Advisory activity in the car wash sector strengthened in the second quarter of 2026, with Amplify Capital advising on roughly $450 million of transactions involving about 400 locations, according to a BTIG report released Monday. The advisory firm said market conditions have improved as participants gained greater clarity around interest rates and capital markets - and Amplify is currently advising multiple chains with a combined value in excess of $500 million.
Based on the disclosed deals, the transaction math comes to just over $1.1 million per location. That figure represents a marked reduction from valuations commonly seen in the late 2010s and early 2020s, when per-store transaction prices often topped $5 million.
The uptick in activity is notable when viewed against 2025 results: Car Wash Advisory reported that approximately 660 car wash locations changed hands during the entire prior year. The pace of dealmaking in Q2 2026 suggests a pickup in volumes as buyers and sellers adjust expectations on price and financing.
Several discrete transactions and sector moves illustrate how consolidation and adjacent services are evolving.
- Whitewater Express expanded its footprint by acquiring eight locations from Sparkle Express across Georgia and South Carolina, bringing Whitewater's total to 154 car washes operating across eight states.
- PGW Auto Glass, a private equity-owned business headquartered in Pennsylvania, completed the acquisition of Windshield Surgeons, a Canadian windshield repair and replacement operator. PGW operates more than 160 branches across the United States and Canada, and previously acquired Canadian distributor PH Vitres d'Autos from Driven Brands (NASDAQ:DRVN) in 2024.
Beyond transactions, technology adoption is advancing in adjacent quick-lube operations. PitCrew is deploying an artificial intelligence-driven solution that integrates with camera systems to monitor metrics such as service start times, job duration, queue length, and customer departures without service. Most customers deploying the system report at least a 10 percent improvement in speed and overall efficiency. Following a successful pilot, a 66-store Jiffy Lube franchisee elected to roll out PitCrew across its network.
Regulatory and insurance developments may also affect repair-versus-total-loss economics. Rhode Island is positioned to raise the total loss threshold for insurers from 80 percent to 85 percent. The change would require a larger share of damaged vehicles to be repaired rather than declared total losses, with an estimated effect of potentially adding approximately $1 million to what insurers will pay in the state.
Together, these elements - renewed advisory activity, lower per-location asking prices, active strategic and private equity-backed deals in car wash and auto glass, technology deployments in quick-lube operations, and adjustments to insurer thresholds - paint a picture of a sector recalibrating after higher-valuation years. Market participants appear to be adapting to a changed financing and capital-markets environment while continuing to pursue consolidation and efficiency gains.