Who is buying auto repair shops?
13 named consolidator platforms are actively acquiring US auto repair businesses; 10 of them are private-equity-backed. The most recent named acquisition tracked on this page closed in September 2026.
Why auto repair shops are consolidating
- •The US had roughly 299,000 auto mechanic businesses in 2025, up 12% from about 266,000 in 2018, according to Cox Automotive's 2025 Service Industry Study, citing IBISWorld.
- •The total US auto repair service market was about $157 billion in 2025, and Lincoln calls tire and repair 'a highly fragmented sector of the aftermarket' with consolidation openings for strategic and financial buyers, according to Lincoln International's November 2025 Vehicle Aftermarket Intelligence Report, citing the 2025 Auto Care Factbook.
- •Private equity formed 126 automotive aftermarket platforms between 2021 and 2023, and financial buyers made 54.9% of aftermarket deals in early 2025 (through March 4), according to Capstone Partners.
- •In a Q1 2026 survey of more than 430 owners and managers of mostly independent repair shops, 59% described their shop as independent, 30% as part of a multi-shop operator and 7% as a franchise, according to the 2026 Ratchet+Wrench Industry Survey.
- •Despite a decade of PE-backed roll-ups, fragmentation in automotive service remains very high, and the largest consolidators, such as Mavis, have grown too large to roll up smaller players, opening room for a new wave of PE-backed consolidators, according to Baird.
The platforms consolidating auto repair shops
The named groups acquiring US auto repair businesses, with their current owner and a source for each. Most grow through individual partnerships that are not separately disclosed; where a platform publishes named deals, recent ones are listed.
| Acquirer | Owner / backer | Type | Headquarters | Latest named deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mavis Tire Express Services | BayPine and TSG Consumer Partners (lead backers), with the Sorbaro family's West First Management; Golden Gate Capital kept a minority stake in 2021 | Private equity | White Plains, NY | Aug 2026 |
| Sun Auto Tire & Service | Leonard Green & Partners (majority since Sep 2021); Greenbriar Equity Group stayed on as a shareholder in 2021 | Private equity | Mesa, AZ | Aug 2026 |
| Big Brand Tire & Service | Percheron Capital, through a single-asset continuation vehicle co-led by Blue Owl Capital, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus (Oct 2025) | Private equity | Moorpark, CA | Jul 2026 |
| GreatWater 360 Auto Care | Kinderhook Industries | Private equity | Grand Rapids, MI | Sep 2026 |
| Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers | Audax Private Equity (growth investment, Dec 2023) | Private equity | High Ridge, MO | Jul 2026 |
| Left Lane Auto | Bertram Capital (Fund V; invested Nov 2025 per Bertram, announced Dec 16, 2025) | Private equity | Champaign, IL | Sep 2026 |
| Straightaway Tire & Auto | O2 Investment Partners | Private equity | Charlotte, NC | Jul 2026 |
| Telle Tire & Auto Centers | Next Horizon Capital (investment announced Dec 2024) | Private equity | St. Louis, MO | May 2026 |
| Les Schwab Tire Centers | Meritage Group (family-owned investment firm; bought Les Schwab from the Schwab family in 2020) | Private equity | Bend, OR | Jul 2025 |
| VIP Tires & Service | John Quirk and family (family-owned) | Strategic / family-owned | Auburn, ME | Sep 2026 |
| Steve Shannon Tire & Auto Center | Shannon family (co-owned by brothers including Jesse and Herb Shannon) | Strategic / family-owned | Bloomsburg, PA | Aug 2026 |
| Main Street Auto | Founder-owned and led (founder and CEO Logan Leslie); Turning Rock Partners provided $60M of growth financing (Jul 2025) | Strategic / family-owned | Atlanta, GA | Nov 2024 |
| Grismer Tire & Auto Service | CenterOak Partners (majority recapitalization, Apr 2026) | Private equity | Dayton, OH | — |
Mavis Tire Express Services
Private equity- Owner
- BayPine and TSG Consumer Partners (lead backers), with the Sorbaro family's West First Management; Golden Gate Capital kept a minority stake in 2021
- Headquarters
- White Plains, NY
- Scale
- More than 4,400 owned and franchised locations across the U.S. and Canada (Aug 2026)
Mavis bought Midas from TBC in June 2025. It bought Pep Boys from Icahn Enterprises for about $700M, closing Aug 20, 2026; Icahn kept AAMCO and Precision Tune. In July 2026 Tire Business still described Mavis as backed largely by BayPine and TSG. Two points were not re-verified: whether Golden Gate still holds its 2021 minority stake, and the size of the 2023 minority investment led by Neuberger Berman Alternatives (PE Hub).
