CARSTAR franchise
2025 filing · June 13, 2025GrowingShares sales figures
CARSTAR at a glance
A collision repair shop fixing auto body damage for insurers, fleets and drivers. At the end of its 2024 fiscal year there were 471 CARSTAR locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Auto repair
- Franchisor
- CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Charlotte, North Carolina
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $24K–$165K
- Conversion of an existing collision shop
- Franchise fee
- $10,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- Base fee plus growth fee
- A monthly base fee of $1,000 or 1.5% of the shop's base sales volume, whichever is greater, plus 4% of monthly sales above that base volume
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 1% of monthly gross sales or $500, whichever is more, for the insurance and marketing fund
- Renewal fee
- $1,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 471
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 471
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- +52
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 39
- Most in California, Texas and New York
Support and records
From CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
CARSTAR among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | CARSTAR | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $94,400 | Costs less than 89% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $10,000 | Lower than 95% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 471 | More than 94% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $3,205,928 | Higher than 96% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 34× | Higher than 100% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a CARSTAR franchise costs
Opening conversion of an existing collision shop costs an estimated $23,500 to $165,300. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are additional funds – 3 months ($0 to $75,000) and computer hardware/software ($0 to $27,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $10,000 | ||
| Integration Fee | $10,000 | ||
| Facility | $0 | ||
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment | $0 | $15,000 | |
| Computer Hardware/Software | $0 | $27,000 | |
| Training | $0 | $3,300 | |
| Initial Inventory | $500 | $5,000 | |
| Signage | $3,000 | $20,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months | $0 | $75,000 | |
| Total | $23,500 | $165,300 | |
Source: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 38
CARSTAR franchise fee
The franchise fee is $10,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 30
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | A monthly base fee of $1,000 or 1.5% of the shop's base sales volume, whichever is greater, plus 4% of monthly sales above that base volume. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of monthly gross sales or $500, whichever is more, for the insurance and marketing fund. |
| Computer Hardware/Software | $0 to $27,000 |
| Renewal Processing Fee | $1,000 |
| Training Fee | $299 per year |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 31
Other fees as filed, from pages 32–38. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures CARSTAR publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $3,205,928
- Median sales
- $2,579,601
Yearly figures for fiscal 2024, covering franchised facilities open all of fiscal 2024 and reporting every month (397 locations). The average is about 34 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: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2025 filing, pages 77–78
SBA loans to CARSTAR franchisees
Lenders approved 111 SBA-backed loans for CARSTAR franchisees from 1994 to 2026, $97.3M in all: 75 7(a) loans and 36 504 loans. Of the 69 that have ended, 65 were paid in full and 4 were charged off (5.8%). The other 42 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 | CARSTAR | Typical auto repair brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +3.5% / +12% | 0% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 7% / 23% | 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 CARSTAR compares
Of the 53 auto repair franchises on this site, CARSTAR is the 2nd cheapest to open and the 8th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | CARSTAR | Typical auto repair brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $24K | $224K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $165K | $534K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $10K | $40K | $40K |
| Sales per location | $3.21M | $1.14M | $794K |
| US locations | 471 | 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 | 395 (+8) | 0 | – | – |
| 2021 | 419 (+24) | 10 | – | – |
| 2022 | 446 (+27) | 0 | +59 | −32 |
| 2023 | 455 (+9) | 0 | +41 | −32 |
| 2024 | 471 (+16) | 0 | +48 | −32 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The outlet years below are the franchisor's fiscal years, which end in late December.
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 387 to 471 (+84, +22%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2023 filing.
Source: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 82
2020–2021: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2023 filing, page 81
Where CARSTAR locations are
At the end of 2024, CARSTAR had franchised locations in 39 states. The most are in California, Texas and New York.
- California73
- Texas45
- New York41
- Illinois32
- Washington32
- Ohio18
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| California | 73 |
| Texas | 45 |
| New York | 41 |
| Illinois | 32 |
| Washington | 32 |
| Ohio | 18 |
| Pennsylvania | 17 |
| Missouri | 16 |
| Virginia | 16 |
| New Jersey | 15 |
All 39 states
Source: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2025 filing, page 85
Who owns CARSTAR?
CARSTAR franchises are sold by CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC. It is a subsidiary of Driven Systems LLC.
CARSTAR 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 CARSTAR 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 24–29. |
|---|---|
| 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: CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 24–29, bankruptcy on page 30
CARSTAR filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from CARSTAR Franchisor SPV LLC’s 2025 filing, issued June 13, 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 | June 13, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
| 2023 filing | June 5, 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
All auto repair franchises
Other brands from Driven Brands: 1-800-Radiator & A/C, Abra Auto Body & Glass, Econo Lube N' Tune & Brakes, Fix Auto, Maaco, Meineke, Merlin and Take 5 Oil Change. See all 9 in the finder