2023 Top 50 U.S. Conveyor Chain List

2023 Top 50 U.S. Conveyor Chain List

Our annual listing of the leading tunnel brands and operators in the U.S.

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Annually, the Professional Carwashing & Detailing editorial team assembles and releases a compilation of the largest carwash chains, based on the number of year-end projected tunnel locations. In the upcoming pages, you will see the 2023 Top 50 List of U.S. Conveyor Carwashes. Consistent with recent years, many chains on the list expanded their numbers through a combination of acquisitions and greenfield development this year.

We make every effort to validate our annual list’s information, often obtaining direct confirmation from the vast majority of featured companies. These companies provide year-end projections, though they may not always align with actual figures due to unforeseen circumstances.

Despite multiple attempts to contact all 50 chains featured each year, some remain unresponsive. For the few companies that do not respond to our attempts to verify their information, we rely on publicly available information, such as their websites or recent press releases.

If your company is not on the list and meets the minimum requirement, please contact us for next year’s list at [email protected].

While this year’s list still showcases many familiar carwash brands, there is a noticeable ascent of operators, brands and platforms present in the market for five years or less. These emerging chains are experiencing unprecedented growth in the professional carwashing market.

While our publication and its website, Carwash.com, has consistently reported on the ongoing expansion and acquisition news within this market, M&A activity appears to be slowing over the past two years compared to previous recent years. While external factors, such as higher costs to borrow, and internal factors, such as a smaller pool of sellers in the market, have resulted in fewer deals this year, many of these operators tell us that they are focusing on new builds and fine-tuning their sites for operational excellence.

The 2023 list commences with a new addition to the top five, with Mister Car Wash retaining its leading position. Following is Take 5 Car Wash® and third on this year’s list is ZIPS Car Wash. At the fourth position is the EWC/Club: Wildcat Car Wash Platform and rounding out the top five is Tidal Wave Auto Spa.

We trust that you will find tracking our publication’s annual list as enjoyable as we find researching and compiling it. Welcome once again to the official 2023 Top 50 List of U.S. Conveyor Carwashes. 

1. Mister Car Wash

Tucson, AZ
www.mistercarwash.com
465 locations

 Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Mister Car Wash Inc. (NYSE: MCW) operates more than 400 car washes nationwide and has the largest car wash subscription program in North America. With over 25 years of car wash experience, the Mister team is focused on operational excellence and delivering a memorable customer experience through elevated hospitality. The Mister brand is anchored in quality, friendliness and a commitment to the communities we serve as good stewards of the environment and the resources we use. We believe that when you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers. To learn more, visit https://mistercarwash.com.

2. Take 5 Car Wash®

Charlotte, NC
www.take5.com/car-wash
389 locations

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Take 5 Car Wash® is the largest express car wash operator in the U.S. with over 380 sites nationwide. Established in 2020, Take 5 Car Wash delivers a fast, friendly, and convenient car wash experience with a customer- and people-first culture. Take 5 Car Wash is committed to providing customers with the highest level of service and the latest technology in car wash and detail services. Take 5 Car Wash is a member of Driven Brands, the largest automotive services company in North America, and Driven Brands Car Wash, the largest car wash operator in the world with more than 1,000 locations in 14 countries. For more information, visit www.take5.com/car-wash.

3. ZIPS Car Wash

Plano, TX
www.zipscarwash.com
279 locations

ZIPS Car Wash is the largest privately held carwash operator nationwide, operating in 25 states under three brands: ZIPS, Rocket Express and Jet Brite Express. This year ZIPS invested back into its operations with tunnel and chemical upgrades to provide showroom shine to every vehicle and enhanced its online and in-app purchase experiences. In 2024, ZIPS will celebrate 20 years of leading the industry in high quality express tunnel carwashes and exceptional customer service. The ZIPS team aims to positively impact the communities they serve through partnerships with local U.S. veteran service organizations and through 14 major university sponsorships. 

4. EWC/Club: Wildcat Car Wash Platform

Columbia, MO
www.clubcarwash.com | www.expresswashconcepts.com
260 locations

The Wildcat Car Wash Platform is comprised of Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts (EWC), and currently operates across 17 states under the following brands: Bee Clean Express Car Wash, Clean Express Auto Wash, Club Car Wash, Flying Ace Express Car Wash, Green Clean Express Auto Wash and Moo Moo Express Car Wash. Together, Club Car Wash and EWC deliver an exceptional carwash experience with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, best-in-class operations and accelerated career growth opportunities. Dedicated community relations initiatives have resulted in more than $900,000 raised in 2023 for local non-profits.

