Franchise opportunities compared
Auto Lab vs CARSTAR
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.
Initial investment · Item 7
Auto Lab
$111,000 – $746,000
2026 FDD · Item 7CARSTAR
$23,500 – $804,300
2025 FDD · Item 7Initial franchise fee · Item 5
Auto Lab
$27,500
2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12CARSTAR
Not available
Royalty · Item 6
Auto Lab
$6.00
2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13CARSTAR
Not available
Before you compare
- Auto Lab figures come from its 2026 FDD and CARSTAR figures from its 2025 FDD, so the years differ.
- Auto Lab and CARSTAR 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, CARSTAR: 19). Different groups are not directly comparable.
Financial commitment
Auto Lab
CARSTARAuto Lab
CARSTAR
Auto Lab
CARSTAR
Auto Lab
CARSTAR
Auto Lab
CARSTAR
System scale & health
Auto LabCARSTARAuto Lab
CARSTAR
Auto Lab
CARSTAR
Auto Lab
CARSTAR
Auto Lab
CARSTAR
Auto Lab
CARSTAR
Financial performance (Item 19), by location group
Auto LabCARSTARItem 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.
Auto Lab vs CARSTAR: common questions
- Which costs less to open, Auto Lab or CARSTAR?
- Auto Lab: $111,000 – $746,000 (2026 FDD · Item 7); CARSTAR: $23,500 – $804,300 (2025 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for CARSTAR. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
- Do Auto Lab and CARSTAR disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
- Auto Lab has reviewed Item 19 figures for 2 location groups; CARSTAR has reviewed Item 19 figures for 19 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.
Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.
Keep researching
Full Auto Lab report
Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure
Full CARSTAR report
Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure
