Memphis Car Wash Market Analysis
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Data updated · May 22, 2026
A detailed read of the Memphis car wash industry built from 59,922 Google reviews across 622 locations in 9 counties. Covers format mix, operator dominance, geographic distribution, income demographics, and customer-experience signals at the metro, county, and ZIP level.
622 car wash locations across 9 counties · dots colored by format · sized by review volume
The Memphis metropolitan area hosts 622 car wash locations across its 9 counties — among the largest car-wash trade areas in the United States. Operating-quality signals are derived from 59,922 Google reviews, with 19,898 reviews processed through structured LLM extraction across 55 dimensions. The weighted-average rating across all locations is 4.50★, with a reviewer-reported damage rate of 1.26% and a membership-cancellation friction rate of 14.2% of mem-discussing reviews.
The market is highly fragmented: 522 of 622 locations (83.9%) operate as independents or single-location operators, while the top 10 chains together control 82 locations (13.2%). The largest single operator by location count is Take 5 Car Wash with 21 sites in the MSA.
Of 104 locations that have been formally format-classified, the dominant concept is Express Tunnel (56 sites), with strong secondary presence from Detail Shop (27), Full Service (4), and Self-Serve Bay (0). The remaining 518 locations are unclassified — typically smaller independent operators without enough website signal for format assignment.
See the top car wash chains in Memphis
Ranked by location count in the metro
About the Memphis car wash market
How many car washes are in the Memphis metro?
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What is the best-rated car wash in the Memphis metro?
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Which car wash chain has the most locations in Memphis?
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What is the average customer rating in the Memphis car wash market?
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What is the typical household income near car washes in Memphis?
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What kinds of car washes does Memphis have?
The Memphis MSA contains a wide mix of car wash formats — from express tunnels and full-service operations to detail shops and self-serve bays. The bar chart below shows how many locations of each format have been formally classified by our LLM-based format classifier (which reads each operator's own website to determine the format), with the avg Google rating per format displayed alongside the count.
The format with the highest customer rating is Detail Shop at 4.83★ across 27 locations — typical of the format, which is staffed, hand-finished, and oriented toward customers who care more about wash result than throughput. The lowest-rated format is In-Bay Automatic at 3.86★ across 17 locations. Format-level rating gaps of this size are common — different formats serve different customer occasions and have inherently different expectations.
Of the 622 total locations in the MSA, 518 (83.3%) are currently unclassified — these are typically smaller independent operators without enough website signal to determine format unambiguously. Their inclusion in the overall location count is correct, but format-level statistics below should be read as describing the classified subset only.
| Format | Locations | % of MSA | Reviews | Avg Rating | Damage Rate | Cancel Friction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unclassified | 518 | 83.3% | 10,221 | 4.23 | 1.13% | 16.5% |
| Express Tunnel | 56 | 9.0% | 45,708 | 4.58 | 1.32% | 14.1% |
| Detail Shop | 27 | 4.3% | 1,667 | 4.83 | 0.63% | — |
| In-Bay Automatic | 17 | 2.7% | 595 | 3.86 | 0.00% | — |
| Full Service | 4 | 0.6% | 1,731 | 3.87 | 1.20% | — |
What is the household income near Memphis car washes?
Each ZIP in the Memphis MSA has been joined to IRS Statistics-of-Income data (tax year 2022, mean Adjusted Gross Income per return as the income proxy) and to the per-location Google rating dataset. The scatter below plots every car wash with at least 10 reviews against its ZIP-level income, with each dot colored by format and sized by review volume.
Across 218 qualifying locations the simple Pearson correlation between ZIP income and Google rating is 0.06 — effectively zero. Higher-income ZIPs in the MSA do not produce systematically better-rated car washes. Operating-quality signals are dominated by per-operator execution, not by neighborhood income. The mean-of-scatter location sits at $67K AGI/return and 4.15★.