Tidal Wave Auto Spa logo

5. Tidal Wave Auto Spa

Thomaston, GA
www.tidalwaveautospa.com
235 locations

Tidal Wave Auto Spa operates over 200 locations across the South, Midwest and Northern United States. The company was founded in 1999 by Scott and Hope Blackstock when the couple set their sights on building a brand-new car wash experience to make car care easy, efficient, and enjoyable. Currently one of the nation’s fastest growing car wash companies, each location is focused on providing customers with an exceptional experience through friendly and knowledgeable staff, pristine locations, and tunnel technology guaranteed to deliver the cleanest and shiniest car. An industry leader in car wash technology, the company added Graphene into their premium wash option across all locations in 2022. Tidal Wave believes a clean car is a happy day, and they strive to provide every customer with clean car happiness at every visit.

RankCompany NameCityStateURL# of Locations
6Quick Quack Car WashSacramentoCAwww.DontDriveDirty.com225
7Tommy’s Express Car WashHollandMIwww.tommys-express.com185
8Spotless BrandsOakbrook TerraceILwww.spotlessbrands.com170
9GO Car WashDenverCOwww.gocarwash.com144
10Mammoth HoldingsAtlantaGAwww.mammothholdings.com140
11Whistle Express Car WashCharlotteNCwww.whistleexpresscarwash.com130
12WhiteWater Express Car WashHoustonTXwww.whitewatercw.com125
13Super Star Car WashPhoenixAZwww.superstarcarwash.com94
14Autobell Car Wash LLCCharlotteNCwww.autobell.com89
15ModWashChattanoogaTNwww.modwash.com84
16LUV Car WashGilbertAZwww.luvcarwash.com73
17True Blue Car Wash owned by Circle KTempeAZwww.truebluecw.com67
18Casey’s Express WashAnkenyIAwww.caseys.com66
19Splash Car WashGreenwichCTwww.splashcarwashes.com57
20Golden Nozzle Car WashWorcesterMAwww.goldennozzlecarwash.com55
21Summit Car Wash HoldingsPalm Beach GardensFLwww.russellspeeders.com52
22Caliber Car WashAtlantaGAwww.calibercarwash.com47
23Crew CarwashIndianapolisINwww.crewcarwash.com46
 Wash Depot Holdings Inc.Fort LauderdaleFLwww.cleancarfeeling.com46
24Champion Xpress Car WashLubbockTXwww.champxpress.com45
25Sam’s Xpress Car WashMatthewsNCwww.samsxpresscarwash.com42
26BlueWave ExpressSan RafaelCAwww.bluewaveexpress.com41
27El Car WashMiamiFLwww.elcarwash.com40
28Raceway Express Car WashPhoenixAZwww.racewaycarwash.com39
 Wash N RollNashvilleTNwww.mywashnroll.com39
29Mike’s CarwashCincinnatiOHwww.mikescarwash.com38
30Jax Kar WashSouthfieldMIwww.jaxkarwash.com35
Surf Thru Express Car WashBakersfieldCAwww.surfthruexpress.com35
 Watershed Car WashSan AntonioTXwww.watershedcarwash.com35
31Terrible’sLas VegasNVwww.terribles.com33
 WetGo PROPittsburghPAwww.getgocafe.com/wetgo33
32Rich’s Car WashMobileALwww.richscarwash.com32
33Delta SonicBuffaloNYwww.deltasoniccarwash.com31
34The Wash TubSan AntonioTXwww.washtub.com30
35Brown Bear Car WashSeattleWAwww.brownbear.com28
 Waterway CarwashSt. LouisMOwww.waterway.com28
36Hurricane Express WashIrmoSCwww.hurricanewash.com27
 Soapy Joe’s Car WashSanteeCAwww.soapyjoescarwash.com27
37Trademark CarwashWinston SalemNCwww.trademarkcarwash.com26
38Hoffman Car WashAlbanyNYwww.hoffmancarwash.com25
 Prestige Car WashTauntonMAwww.prestigewash.com25
39Fast5xpressNewport BeachCAwww.fast5xpress.com24
Rocket CarwashLincolnNEwww.rocketcarwash.com24
 Ultra Clean ExpressDenverCOwww.ultracleanexpress.com24
40Zax Auto WashWixomMIwww.zaxautowash.com22

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