Car Wash M&A & ownership tracker
Who owns which car wash chain, the latest deals, and — the part no broker list has — how every private-equity-owned platform actually performs, joined to WashIndex operating-quality data across 80,000+ washes.
Private-equity-owned platforms, ranked by operating quality
The 11 PE-backed platforms we track own 2,341+ locations between them. Damage rate and rating are WashIndex's independent, review-derived figures — not the sponsors’ numbers — so you can compare how each portfolio actually runs.
| Platform | Owner | Locations | Damage rate | Avg rating | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mister Car Wash | Leonard Green & Partners | 553 | 4.3% | 4.11 | Express tunnel |
| Quick Quack Car Wash | Seidler Equity Partners / KKR | 339 | 1.3% | 4.77 | Express tunnel |
| Tidal Wave Auto Spa | Golden Gate Capital | 317 | 2.2% | 4.56 | Express tunnel |
| Take 5 Car Wash | Whistle Express Car Wash (Oaktree Capital) | 296 | 1.3% | 4.56 | Express tunnel |
| Whistle Express Car Wash | Oaktree Capital Management | 168 | 1.4% | 4.65 | Express tunnel |
| GO Car Wash | Imperial Capital | 156 | 2.7% | 4.36 | Express tunnel |
| WhiteWater Express Car Wash | Freeman Spogli & Co | 138 | 0.7% | 4.80 | Express tunnel |
| Super Star Car Wash | TSG Consumer Partners | 118 | 1.7% | 4.61 | Express tunnel |
| Cobblestone Auto Spa | Access Holdings (Spotless Brands) | 114 | 5.5% | 4.09 | Express tunnel |
| LUV Car Wash | Susquehanna Private Capital | 78 | 1.1% | 4.66 | Express tunnel |
| Caliber Car Wash | Percheron Capital | 64 | 1.6% | 4.75 | Express tunnel |
Also tracked (non-PE / founder-owned or post-restructuring): Club Car Wash, Zips Car Wash, ModWash, Tsunami Express Car Wash. See any chain’s full profile via who owns the chains.
Recent car wash deals
Named transactions since January 2024, newest first — 23 of them in the last 12 months. Site counts are as reported; every row links to its source.
| Date | Buyer | Target | Sites | Value | Region | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | WhiteWater Express Car Wash Freeman Spogli & Co | Sparkle Express Car Wash | 9 | — | GA | Link |
| Jun 2026 | WhiteWater Express Car Wash Freeman Spogli & Co | Aqua Super Express Car Wash | 1 | — | TX | Link |
| Jun 2026 | Quick Quack Car Wash Seidler Equity Partners / KKR | Suds Brothers Express Car Wash | 1 | — | CA | Link |
| May 2026 | El Car Wash | Canton Car Wash | 6 | — | MD | Link |
| May 2026 | Splash Car Wash | White Glove Car Wash | 6 | — | NJ | Link |
| Mar 2026 | Summit Wash Holdings | CJ's Car Wash | 11 | — | NJ | Link |
| Mar 2026 | Splash Car Wash | Five Star Car Wash & Detail | 1 | — | NY | Link |
| Mar 2026 | El Car Wash | Luv-A-Wash | 1 | — | FL | Link |
| Feb 2026 | Leonard Green & Partners Leonard Green & Partners | Mister Car Wash (NYSE: MCW) | 553 | $3.1B | National | Link |
| Feb 2026 | Club Car Wash | In & Out Car Wash | 1 | — | MO | Link |
| Feb 2026 | Club Car Wash | Clean Getaway Express | 2 | — | IA | Link |
| Jan 2026 | Links Car Wash | Rich's Car Wash | 7 | — | TX | Link |
| Jan 2026 | Links Car Wash | Slappy's Express Car Wash | 5 | — | TX | Link |
| Dec 2025 | ClearWater Express Wash | BlueWave Express Car Wash | 53 | — | TX | Link |
| Nov 2025 | WhiteWater Express Car Wash Freeman Spogli & Co | Time To Shine Car Wash | 12 | — | SC | Link |
| Nov 2025 | Spotless Brands Access Holdings | Pete's Express Car Wash | 6 | — | PA | Link |
| Oct 2025 | Mister Car Wash Leonard Green & Partners | Whistle Express (Lubbock sites) | 5 | — | TX | Link |
| Oct 2025 | Jax Kar Wash TRP Capital | Ace Auto Wash | 5 | — | MI | Link |
| Oct 2025 | Express Wash Concepts | Zips Car Wash (Montgomery Rd) | 1 | — | OH | Link |
| Sep 2025 | Tsunami Express Car Wash Point72 Private Investments | Whistle Express (53 sites) | 53 | — | IL/Midwest | Link |
| Sep 2025 | Express Wash Concepts | Royalton Car Wash | 1 | — | OH | Link |
| Aug 2025 | Prestige Car Wash | Nice N' Clean Car Wash | 15 | — | MA | Link |
| Aug 2025 | Summit Wash Holdings | NJ Car Wash portfolio | 10 | — | NJ | Link |
| Jun 2025 | Alimentation Couche-Tard | WetGo Car Wash | 47 | — | VA | Link |
| Jun 2025 | El Car Wash | Johnny Clean Car Wash | 5 | — | FL | Link |
