Rinsed Releases Q3 2026 Quarterly Car Wash Industry Report

October 21, 2026 – New York, NY – Rinsed has released its Q3 2026 Quarterly Car Wash Industry Report, drawn from aggregated data across more than 3,000 car wash locations. The latest findings show continued growth in membership revenue alongside declining retail sales, while average monthly churn remains relatively stable.

Retail Revenue Continues to Decline

Same-store retail revenue declined 9.6% year-over-year in Q3, marking the largest decline of the past five quarters. The trend is not new, however, with retail revenue declining in 19 of the past 24 months at established locations.

The continued decline in retail washes reflects a shrinking pool of retail transactions, making opportunities to convert those customers into members increasingly limited.

Membership Revenue Remains a Bright Spot

Despite continued declines in retail sales, membership revenue grew 9.8% year-over-year in Q3. Memberships now account for approximately 71% of same-store revenue, up from 66% just one year ago.

Overall, same-store sales revenue grew 3.2% year-over-year, marking the slowest growth rate of the past five quarters. Among mature locations, defined as stores open for at least two years, revenue grew 1.1%.

While overall growth has moderated, strong membership revenue continues to offset declining retail sales and support positive same-store sales growth.

Conversion Rates Hold Strong Despite Fewer Retail Opportunities

Conversion rates were slightly higher than a year ago across all location sizes. Locations with 4,000 or more active monthly members converted 17.1% of retail customers into members, while mid-sized locations (2,000–4,000 members) converted at 10.7%. Locations with fewer than 2,000 members reported a 3.3% conversion rate.

Average Monthly Churn Remains Relatively Stable

Total average monthly churn reached 7.8% in Q3, up 4.6% year-over-year. Voluntary cancellations accounted for 4.5%, while credit card churn contributed 3.3%, with credit card churn seeing the larger year-over-year increase at 5.4%.

Despite the year-over-year increase, overall churn has remained relatively consistent over the past five quarters. Credit card churn, which includes failed payments due to card declines or expirations, saw the largest relative increase and will be an important metric to monitor in the quarters ahead.

To view the full report, subscribe at www.rinsed.com/subscribe.

About Rinsed: Rinsed integrates directly with your POS to help operators grow memberships, reduce churn, and keep customers coming back. Learn more at www.rinsed.com