Top 5 Car Cleaning Franchises in the UK

Becky Martin, writer

Published at 13/01/2019, Updated on 04/05/2022 , Reading time: 6 min

Top 5 Car Cleaning Franchises in the UK — Photo © car-carwash-clean-6003.jpg

If you’re looking for an affordable franchise that provides you with a flexible and profitable business, why not consider a car cleaning franchise? Here, we take a look at why it’s such a good investment and our top car cleaning franchise picks.

Car cleaning is big business. According to Datamonitor, UK car owners spend an estimated half a billion pounds a year on commercial car washing. In the past, car cleaning was a chore that thousands of households would complete every weekend. Now, it seems as though drivers would rather have someone else clean their car for them. Studies have shown that approximately 80 percent of vehicle owners would opt to have their car cleaned by a professional as it achieves a better result for a reasonable cost.

The automotive industries are among some of the best performing in the country. While vehicle manufacturing has suffered in recent years due to economic and political concerns, vehicle repair, rental, servicing and cleaning services are booming. Approximately 2.9 million vehicles were registered in 2018 – that’s a lot of cars that are going to need cleaning at some point. Read on to find out our top car cleaning franchises in the UK.

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Reasons why starting a car cleaning franchise is a great idea

Investing in a car cleaning franchise is an excellent way to launch your own business while also receiving professional help from experienced industry experts. Below, we take a look at why a mobile car cleaning franchise is such a good investment.

1. Mobility means freedom

A mobile car cleaning franchise gives you the ability to work when you want and where you want. Essentially, it offers franchisees a more flexible professional life that allows you to determine the way in which you spend your time. The lack of a central office also boasts other benefits – when you’re not on the road, you’ll be able to work from home. This is ideal for those who want to run a business that allows for greater freedom.

2. Make the most of low start-up costs

Due to the way in which car cleaning businesses require relatively little equipment, starting this type of franchise is remarkably affordable. Compared to other types of franchises, which can often require the investment of hundreds of thousands of pounds, car cleaning franchises can often be launched for as little as £10,000. This makes it a highly attractive and appealing investment opportunity.

3. Start a business you can grow

Car cleaning franchises are an intelligent investment because there’s considerable opportunity for growth. As with all mobile franchises, it’s always possible to expand your business by adding vans to your company’s fleet of vehicles.

Top 5 car cleaning franchises in the UK

1. Autosmart

Autosmart is a franchise that sells specialised products for the maintenance and upkeep of a range of vehicles. Deodorisers, hand cleaners and paint all come under Autosmart’s area of expertise.

Becoming an Autosmart franchisee: The Autosmart business model has served the company well since 1979. It began franchising in 1999, and now has 150 franchisees across the UK. Learn more about an Autosmart franchise.
How much you need to invest: This is a very affordable business opportunity for prospective franchisees, who, depending on the location, could open their own Autosmart branch for just £20,000.
What you get for your investment: Of course, Autosmart doesn’t leave franchisees to work things out themselves. Training in sales and marketing is provided, and franchisees can also access ongoing support once they’ve opened their business to the public.

2. AutoGlym

This franchise offers valeting and car-care products to businesses in the car washing and transportation sectors. This includes cleaning, polishing and waxing products for vehicle exteriors and interiors, as well as products to clean wheels, dashboards and leather seats.

This is a franchise that knows what it’s doing. It has been in business for more than 50 years and franchising for 23. The know-how it has developed over the years has enabled it to become a member of the BFA, which means it is highly regarded by businesses and individual consumers alike.

Becoming an Autoglym franchisee: Learn more about an Autoglym franchise.
How much you need to invest: Autoglym is asking for £50,000 from investors to set up their own franchise unit.
What you get for your investment: In return, franchisees receive an extensive training course which will brief them on all key aspects of the business, including product inventory, sales, marketing, customer support and the IT system.

3. Mobile Car Valeting

The business was established in 1986 and has honed its products and services over the decades. All franchisees receive the equipment they need to start their business and are trained to complete the mobile valet service to the highest of standards. The franchise estimates that first-time franchisees can earn £30,000 within the first year and around £75,000 in the second year.

Becoming a Mobile Car Valeting franchisee: Get started with a Mobile Car Valeting franchise.
How much you need to invest: Approximately £14,000 is required to launch the franchise, with roughly £8,000 of this as working capital. A large portion of this can be raised via an agreement with a major lender, though some of the investment will have to come from your assets.
What you get for your investment: You’ll have access to a comprehensive training package and receive ongoing support.

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4. Autovaletdirect

One of the longest-running mobile valeting franchises in the UK, Autovaletdirect has been in business for more than 30 years. The BFA-accredited franchise provides franchisees scope to earn up to £1,000 a week!

Becoming an Autovaletdirect franchisee: Franchise owners come from a wide variety of backgrounds and, therefore, Autovaletdirect creates a bespoke training programme to suit each individual franchisee’s needs. Head to the franchise section of Autovaletdirect’s website to fill in a questionnaire and look at the franchise prospectus.
How much you need to invest upfront: You can get started with as little as £9,930, but you can pay more to upgrade your valeting system.
What you get for your investment: When you join the car wash company, you will benefit from full induction training, on-site support when you launch, 24/7 national call centre, branded workwear, a protected territory and more!

5. H20 Car Valeting

H20 Car Valeting is one of the UK’s leading premium car valeting services and operates from 17 centres.

Becoming a H20 Car Valeting franchisee: Apply to run a H20 Car Valeting franchise.
What you get for your investment: A comprehensive start-up package that includes all the templates, systems and training you need to hit the ground running. You’ll also receive ongoing support and have access to an operations manual.

Start a car cleaning franchise today

An established car cleaning business can offer you a steady source of income, and the low investment costs that a mobile car cleaning franchise requires means that the opportunity is open to everyone. No specialist skills, knowledge or qualifications are needed to get started and you will have the ability to pick and choose the hours you work. This means that you can even work part-time, or operate just in the evenings and weekends, so that your business fits in with other commitments that you may have. Check out our top five car wash franchises.