Automotive
Christian Brothers Automotive Franchise
An automotive repair and maintenance franchise offering full-service vehicle repair through standalone service centers. Markets itself around a faith-based, customer-service-first positioning distinct from the quick-lube/chain-repair model most competitors use.
Every franchisor has to file a document called an FDD before they can legally sell you a franchise. Buried in it are the two things a sales rep won't volunteer: what you'll actually spend to open, and whether existing locations are opening or closing. That's what's below, pulled straight from Christian Brothers Automotive's own filing.
What it costs to open
From the filing's investment breakdown -- not a "starting at" number a sales rep quoted you.
Franchise fee
$85,000
Total to open
$515,250–$650,400
Ongoing royalty
Not a %-of-revenue fee -- see FDD
What you'd actually spend, over time
The upfront cost is only part of it. Plug in what you expect a location to bring in, and see the real total once royalties over a few years are added on top.
Defaulted to a rough automotive industry average, not a figure from Christian Brothers Automotive's own FDD -- change it to your own estimate.
Startup investment (royalty not included -- see below)
$515,250 – $650,400
Christian Brothers Automotive doesn't charge a straightforward percentage-of-revenue royalty -- its FDD describes a different ongoing-fee structure instead. That cost isn't included in the total above; check the FDD directly for the real terms before using this figure to compare against other franchises.
When would you break even?
Revenue alone doesn't tell you this -- it depends on what's left after rent, labor, and everything else. Christian Brothers Automotive's FDD doesn't disclose a reliable profit figure (most franchisors don't), so this starts from a typical automotive profit margin (~12%) and applies it to the revenue you entered above -- adjust the percentage to your own realistic estimate.
Defaulted to a general automotive industry benchmark, not a figure from Christian Brothers Automotive's own filing -- this is a starting point to adjust, not a promise about what franchisees actually make.
At that profit, you'd break even in about
6.6–8.3 years
Weigh that payback period against what you already know: Christian Brothers Automotive is opening more locations. A long payback period on a shrinking brand is a very different bet than the same payback period on a growing one.
Is Christian Brothers Automotive actually growing?
Franchisors have to report, every year, how many locations opened, closed, or changed hands. Most franchise sites never show you this. Here it is:
Locations opened vs. closed, by year
GrowingFrom Item 20 of Christian Brothers Automotive's FDD, the section franchisors use to disclose real openings and closings.
| Year | Franchised units, start | Franchised units, end | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 265 | 280 | +15 |
| 2024 | 280 | 302 | +22 |
| 2025 | 302 | 326 | +24 |
Most recent year (2025): gained 24 franchised units, ending the year at 326 total.
What you're actually signing up for
The cost and growth numbers above are only part of the picture. These three FDD items are the ones a prospective franchisee tends to weigh most heavily once they're past the sticker price.
Training & ongoing support (Item 11)
Training is the most extensive of this batch: 60 hours of online coursework plus roughly two weeks of in-person classroom training at CBAC's Houston, TX headquarters, plus a separate multi-week on-the-job rotation at a Certified Training Location under a Certified Field Trainer. Ongoing support comes from Houston-based "Support Center" staff plus National and Regional marketing funds.
Territory protection (Item 12)
Christian Brothers is one of the few franchises in this dataset that grants a genuinely exclusive territory outright, with no company-owned or competing-brand carve-outs disclosed. The real catch is a profitability-based performance requirement layered on top: after your first year, you must maintain positive Net Ordinary Income on a rolling 6-month basis and can't fall 30%+ below the franchise system's mean profitability for 3 consecutive years, or risk termination (or being placed into a formal "Distressed Store Support Program").
Renewal & termination terms (Item 17)
15-year initial term -- notably longer than most other franchises in this dataset -- with three separate 5-year renewal options (up to 30 years total). Disputes go to binding AAA arbitration in Houston, TX under Texas law, and the post-termination non-compete is 3 years, one of the longest in this dataset.
How Christian Brothers Automotive compares to other Automotive franchises
Across the 9 automotive franchises we've hand-verified so far, the typical range to open runs $278,880–$790,285, with royalties averaging around 5.9% of gross sales (based on the 4 of them that charge a flat %-of-revenue royalty).
$249,950–$479,950 · 6% royalty
Midas$385,450–$940,050 · non-%-of-revenue royalty
CARSTAR$23,500–$165,300 · 5.5% royalty
Jiffy Lube$211,000–$510,000 · 4% royalty
Big O Tires$511,500–$1,882,500 · non-%-of-revenue royalty
Meineke$224,898–$1,200,818 · non-%-of-revenue royalty
Maaco$196,000–$644,000 · 8% royalty
Valvoline Instant Oil Change$192,375–$639,550 · non-%-of-revenue royalty
Christian Brothers Automotive Franchise FAQ
How much does it cost to franchise a Christian Brothers Automotive?
Based on Christian Brothers Automotive's own FDD, total initial investment to open one location runs $515,250–$650,400, including the $85,000 franchise fee. California DFPI Registration Renewal, App ID APP00005121, filed 4/20/2026, effective 8/8/2026. FDD issuance date April 17, 2026.
What is the Christian Brothers Automotive franchise fee?
The initial franchise fee is $85,000. Christian Brothers Automotive's ongoing fee isn't a flat percent-of-revenue royalty -- check the FDD's Item 6 for the actual structure.
Is the Christian Brothers Automotive franchise growing or shrinking?
Growing. Across 2023–2025, Christian Brothers Automotive added a net 61 franchised locations, per its own annual FDD filings.
Keep going
- Christian Brothers Automotive and Big O Tires are both automotive franchises; Big O Tires's total investment starts about $3,750 lower than Christian Brothers Automotive's. Big O Tires Franchise
- Christian Brothers Automotive and Midas are both automotive franchises; Midas's total investment starts about $129,800 lower than Christian Brothers Automotive's. Midas Franchise
Where this came from: California DFPI Registration Renewal, App ID APP00005121, filed 4/20/2026, effective 8/8/2026. FDD issuance date April 17, 2026. You can pull the same filing yourself from the California DFPI's public franchise search. Filed 2026-04-20. None of this is investment advice -- get the franchisor's current FDD and talk to a real attorney or accountant before you sign anything.
If you see a different unit count elsewhere: franchisors only have to refile their FDD annually, so the numbers here can run 6–18 months behind a franchisor's own real-time marketing claims -- which often aren't independently verified, and sometimes count signed-but-not-yet-open locations. A gap isn't necessarily an error on either side; it's two different snapshots in time from two different sources.