AAMCO franchise
2023 filing · April 30, 2023Shares sales figures
AAMCO at a glance
A transmission and general auto repair center operating under the AAMCO name. At the end of 2022 there were 554 AAMCO locations in the US, 541 franchised and 13 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Auto repair
- Franchisor
- AAMCO Transmissions, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Horsham, Pennsylvania
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $235K–$353K
- A new AAMCO center
- Franchise fee
- $39,500
- For a new franchisee, with any earlier deposit credited toward it
- Royalty
- 7.5%
- 7.5% of gross receipts, paid weekly, plus $150 a month to the national creative fund
- Brand fund
- Yes
- $150 a month
- Agreement length
- 15 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 554
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 541
- Company-owned
- 13
- States
- 46
- Most in California, Florida and Texas
Support and records
- Lawsuits disclosed
- Yes
- Franchisor revenue, 2022
- $36.4M
- The company, not one location
- Franchisor net income
- $10.5M
- Latest filing
- Apr 30, 2023
- 2023 filing
From AAMCO Transmissions, LLC’s 2023 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 221; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
AAMCO among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | AAMCO | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $294,000 | Costs less than 57% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $39,500 | Lower than 57% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7.5% | Higher than 84% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 554 | More than 95% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $937,483 | Higher than 59% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 3.2× | Higher than 81% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a AAMCO franchise costs
Opening a new AAMCO center costs an estimated $234,800 to $353,200. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are shop equipment, supplies, lifts & installation (included in center opening package), plus freight & taxes ($78,400 to $98,000) and additional funds ($40,000 to $60,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial License Fee 3, 4 (including credit of Initial Deposit received under Deposit Agreement) | $39,500 | ||
| Business Coach Training | $10,000 | ||
| Grand Opening Advertising Expenses | $3,000 | ||
| AAMCO Security Deposit | $5,000 | ||
| Travel Expenses for Training Program | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Real Estate & Utility Deposits | $14,000 | $43,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $9,700 | $13,700 | |
| Signs 7 (included in Center Opening Package, See Item) | $7,500 | $30,000 | |
| Shop Equipment, Supplies, Lifts & Installation (included in Center Opening Package), plus freight & taxes | $78,400 | $98,000 | |
| POS System – Acquisition | $2,500 | ||
| POS System – 3 months Access/Support | $500 | ||
| Computers and Phone System – Hardware | $6,500 | $10,000 | |
| Office Furniture | $5,500 | $7,000 | |
| Sales Materials | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Costs & Professional Fees | $4,000 | $10,000 | |
| (Legal and Accounting Advice, Personnel recruitment, etc.) Insurance | $1,500 | $2,500 | |
| Advertising Costs 13 (13 weeks) | $4,700 | $13,500 | |
| Additional Funds | $40,000 | $60,000 | |
| Total | $234,800 | $353,200 | |
Source: AAMCO Transmissions, LLC, 2023 filing, page 23
AAMCO franchise fee
The franchise fee is $39,500, for a new franchisee, with any earlier deposit credited toward it. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: AAMCO Transmissions, LLC, 2023 filing, page 16
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7.5% of gross receipts, paid weekly, plus $150 a month to the national creative fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | $150 a month. |
| POS System Software – Initial License | $2,499 |
| Unauthorized Telephone Number Transfer Charge | $250 per day |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: AAMCO Transmissions, LLC, 2023 filing, page 19
Other fees as filed, from pages 20–21. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures AAMCO publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $937,483
- Median sales
- $887,741
Yearly figures for fiscal 2022, covering franchised centers in the U.S. and Canada operating all of 2022 under the same owner (536 locations). The average is about 3.2 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: AAMCO Transmissions, LLC, 2023 filing, pages 51–52
SBA loans to AAMCO franchisees
Lenders approved 511 SBA-backed loans for AAMCO franchisees from 1990 to 2026, $143.3M in all: 471 7(a) loans and 40 504 loans. Of the 419 that have ended, 300 were paid in full and 119 were charged off (28.4%). The other 92 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
How AAMCO compares
Of the 53 auto repair franchises on this site, AAMCO is the 31st cheapest to open and the 6th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | AAMCO | Typical auto repair brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $235K | $224K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $353K | $534K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7.5% | 6% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $937K | $1.14M | $794K |
| US locations | 554 | 92 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −3.2% | 0% | – |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 553 (−6) | 13 |
| 2021 | 549 (−4) | 13 |
| 2022 | 541 (−8) | 13 |
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.
Source: AAMCO Transmissions, LLC, 2023 filing, page 56
Where AAMCO locations are
At the end of 2022, AAMCO had locations in 47 states and territories. The most are in California, Florida and Texas.
- California68
- Florida57
- Texas43
- Pennsylvania26
- New Jersey23
- Arizona22
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 68 | 0 | 68 |
| Florida | 57 | 0 | 57 |
| Texas | 43 | 0 | 43 |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| New Jersey | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Arizona | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Georgia | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Virginia | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| New York | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Illinois | 12 | 6 | 18 |
All 47 states
Source: AAMCO Transmissions, LLC, 2023 filing, page 60
Who owns AAMCO?
AAMCO franchises are sold by AAMCO Transmissions, LLC.
From AAMCO Transmissions, LLC’s 2023 filing.
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 11–15. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | An affiliate, the parts distributor Auto Plus, filed for Chapter 11 in January 2023 and began selling its assets. The franchisor itself has not filed. |
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: AAMCO Transmissions, LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on pages 11–15, bankruptcy on page 15
AAMCO filings
The figures on this page come from AAMCO Transmissions, LLC’s 2023 filing, issued April 30, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | April 30, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