| Jun 2025 | Express Wash Concepts | Cleanland Car Wash | 1 | — | OH | Link |
| May 2025 | Express Wash Concepts | Zips Car Wash (3 Cincinnati sites) | 3 | — | OH | Link |
| Feb 2025 | Whistle Express Car Wash Oaktree Capital Management | Take 5 Car Wash (US) | 383 | $385M | National | Link |
| Feb 2025 | El Car Wash | ZIPS Car Wash (6 FL sites) | 6 | — | FL | Link |
| Dec 2024 | Quick Quack Car Wash Seidler Equity Partners / KKR | Glint Car Wash | 6 | — | WA | Link |
| Nov 2024 | Spotless Brands Access Holdings | Epic Shine Car Wash | 8 | — | ID | Link |
| Nov 2024 | Spotless Brands Access Holdings | BlueBird Express Car Wash | 7 | — | ID | Link |
| Oct 2024 | Jax Kar Wash TRP Capital | Clean View Auto Wash | 10 | — | MI | Link |
| Jul 2024 | Whistle Express Car Wash Oaktree Capital Management | Fins Car Wash | 15 | — | NC | Link |
| Jun 2024 | Mr. Magic Car Wash Incline Equity Partners | Coates Car Care | 6 | — | OH | Link |
| Apr 2024 | Whistle Express Car Wash Oaktree Capital Management | Rainforest Car Wash | 5 | — | OH | Link |
Sources & caveats
Deals are compiled from public transaction records — trade press, company press releases, and PR wires — and each row links to its source. Site counts and deal values are as reported and are often approximate or undisclosed. Ownership is current as of July 13, 2026 and is included only where a public source confirms it; we never guess a parent or sponsor.
The operating-quality figures — per-location damage rate, customer satisfaction, and format — are WashIndex’s own estimates, derived from 14M+ analyzed reviews across 80,000+ locations. They are independent of the parties to any deal and are not the operators’ or sponsors’ reported figures. See the methodology for how they’re computed.
A machine-readable version is available at /api/ma-tracker.json. Spotted a deal we’re missing or an ownership change? Tell us.
Common questions
Which private-equity firms own car wash chains?
Major sponsors include Leonard Green & Partners (Mister Car Wash), Oaktree Capital (Whistle Express, which acquired Take 5 Car Wash in 2025), Golden Gate Capital (Tidal Wave Auto Spa), Freeman Spogli (WhiteWater Express), Percheron Capital (Caliber), Access Holdings (Spotless Brands / Cobblestone), Seidler Equity Partners with KKR (Quick Quack), TSG Consumer Partners (Super Star), Susquehanna Private Capital (LUV), and Point72 (Tsunami Express). WashIndex tracks 11 PE-owned platforms and annotates each with independent operating-quality data.
Who bought Take 5 Car Wash?
Driven Brands sold its US Take 5 Car Wash business — roughly 383 sites — to Oaktree Capital-backed Whistle Express Car Wash for about $385 million, in a deal announced in early 2025. The acquisition made Whistle Express the largest express car wash platform in the US at roughly 530 units, and Take 5 sites are being rebranded.
How many car wash acquisitions happen each year?
Car washes remain one of the most active roll-up categories in the US. WashIndex has logged 23 notable named transactions in the trailing 12 months alone; counting small single-site tuck-ins that never reach the wires, the true figure runs well over a hundred a year. Consolidation is dominated by a few dozen PE-backed platforms.
Is the car wash industry consolidating?
Yes, heavily. Private-equity-backed platforms have driven a decade of roll-up activity, and the pace continues — though 2025 also brought the sector's first major stress events, including Zips Car Wash's Chapter 11 restructuring (it emerged lender-owned) and Driven Brands' exit from car washes. The mix of large take-privates, platform tuck-ins, and distressed sales is what this tracker follows.
How is this tracker different from a broker's deal list?
Broker deal lists tell you what changed hands. This tracker also tells you how those assets actually perform: every PE-owned platform is joined to WashIndex's independent, review-derived operating-quality data — per-location damage rate, customer satisfaction, and format — across 80,000+ washes. That operating layer is the read no transaction list provides.
Diligence the operator, not just the deal.
Every platform above is scored per location on the data that predicts post-deal performance. Screen any target, or get an independent read before you commit.