Sun Auto Tire & Service
Private equity- Owner
- Leonard Green & Partners (majority since Sep 2021); Greenbriar Equity Group stayed on as a shareholder in 2021
- Headquarters
- Mesa, AZ
- Scale
- 600 stores across 27 states (Sep 2026)
Leonard Green's portfolio page lists Sun Auto as a current buyout. A Sep 2026 trade report calls it majority-owned by Leonard Green. Leonard Green's page gives the HQ as Tempe, AZ, while Sun Auto's press releases are datelined Mesa, AZ. It often rebrands the shops it buys as Plaza Tire Service or Sun Auto Tire & Service.
Big Brand Tire & Service
Private equity- Owner
- Percheron Capital, through a single-asset continuation vehicle co-led by Blue Owl Capital, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus (Oct 2025)
- Headquarters
- Moorpark, CA
- Scale
- More than 530 locations in 15 states (Jul 2026). Sources disagree on whether that figure includes the pending Belle Tire deal.
The Belle Tire deal was announced Jul 16, 2026, with closing expected in Q3 2026. The sources read do not confirm that it has closed. The company's stated goal is 1,000 service centers.
GreatWater 360 Auto Care
Private equity- Owner
- Kinderhook Industries
- Headquarters
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Scale
- 174 locations across 10 states (Oct 2026)
Kinderhook lists it as 'GreatWater Garages' with status Current. Tire Business (Oct 1, 2026) gives 174 locations in 10 states after 20 shops were added in Q3 2026. It buys both single shops and multi-shop groups, and acquired shops keep their local names and teams.
Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers
Private equity- Owner
- Audax Private Equity (growth investment, Dec 2023)
- Headquarters
- High Ridge, MO
- Scale
- More than 155 locations across eight states (Jul 2026)
Both of Audax's pages on Dobbs returned 404 in this run. Capstone (Jan 2025), Preqin (Mar 2026) and Traction News (Jul 2026) all describe Dobbs as Audax-backed.
Left Lane Auto
Private equity- Owner
- Bertram Capital (Fund V; invested Nov 2025 per Bertram, announced Dec 16, 2025)
- Headquarters
- Champaign, IL
- Scale
- More than 100 locations in 22 states (Sep 2026)
Left Lane completed more than 20 acquisitions between its 2021 founding and the Bertram investment. It had more than 75 locations at that point and passed 100 in Sep 2026. It runs about 40 retail brands and keeps the brands of the shops it buys.
Straightaway Tire & Auto
Private equity- Owner
- O2 Investment Partners
- Headquarters
- Charlotte, NC
- Scale
- More than 95 locations across 9 states (Jun 2026)
Straightaway buys under local brands: EAS Tire & Auto (CO), Victory Tire & Auto (MN), Auto Care Plus (New England), All County Tire & Auto (FL) and Silverlake Automotive (ID/WA). Deal tables that name those brands as buyers are naming Straightaway. KPMG's 'Victory Auto Service & Glass' appears to be Victory's former name. O2 (Feb 2026) and Honigman (Jul 2026) still describe it as O2's platform.
