cash flow.
The typical ask is 2.4 times at $100,000 to $250,000 of yearly cash flow and 2.8 times at $250,000 to $500,000.
- $100k to $250k: median 2.4×, middle half from 2.0× to 4.1×
- $250k to $500k: median 2.8×, middle half from 1.6× to 4.2×
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What a car dealership like yours would ask.
The middle half of similar listings ask
$447,000 to $1,160,000
The typical one asks $774,000, 2.8× its yearly cash flow.
Based on car dealerships with $250k to $500k of yearly cash flow. These are asking prices, not sale prices or appraisals.
After the close.
We write the software a newly bought business runs on, one process at a time, such as quoting, scheduling or billing, and the new owner keeps the code. How we work with buyers and operating partners.
The data.
We read the listings on September 24, 2026, and their full details from September 25 to 30, 2026.
Questions
What multiple of cash flow do car dealerships sell for?
Car dealerships listed for sale in the US ask a median 2.7 times their yearly cash flow (seller's discretionary earnings), and the middle half ask between 1.9 and 4.2 times. Sale prices usually come in lower.
How much does it cost to buy a car dealership?
The typical car dealership for sale asks $695,000, and the middle half ask between $369,000 and $1,625,000. Sale prices usually come in lower.
How many car dealerships for sale offer seller financing?
29% of car dealerships for sale offer seller financing, against 22% overall.
What multiple of revenue do car dealerships ask?
The typical car dealership for sale asks 0.4 times its yearly sales, and the middle half ask between 0.2 and 0.7 times.
Why are car dealerships for sale?
53% of owners who give a reason are retiring. 19% are moving on to other businesses or interests, and 12% are relocating.
How we did it
We read every listing on a major US online marketplace for businesses for sale on September 24, 2026, and went back to each one from September 25 to 30, 2026 for its full details. This page covers the 185 established car dealerships among them. 104 show both an asking price and a cash flow, and 92 of those are left after the exclusions below.
Older listings use a flat list of named categories, and newer ones a two-level list whose subcategories have no names. A listing without its own photo shows its category's default photo. Each default photo almost always shows up in a single newer subcategory, so each named category joins the subcategory where its photo appears.
A multiple is the asking price divided by the seller's discretionary earnings the listing reports. We left out multiples below 0.3 or above 20, and listings whose price includes the property. Prices and cash flows on this page come from the listings with a multiple. These are asking prices, and a business usually sells for less than it asks. The full method.
Cite this page
Fulkerson Advisors (2026). What car dealerships for sale ask. From What Small Businesses for Sale Ask: 39,587 US Listings, September 2026. https://www.fulkersonadvisors.com/research/small-business-multiples/car-dealerships
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.