Compare wash to wash, wash to empty corner, or just read any spot in America cold —
traffic, demographics, competition, climate — free public data, explained in plain English.
A screening tool, not a feasibility study — scout ten spots here before you pay a consultant to study one.
▚ Scout a build site⬢ Size up a competitor⚔ Due-diligence on a wash for sale
—spots scouted so far
✓ Free✓ No login✓ No catch152 data points / scoutAll 50 states
☕ This tool is free — donate a tip to help keep it running:VenmoCash AppPayPal
// how_it_works
Three steps, no setup
≈ 30 seconds to a report
01
Scout any spot
Type an address or tap the map. Works anywhere in the US — no login, no account, nothing to set up first.
02
Read the area report
Traffic, income, households, competitors, climate — pulled automatically and explained in plain English. No numbers to type.
03
Compare anything — optional
Set a wash you know works as the yardstick, then grade anything against it: an empty corner, a competitor (⚔️ head-to-head), or a wash that's for sale.
// start_here
Pick a lane
most people start with Quick Compare
⚡ Quick Compare Most used
Type any two washes — or a wash and an address — to see them side by side right now, with
maps, a radar chart, and an AI read. Great for "how does mine stack up" or "what about that new place across
town." For the full report and deep stats, use Scout a spot below.
Type an address, an intersection — or the name of an existing car wash to go
⚔️ head-to-head (their corner vs your yardstick: competitive intel, or due-diligence on a wash for sale).
Or just tap the map to drop a pin. Everything gets looked up automatically; you don't type any numbers.
📍 A wash near you🏆 A big national chain🎲 Surprise me
You don't need to fill this in — the tool pulls it from official traffic data.
Only use this box to override the number (say you have a fresher count) or if the lookup came back empty.
This one you bring yourself — rent is a private deal, not public data, so it only
exists in the property listing or the broker's quote to you. Type what they're asking and the report adds
a reality check: "this spot needs ~X cars/day to cover rent." Skip it and everything else still works.
🎯 Grade against a wash you know
Optional — skip it and the area report above works fine. Add a wash that already works
(your own, or a busy one you'd love to compete with) and every spot you scout also gets a single
0–100 grade measured against it — your own yardstick, not national averages.
optional extras — override traffic, add your average ticket (skippable)
Cars per day past that wash (AADT). Leave blank and the tool pulls it automatically.
Type a number only if you already know it or the lookup came back empty.
What a typical car pays. Sharpens the "needs ~X cars/day for rent" line. Skip it and that
math falls back to a typical $15 ticket.
Area report
—
out of 100 — graded against your yardstick
Reading the grade: 95+ pulls like your wash or better ·
75–94 promising, with gaps worth understanding ·
under 75 measurably weaker ground than home
Each bar is one ingredient of the grade. The gray tick ▏is your wash.
A bar stopping short of the tick = this spot is weaker there; pushing past it = stronger.
Green is fine, gold is worth a look, red is the reason to hesitate.
🏪 Neighbors & nearby washes
🧾 What this data can't see — check in person:
Curb cut & turn access — can traffic actually get IN? A median or left-turn ban kills great AADT.
Visibility from the light — do drivers see the site in time to decide?
Lot depth & stacking room — can 8 cars queue without blocking the road?
Sewer & water capacity — a wash is a heavy user; tap-in fees can be six figures.
Zoning & township temperament — some boards fight car washes on principle.
The competitor quality — one modern express nearby beats three tired self-serves. Drive them.
Rush-hour reality — sit there 7–9 AM and 4–6 PM once. Data is a map; traffic is a feeling.
🆚 Spots compared
Every spot you scout lands here, best first (graded spots sort to the top; area-only spots show "—"). Scout ten; study three.
#
spot
grade
traffic
income
washes 5mi
cars/day for rent
Sources: state DOT GIS (traffic) · US Census ACS (demographics + 2019→latest growth) ·
OpenStreetMap (competition & anchors — always missing some; drive the ring) · Open-Meteo archive (climate).
Screening estimates only; verify before spending real money. Built at Star Brite Car Wash, Souderton PA.