polski
English (UK)
English (EU)
Deutsch
český
slovenský
magyar
românesc
français
русский
белорусский
український
How much does a touchless car wash really earn? See an analysis of three different locations and find out how much the location and configuration of the site affect the result.
A passive business with a return on investment within 5 years is, unfortunately, a fairy tale. Want to know how much a touchless car wash owner earns? In this article you will learn the whole truth about touchless car wash earnings. To illustrate the topic, we have picked 3 different car washes in Szczecin, Poland, as the basis for a business analysis. The data comes from Carwash Manager, the online car wash monitoring and management system.
Gdańska car wash – a big challenge
We always tell our customers that location is what matters most. That was also the case when we decided to build a 6-bay touchless car wash on Gdańska Street in Szczecin. Direct access from an arterial road out of the city and heavy traffic suggested that we had hit the bullseye with the choice of plot. Unfortunately, over time it turned out that the transit traffic at this location did not translate into traffic at our car wash.
Turnover for 2022:
- annual turnover of the car wash: PLN 333,000 gross,
- annual turnover per bay: PLN 55,500 gross,
- monthly turnover per bay: PLN 4,625 gross.
Jasna car wash – well-invested capital
Five years after opening the car wash on Jasna Street in Szczecin, we can safely say it was money very well invested. A location next to a large housing estate, close to a market, shops, a bakery and a petrol station did the job.
When we decided to build this 4-bay car wash, we invested in additional wash programmes such as active foam and a brush. Equipment such as a money changer and vacuum cleaners with a tyre-inflation compressor was also important. We also equipped the site with solutions that save money in daily operation, such as a condensing boiler and automatic floor heating control.
This car wash also launched a mobile app for acquiring new customers, which generated a turnover of almost PLN 56,000 last year.
Turnover for 2022:
- annual turnover of the car wash: PLN 471,000 gross,
- annual turnover per bay: PLN 117,000 gross,
- monthly turnover per bay: PLN 9,800 gross.
26 Kwietnia car wash – the jewel in the crown
Our jewel in the crown is the car wash on 26 Kwietnia Street. It was modernised in autumn 2022: the wash technology and the design of the car wash were completely replaced.
This 4-bay touchless car wash has a brilliant location. It is in the city centre at a large intersection, close to a big housing estate, a shopping centre, two petrol stations and a car repair shop. This car wash earns the most, which shows that it pays to modernise car washes located near major traffic hubs.
Turnover in the 3 months after modernisation:
- 3-month turnover of the car wash: PLN 157,656 gross,
- 3-month turnover per bay: PLN 52,552 gross,
- monthly turnover per bay: PLN 13,138 gross.
After the modernisation, this car wash generated three times the turnover of the first of our car washes. Another interesting point is the scale of service for business customers. Thanks to convenient mobile app payments, we efficiently serve taxi companies, couriers and transport firms.
Summary
Of course, turnover is not profit. You should assume that costs amount to around 45% of revenue. But as you can see, a car wash can still be a very good business – and the one who earns the most is always the one who keeps costs well under control.
Remember, if you want to invest in a touchless car wash, choose:
- a proven business partner,
- the right location,
- attractive car wash equipment,
- add-ons that reduce operating costs,
- innovative solutions for acquiring new customers,
- a remote car wash management and monitoring system.