April 29, 2025 – New York, NY – Rinsed has published its newest quarterly report on the car wash industry, analyzing data from the past five quarters to help operators benchmark their performance against overall industry trends.
This quarter, the industry recorded a combined year-over-year same-store sales growth of 12.4%. This metric compares store performance in the first quarter of 2025 with the same store's performance in the first quarter of 2024.
When breaking down the revenue growth, member revenue increased by 15.7% year-over-year, highlighting the continued strength of the membership model. Interestingly, retail revenue rose by 6.8% year-over-year, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive growth.
The increase in retail revenue is driven by several key factors, starting with volume and pricing dynamics. Retail visits were up a median of 3.9%, while the price per visit increased by a median of 3.1%.
Breaking down the retail growth by customer segment, the majority of this quarter’s retail revenue growth came from customers already familiar with the car washes, whether through repeat retail visits or a past membership. Repeat retail customers accounted for over 50% of the total gain, and former members accounted for over 40% of the total gain.
Weather conditions also played a significant role. Compared to Q1 2024, conditions were drier overall, and there were more days with snowfall. Increased snowfall meant more road salt and debris, leading to a higher demand for retail washes. Members also washed more frequently in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024.
This quarter’s data highlights a notable gap in lifetime value between members and retail customers over the first 36 months. The average lifetime value for members in the first 36 months of membership was 315% higher than retail, with member lifetime value at $440, compared to just $106 for a repeat retail customer. This underscores that, despite growth in retail revenue, members continue to generate far more revenue than retail customers.
As multi-car and family plans become more widely adopted across the industry, the data reveals that in the first 36 months of membership, family plans have a 24% longer average membership duration compared to individual plans. On average, family plans last 19 months, while single-member plans average 15 months. This indicates that family plans have significantly higher retention rates than a single membership.
Overall average monthly churn remained fairly consistent compared to previous quarters at 7.0%, a 6.1% increase year-over-year. Credit card churn decreased by 3.7% year-over-year, while voluntary churn increased by 12.8% year-over-year.
To view the full report and learn more about the latest trends in the car wash industry, subscribe to Rinsed at rinsed.com/subscribe.
About Rinsed:
Rinsed integrates directly with your POS, giving you the tools to grow memberships, reduce churn, and keep customers coming back. For more information on Rinsed, visit www.rinsed.com.