Car wash count and quality by income tier
Grouping ZIPs by income tier shows how location count and average rating shift across the income distribution. The blue bars are location count per tier; the orange tick marks show the average Google rating across all car wash locations in that tier (scaled against the same y-axis).
| Income tier (mean AGI/return) | ZIPs | Locations | Reviews | Avg Rating | Top Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $50K | 23 | 184 | 20,155 | 4.42 | Detail Shop (16) |
| $50K – $75K | 18 | 131 | 20,807 | 4.55 | Express Tunnel (22) |
| $75K – $100K | 6 | 50 | 5,841 | 4.49 | Express Tunnel (8) |
| $100K – $150K | 5 | 41 | 10,400 | 4.53 | Express Tunnel (9) |
| $150K+ | 6 | 13 | 1,267 | 4.18 | Express Tunnel (2) |
The highest-income tier ($150K+) contains 13 car washes across 6 ZIPs, with a weighted-average rating of 4.18★ — compared to 184 locations across 23 ZIPs averaging 4.42★ in the lowest-income tier (Under $50K). The middle-income tiers ($75K–$150K) tend to host the densest concentrations of express tunnels — the format that monetizes most effectively at suburban price points.
Who operates the most Memphis car washes?
The Memphis MSA hosts 23 different chains alongside 522 independent operators (single-location or unaffiliated sites). The table below ranks the top 25 chains by location count in the MSA, with each chain's per-MSA Google rating, reviewer-reported damage rate, and membership cancellation friction rate.
The top 10 chains together control 82 of 622 locations (13.2%) — meaning 86.8% of the MSA's car wash supply remains in the hands of smaller chains and independent operators. That fragmentation level is typical of large US metros and creates meaningful consolidation runway for active acquirers.
| # | Chain | Locations | Reviews | Avg Rating | Damage | Cancel | Upsell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take 5 Car Wash | 21 | 31,579 | 4.59 | 1.10% | 15.3% | 0.60% |
| 2 | bp | 17 | 508 | 3.73 | — | — | — |
| 3 | Century Express Carwash | 8 | 1,001 | 4.50 | 8.40% | — | 0.00% |
| 4 | Glide Xpress Car Wash | 8 | 5,921 | 4.75 | 1.51% | 11.6% | 0.10% |
| 5 | Circle K | 8 | 350 | 3.04 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Zips Car Wash | 7 | 4,521 | 4.20 | 3.10% | 18.8% | 0.65% |
| 7 | Club Car Wash | 4 | 754 | 4.78 | 0.75% | 6.3% | 1.12% |
| 8 | Shell | 3 | 140 | 2.99 | — | — | — |
| 9 | Bud's Car Wash and Laundry | 3 | 314 | 4.31 | — | — | — |
| 10 | Tidal Wave Auto Spa | Car Wash | 3 | 1,134 | 4.73 | 1.77% | 13.9% | 0.48% |
| 11 | Blue Beacon | 2 | 1,486 | 3.94 | 1.40% | — | 2.80% |
| 12 | Valero | 2 | 23 | 3.31 | — | — | — |
| 13 | Showroom Mobile Car Detailing | 2 | 156 | 5.00 | — | — | — |
| 14 | Mid-South Dent Pro | 2 | 138 | 4.63 | — | — | — |
| 15 | Memphis Wash Co. | 2 | 311 | 4.75 | 2.21% | — | 1.33% |
| 16 | Truck Wash at Love's Travel Stops | 1 | 102 | 4.50 | — | — | — |
| 17 | Car Genie Mobile Detail | 1 | 11 | 3.10 | — | — | — |
| 18 | Car Wash USA Express | 1 | 15 | 3.20 | — | — | — |
| 19 | Shine Time Super Wash | 1 | 176 | 4.30 | — | — | — |
| 20 | KINGS DETAILING | 1 | 30 | 4.40 | — | — | — |
| 21 | Will's Auto Spa | 1 | 61 | 4.90 | — | — | — |
| 22 | Sparkling Image Car Wash | 1 | 776 | 3.70 | 3.57% | — | 1.53% |
| 23 | Exxon | 1 | 62 | 4.20 | — | — | — |
Which counties have the most car washes in Memphis?
The Memphis, TN-MS-AR CBSA spans 9 counties. The table below shows how the MSA's car wash inventory is distributed across those counties — by location count, total review volume, and weighted-average customer rating.
Shelby County is the heart of the metro's car wash supply, hosting 424 locations (68.2%) of the 622 total. Cross-county rating dispersion is narrow — about 1.16★ between the highest and lowest-rated county with meaningful sample size, which suggests operating quality is more a function of operator execution than of county-level market dynamics.
| County | Locations | % of MSA | Reviews | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County | 424 | 68.2% | 44,454 | 4.51 |
| DeSoto County | 98 | 15.8% | 9,029 | 4.50 |
| Crittenden County | 29 | 4.7% | 2,625 | 4.09 |
| Tipton County | 17 | 2.7% | 1,515 | 4.62 |
| Marshall County | 16 | 2.6% | 108 | 3.84 |
| Fayette County | 14 | 2.3% | 1,951 | 4.68 |
| Tate County | 12 | 1.9% | 138 | 4.36 |
| Benton County | 7 | 1.1% | 57 | 5.00 |
| Tunica County | 5 | 0.8% | 45 | 4.04 |
What do customers love and complain about in Memphis?
