Extra services bij de carwash: wat wil de klant en wat levert het op?
Increasing revenue from a carwash doesn't necessarily have to come from more car washes or higher wash prices. There are also opportunities with the customers who are already at your location. With additional services like vacuuming, interior cleaning, and tire care, you can get more out of an existing visit. But are customers actually waiting for that? And do such extra services really yield something? International consumer research provides interesting insights into this. We summarize the key results and look at how they reflect in the Dutch carwash practice.
70% show interest in extra services
Recent research by L.E.K. Consulting involving over 3,000 American consumers reveals some interesting figures. Of those surveyed, 58% had been offered extra services. When additional services were presented, 70% expressed interest in them. Particularly, interior cleaning and vacuuming, wax and shine treatments, and tire care are mentioned by the researchers as interesting add-ons.
The American percentages are not directly transferrable to the Dutch market. They do provide an interesting picture of how consumers view additional services at a carwash. Equally relevant is another conclusion from the study: extra services are especially interesting when they are relevant, quick, and clearly priced.
Getting more out of an existing carwash visit
Why are extra services commercially appealing? Because the customer is already at your location. The motorist has made time to clean their car and is consciously focused on vehicle care at that moment. A logically offered extra service can create an additional payment opportunity.
L.E.K. also investigated what happens if the price of a regular car wash rises. With a hypothetical price increase of 10%, about one in five consumers indicated they would come less often. The researchers themselves note a significant caveat: what consumers say they will do in a survey may not be the same as their actual behavior.
Still, the underlying thought is interesting. Growth doesn't only have to come from a higher wash price. Upgrades, memberships, and paid extra services can also contribute to a higher spend per visit. The question thus becomes not only: how do I get more cars at my location? But also: how do I get more out of the cars that are already there?
Extra services count towards the overall experience
Closer to home, we see that additional facilities are part of how customers view a carwash. For the German study ‘Die 250 besten Waschanlagen 2023’ by AUTO BILD and Statista, more than 8,500 carwash users were surveyed. In the assessment of independent carwash locations, not only the wash result, price, and available wash programs were considered. Additional facilities like vacuum stations, tire pressure, and interior cleaning were also included.
Another German study, by the Deutsches Institut für Service-Qualität (DISQ), shows that the offering of additional services can vary widely by location. For example, upholstery cleaning was available at 40% of the locations surveyed.
This doesn't mean that more facilities automatically lead to a better rating. However, the studies show that additional services are part of the total carwash experience and provide opportunities to distinguish your service offering.
Interior cleaning as a logical next step
We also recognize this development in conversations with carwash entrepreneurs. According to Marco de Wit, director of Imbema, a carwash often still focuses on the wash itself. While the moment afterward can be just as interesting.
“If someone takes the time to wash their car, cleaning the interior is the natural next step. Ultimately, customers want to drive away in a car that’s clean both inside and out.”
Where a vacuum cleaner was often the most important additional amenity in the past, there are now more options available. Think of cleaning car mats, compressed air, more intensive interior cleaning, inflating tires, tire shine, and scent treatment. This doesn't mean that every location should offer as many services as possible. The extra service should mainly fit the customer's needs and be easy to use.
And what does that result in for the Dutch carwash practice?
Research provides insights into interests and consumer behavior. Ultimately, as a car wash entrepreneur, you also want to know whether extra services actually bring in something more. An example of this can be seen at Falcon Carwash. As the first car wash in the Netherlands, Falcon started using an EHRLE MultiTerminal 6-in-1, allowing customers to use, in addition to vacuuming, services such as Tornado interior cleaning, compressed air, inflating tires, tire shine, and scent treatment.
The initial results were interesting. Falcon saw a 20 to 25% increase in revenue compared to just vacuuming. The payment behavior was also noteworthy. Thanks to the integrated payment system, customers can easily choose their credit. Falcon notices that customers more often choose a higher amount. Falcon is not alone in this. Based on experiences at various locations, we see that a MultiTerminal can generate an average of €2,500 to €3,500 extra revenue per month.
However, an important nuance is needed. These are practical experiences, not guaranteed results. The actual income depends on factors such as location, visitor numbers, rates, and the use of the different services.
Offer smarter, not more
What can we take from the research and practical experiences? Not every car wash needs to offer as many extra services as possible.
Offering more features isn’t automatically better. What matters is providing services that fit your location and meet your customers’ needs. That’s where the real added value lies.
For a car wash entrepreneur, it's all about a few practical questions. What do my customers need? Is the extra service clearly visible? Is it immediately clear how it works and what it costs? And does the facility fit the location without disrupting the flow? That's where the revenue model begins. Not with the machine, but with the customer's needs and the moment you address them.
Which extra services fit your car wash?
International research does not provide a ready-made recipe for the Dutch market. Locations, customers, and concepts differ too much for that. But research and practice do point toward an interesting direction. Growth does not have to come only from more washes or a higher wash price. By offering additional services, you can also create more value during a visit that is already happening. From cleaning and vacuuming car mats to compressed air, tire inflation, tire shine, and scent treatment.
