Valuation
What Buyers Actually Pay For: Transferable Earnings, Not Effort
Two shops with the same revenue can sell for very different prices. The difference is not how hard the owner worked. It is how much of the business runs without him.
ID AutoWorks ResearchField Briefing No. 01
When Should You Sell Your Auto Repair Shop? Most Owners Get This Wrong
Most owners wait until they are tired to sell. Buyers see it the other way. Here is how the market actually values a shop, in plain numbers.
Fig. 01 — Value vs. Owner DependencySDE BASIS
Less owner dependency, cleaner books, durable crew. Buyers pay for what survives after you leave, not for years of effort.
Market Pulse
Independent Auto Repair, By the Numbers
Q2 2026 · Compiled by ID AutoWorks Research
Sourced from public transaction data. Every figure cited.
Sourced from public transaction data. Every figure cited.
Median Sale Multiple0.0× SDE1,286 shops soldBizBuySell, 2021–2025
Aftermarket Size, 2028$0B↗ 5.1% growth in 2025Auto Care Association
Shop Values, 20250% YoY↘ buyer discipline upBizBuySell, 2025
Median Shop Revenue$0K↗ $182K owner earningsBizBuySell sold listings
From the Desk
We are operators, not a fund.
Insights is written for shop owners, by people who buy, build, and run shops. No private-equity playbook, no jargon, no pitch. Just an honest read on how the market values your business, and what moves it.
The work is grounded in transaction data and decades of shop-floor coaching. When we cite a number, we tell you where it came from.
The Briefing
A weekly read for owners and operators in independent automotive. Deal context, valuation, and operating notes. No fluff.
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