Car washing in figures: young sector focuses on customer loyalty
The carwash industry is booming. Staff are getting younger, subscriptions and promotions are gaining in importance and carwash entrepreneurs remain willing to invest. This is evident from BOVAG’s report Autowassen in Cijfers 2025, presented on Thursday 10 June during the trade association’s member meeting in Bergschenhoek.
The Netherlands will have a total of 1,891 commercial public car wash locations in 2025. This includes 354 locations with a car wash, 1,238 with a roll-over and 1,079 locations with one or more wash boxes. Among motorists, machine car washing is the norm, the report shows. The car wash is the most popular choice, with almost 44 per cent having their car washed here most often. Roll-overs and wash boxes follow at a distance with 17.2 per cent and 17.9 per cent respectively. The average Dutchman has his car washed 6.2 times a year at a commercial location. Yet still around 10 per cent say they never wash their car, which amounts to around one million vehicles that rarely or never see the inside of a car wash.
Young sector
Since 2010, the number of employees in the sector has tripled to 3,221 by 2024, the report shows. The number of employers has also risen sharply, from 209 to 345. Working in a car wash is now considered a fully-fledged profession that combines responsibility, technology and customer contact.
It also shows that the sector is remarkably young: 60 per cent of employees are under 25 years old. In 2024, the average age was 26.4, almost a year lower than in 2020, when the average age was 27.2, and significantly lower than the national average of over 43. It also shows that the workforce is largely male; only 13.2 per cent of employees are women.
Actions and subscriptions gaining ground
Furthermore, the report shows that digital payment methods are on the rise within the carwash industry. By 2025, 62 per cent of payments will be made digitally, with debit cards (42 per cent) being the most commonly used, followed by wash cards, fuel cards and credit cards. Cash payments will remain relatively common at 16 per cent, as will payment on account. Loyalty also plays a major role: 88 per cent of car wash companies use a wash card as a customer binder, 58 per cent offer monthly subscriptions and over a third use savings systems or savings cards.
The more active use of promotions is also a clear trend. Whereas in 2021, 45 per cent of businesses still (almost) never ran promotions, in 2025 this will have dropped to 25 per cent. More and more entrepreneurs are taking a structural approach with monthly or annual promotions. The regular customer discount remains the most popular, followed by discounted washes. This combination of digitalisation, loyalty strategies and smart promotions shows the increasing professionalisation of the industry.
Entrepreneurs look ahead
The report further shows that entrepreneurs in the car wash industry are positive about the future. In 2025, 79 per cent of entrepreneurs expect to grow in the next three to five years. At the same time, 17 per cent expect to consolidate and only four per cent see sale or acquisition as the most likely scenario. In 2021, this was still 12 per cent, indicating that the industry is more optimistic now than a few years ago.
In addition, 58 per cent of entrepreneurs say they want to invest in their business in the coming period. Popular investment goals include new branches, sustainability (such as solar panels) and improved vacuuming facilities.
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