Franchise opportunities compared
Auto Lab vs CAR-X
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Auto Lab and CAR-X disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Auto Lab: 2, CAR-X: 1). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure | ALAuto Lab | CCAR-X |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $111,000 – $746,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $396,200 – $582,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $27,500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $6.00 Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 | $2.50 Royalty — introductory rate first 180 days 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $3.00 Regional/national advertising maximum 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 | $10,000 Initial advertising fee — low 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 19 Outlets at end of 2024 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 39 | 97 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 52 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +18 Calculated: 1 at end of 2022 → 19 at end of 2024 | −27 Calculated: 124 at end of 2023 → 97 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 17 Auto-Lab Complete Car Care Center franchised stores operating for the full 2… 47 percent other Percent of stores attaining or surpassing average gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 38 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Affiliate Belleville, Michigan franchise $87,884 other Gross sales from tire sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 38 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $758,563 other Tercile 2 average gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 50 |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.