1-800-Radiator & A/C franchise
2025 filing · July 3, 2025Shares sales figures
1-800-Radiator & A/C at a glance
An auto parts warehouse distributing radiators, A/C parts and cooling products to repair shops. At the end of 2024 there were 194 1-800-Radiator & A/C locations in the US, 193 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Auto repair
- Franchisor
- 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2004
- 21 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Benicia, California
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $464K–$1.31M
- Start-up warehouse
- Franchise fee
- $45,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 8%
- 8% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 1.5%
- 1.5% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- $20,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 20 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- Some financing offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 194
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 193
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 42
- Most in California, Texas and Florida
From 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
1-800-Radiator & A/C among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | 1-800-Radiator & A/C | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $888,750 | Costs more than 81% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $45,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 8% | Higher than 85% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 194 | More than 85% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $1,894,524 | Higher than 86% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 2.1× | Higher than 67% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a 1-800-Radiator & A/C franchise costs
Opening start-up warehouse costs an estimated $463,500 to $1,314,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are opening inventory ($250,000 to $800,000) and additional funds – 3 months ($50,000 to $150,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $45,000 | ||
| Start-Up Warehouse Equipment and Supplies | $42,000 | $85,000 | |
| Opening Marketing Package | $30,000 | ||
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $2,500 | $10,000 | |
| Lease Deposit | $5,000 | $25,000 | |
| Delivery Vehicle | $5,000 | $45,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $25,000 | $75,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $250,000 | $800,000 | |
| Rent for first 3 months | $9,000 | $49,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $50,000 | $150,000 | |
| Total | $463,500 | $1,314,000 | |
Source: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 40
1-800-Radiator & A/C franchise fee
The franchise fee is $45,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 26
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 8% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1.5% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Transfer Fee | $20,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $20,000 |
| Local Marketing Fee | 0.5% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 28
Other fees as filed, from pages 28–33. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures 1-800-Radiator & A/C publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $1,894,524
- Median sales
- $1,473,568
Yearly figures for 2024, covering franchised warehouses operating all 12 accounting periods of 2024 (189 locations). The average is about 2.1 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2025 filing, pages 74–76
SBA loans to 1-800-Radiator & A/C franchisees
Lenders approved 73 SBA-backed loans for 1-800-Radiator & A/C franchisees from 2005 to 2026, $23.1M in all: 69 7(a) loans and 4 504 loans. Of the 59 that have ended, 44 were paid in full and 15 were charged off (25.4%). The other 14 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | 1-800-Radiator & A/C | Typical auto repair brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −0.5% / 0% | 0% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0.5% / 3.1% | 3.5% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical auto repair brand is the median of the 27 brands in auto repair franchises with three years of counts.
How 1-800-Radiator & A/C compares
Of the 53 auto repair franchises on this site, 1-800-Radiator & A/C is the 48th cheapest to open and the 17th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | 1-800-Radiator & A/C | Typical auto repair brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $464K | $224K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.31M | $534K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $45K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 8% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1.5% | 1.5% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $1.89M | $1.14M | $794K |
| US locations | 194 | 92 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 33 of 53 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 53 brands in auto repair franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 191 (0) | 1 | – | – |
| 2021 | 193 (+2) | 1 | – | – |
| 2022 | 193 (0) | 1 | +1 | −1 |
| 2023 | 194 (+1) | 1 | +5 | −4 |
| 2024 | 193 (−1) | 1 | 0 | −1 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: auto repair franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2020 to the end of 2024, franchised locations went from 191 to 193 (+2, +1%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2023 filing.
Source: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 83
2020–2021: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2023 filing, page 78
Where 1-800-Radiator & A/C locations are
At the end of 2024, 1-800-Radiator & A/C had locations in 43 states and territories. The most are in California, Texas and Florida.
- California25
- Texas19
- Florida14
- New Jersey8
- New York8
- Pennsylvania7
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 24 | 1 | 25 |
| Texas | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Florida | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| New York | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Virginia | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Illinois | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Arizona | 5 | 0 | 5 |
All 43 states
Source: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 86
Who owns 1-800-Radiator & A/C?
1-800-Radiator & A/C franchises are sold by 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC. It is a subsidiary of Driven Systems LLC.
1-800-Radiator & A/C is one of the 9 Driven Brands franchises here. Driven Brands Holdings is a public company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its shares trade on Nasdaq as DRVN.
From 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC’s 2025 filing, page 9; SEC.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 22–26. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 22–26, bankruptcy on page 26
1-800-Radiator & A/C filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from 1-800-RADIATOR FRANCHISOR SPV LLC’s 2025 filing, issued July 3, 2025; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | July 3, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
| 2023 filing | June 14, 2023 | NASAA depository | Locations, 2020–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other auto repair franchises
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Other brands from Driven Brands: Abra Auto Body & Glass, CARSTAR, Econo Lube N' Tune & Brakes, Fix Auto, Maaco, Meineke, Merlin and Take 5 Oil Change. See all 9 in the finder