Drawing on 3,123 price points from 195 chains, the benchmark indicates express tunnels have risen 23% since 2020, with the typical unlimited plan now costing $34 per month.
DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — WashIndex, a geospatial market intelligence provider for the car wash sector, has introduced the WashIndex Membership Price Index. This metric tracks the cost of unlimited car wash memberships in the United States dating back to 2015. Compiled from 3,123 archived price points across 195 chains — sourced from a monitored set of 373 chains, which includes both closed and acquired businesses — the index delivers what the industry considers its first continuous look at membership list-price trends spanning more than a decade for investors, lenders, and operators.
Key findings include:
• Membership list prices have risen 16% relative to 2020. For all wash types, the national index moved from a baseline of 100.0 in 2020 to 116.1 in 2026, and roughly 31% above 2015 levels. Express-tunnel memberships saw faster gains, increasing 23% from 2020.
• The typical unlimited membership now carries a list price of $34.00 per month. In 2026, base-tier plans average $24.16, while premium tiers average $43.29 each month.
• Regional pricing has diverged considerably. Since 2020, list prices have grown 29% in the Midwest and 21% in the Northeast, compared with 9% in the South and a decline of 1% in the West — creating a gap of roughly thirty percentage points between the regions with the fastest and slowest price increases.
• The index aligns with data from publicly traded operators. Between 2021 and 2025, the express index climbed approximately 11%, closely paralleling the roughly 10% rise in Unlimited Wash Club revenue per member that Mister Car Wash reported in its SEC filings during that timeframe.
• The index relies on a same-store approach. Year-over-year comparisons are calculated exclusively using chains that had pricing data in both years being compared, employing location-weighted geometric means with statistical trimming — ensuring the index captures genuine price movement rather than changes driven by which chains happen to be included.
“Membership pricing represents the single most important revenue driver in this business, and until now there has been no standard measurement for it — every operator set prices without a reference, and every investor based pricing assumptions on guesswork,” said Justin Kuo, founder of WashIndex. “The regional dynamic is what demands attention: a Midwest operator has realized nearly thirty percentage points more list-price growth since 2020 than one in the West. That disparity offers acquirers a clear map for repricing, and also signals how much potential remains in markets that have already adjusted.”
The index is built using archived operator pricing pages, supplemented by SEC filings from publicly traded chains and store-locator data to determine location weighting. For each chain, the annual price is calculated as the midpoint between its least expensive and most expensive unlimited monthly tiers. The benchmark tracks advertised list prices rather than actual revenue after discounts, so it should be interpreted as an upper limit on real price growth; a complete methodology and list of limitations accompany the index.
The full index, along with methodology, regional breakdowns, and historical data, is accessible at washindex.com/research/car-wash-membership-price-index.
About WashIndex
WashIndex provides geospatial market intelligence for the car wash sector, evaluating market quality, site quality, and operating quality for over 80,000 monitored locations across the United States and Canada. This platform is powered by AI analysis of more than 14 million customer reviews combined with real-time pricing data. WashIndex serves private equity investors, site selectors, lenders, and multi-site operators. The company was developed by Sparkle Technologies and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Additional information is available at washindex.com.
Justin Kuo
Sparkle Technologies
email us here