Aspect scores aggregate the per-review LLM extractions for 19,898 reviews across all 622 MSA locations. Each score is computed as (positive − negative) / (positive + negative + mixed) for that aspect, ranging from −1 (universally negative) to +1 (universally positive). Numbers above zero mean customers say more positive than negative things; below zero means the reverse.
Reading these together gives a quick read on where the metro's car wash industry stands operationally: which aspects of the experience are reliable strengths and which ones generate the most friction.
Where are all the car washes in the Memphis metro?
The complete inventory of car wash locations in the Memphis MSA, ranked by review volume. Each row shows the operator name, address, format classification (where determined), chain affiliation (when part of a multi-location operator), Google rating, total review count, county, and the IRS mean-AGI-per-return for the ZIP it sits in. Locations with fewer than 10 reviews on Google appear without a rating column populated.
We're showing the top 25 by review volume; the full set of 622 locations is available in the underlying dataset for users requesting a custom market study.
| Location | City | Format | Chain | Rating | Reviews | ZIP AGI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Take 5 Car Wash 4349 Summer Ave | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.5 | 2,260 | $41K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 3419 Elvis Presley Blvd | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.6 | 2,096 | $37K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 1675 Union Ave | Memphis, TN | — | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.5 | 1,951 | $105K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 6040 Mt Moriah Rd | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,832 | $35K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 5130 Copper Creek Blvd | Millington, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.5 | 1,725 | $61K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 7273 US-64 | Oakland, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,718 | $74K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 3736 Riverdale Rd | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,692 | $35K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 2750 S Perkins Rd | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,678 | $34K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 6975 Stage Rd | Bartlett, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,538 | $75K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 62 Moore Dr | Southaven, MS | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,481 | $51K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 161 New Byhalia Rd | Collierville, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,452 | $145K |
| Shine and Roll Car Wash 3610 Centennial Dr | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | — | 5.0 | 1,435 | $65K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 10003 Macon Rd | Cordova, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,398 | $64K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 1270 Lamar Ave | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,384 | $105K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 3405 Austin Peay Hwy | Memphis, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.5 | 1,381 | $36K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 9122 US-64 | Lakeland, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,381 | $105K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 67 Munford Ave | Munford, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,280 | $66K |
| Glide Xpress Car Wash 723 N Germantown Pkwy | Cordova, TN | Express Tunnel | Glide Xpress Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,268 | $73K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 374 E Poplar Ave | Collierville, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,251 | $145K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 6071 Goodman Rd | Olive Branch, MS | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.4 | 1,200 | $78K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 434 S Germantown Pkwy | Cordova, TN | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.4 | 1,075 | $73K |
| Glide Xpress Car Wash 602 Goodman Rd E | Southaven, MS | Express Tunnel | Glide Xpress Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,046 | $51K |
| Blue Beacon Truck Wash of West Memphis, AR 3600 Service Road Loop, I-40/55 Exit 280/4, 3600 Service Loop Dr | West Memphis, AR | Full Service | Blue Beacon | 3.9 | 958 | $45K |
| Take 5 Car Wash 909 N Missouri St | West Memphis, AR | Express Tunnel | Take 5 Car Wash | 4.5 | 937 | $45K |
| Glide Xpress Car Wash 1025 W Poplar Ave | Collierville, TN | Express Tunnel | Glide Xpress Car Wash | 4.7 | 897 | $145K |
About this analysis
Car wash inventory for the Memphis, TN-MS-AR CBSA is determined by point-in-polygon test against the official US Census county boundaries (TIGER/Line, 2024) for the 9 counties that make up the MSA. Each location was verified to fall inside one of those county polygons; lat/lng comes from Google Maps metadata.
Operating-quality signals are derived from 19,898 customer reviews processed through WashIndex's 55-field LLM extraction pipeline. Format classification comes from a separate per-location website-reading classifier. ZIP-level income data is from the IRS Statistics of Income (tax year 2022) — mean Adjusted Gross Income per tax return, which is directionally aligned with ACS median household income but available without authentication.
See our full methodology for the extraction pipeline, validation samples, and aggregation logic.