Telle Tire & Auto Centers
Private equity- Owner
- Next Horizon Capital (investment announced Dec 2024)
- Headquarters
- St. Louis, MO
- Scale
- 91 locations across six states (May 2026)
Next Horizon's own Jul 2024 release says it acquired the platform in April 2024; its Dec 2024 release announced the investment. Repair-focused shops join the HEART Certified Auto Care division, and tire-forward shops become Telle Tire.
Les Schwab Tire Centers
Private equity- Owner
- Meritage Group (family-owned investment firm; bought Les Schwab from the Schwab family in 2020)
- Headquarters
- Bend, OR
- Scale
- More than 600 locations (Jun 2026); 15 states as of Jul 2025
Les Schwab is a tire-first dealer that buys tire-and-service shops. Meritage is a family-owned investment firm, not a buyout fund; it is classed here as private equity under the house rule. June 2026 reports still name Meritage as owner. Its 2025-2026 commercial-tire deals are excluded.
VIP Tires & Service
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- John Quirk and family (family-owned)
- Headquarters
- Auburn, ME
- Scale
- 78 locations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut (Sep 2026)
The Hartford Business Journal says John Quirk owns VIP and that his family has served New England customers for four generations, since 1926. Wikipedia gives VIP's own founding as 1958, so 'family-owned since 1926' would overstate it.
Steve Shannon Tire & Auto Center
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Shannon family (co-owned by brothers including Jesse and Herb Shannon)
- Headquarters
- Bloomsburg, PA
- Scale
- 62 retail outlets across Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey (Sep 2026)
Added in this pass. It is primarily a tire dealer with retail, commercial and wholesale arms, and its stores do auto repair. Some of its location counts include wholesale and commercial sites. Jesse Shannon is quoted as co-owner (Mar 2026), and Butler Eagle (Oct 2026) says Herb Shannon and two brothers bought the business from their father.
Main Street Auto
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- Founder-owned and led (founder and CEO Logan Leslie); Turning Rock Partners provided $60M of growth financing (Jul 2025)
- Headquarters
- Atlanta, GA
- Scale
- Approximately 100 locations across the southern US (Jul 2025)
Medium confidence. The Turning Rock quote came from its head of credit, and PitchBook shows the company as 'Privately Held (backing)'. No equity sponsor is named in any source read. The sources read name no acquisitions in 2025-2026, though the financing was raised to fund acquisitions.
Grismer Tire & Auto Service
Private equity- Owner
- CenterOak Partners (majority recapitalization, Apr 2026)
- Headquarters
- Dayton, OH
- Scale
- 28 locations across the Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati metro areas (Apr 2026)
A new platform and CenterOak's fourth automotive service platform. CenterOak plans growth in existing and new markets, including new unit openings. No add-on acquisitions were found in the sources read. A new CEO, Chris Blanchette, was named Sep 24, 2026.
Selling in your state?
What auto repair businesses sell for, who is buying, and how many there are, state by state.
Frequently asked
Who are the biggest buyers of auto repair shops right now?
The largest is Mavis Tire Express Services, backed mainly by BayPine and TSG Consumer Partners. It bought Midas in June 2025 and Pep Boys in August 2026, and now has more than 4,400 owned and franchised locations. Next come Sun Auto Tire & Service (Leonard Green & Partners, 600 stores in 27 states) and Big Brand Tire & Service (Percheron Capital), which agreed in July 2026 to buy Belle Tire's roughly 185 stores. After them are GreatWater 360 Auto Care (Kinderhook Industries, 174 locations), Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers (Audax Private Equity, 155+ locations) and Left Lane Auto (Bertram Capital, 100+ locations).
Will these buyers buy a single shop, or only multi-location groups?
Both. GreatWater added 20 shops in Q3 2026. They included single shops such as RJ's Auto Pros in Kent, Ohio, and Tony's Brake & Alignment in Louisville, Kentucky, plus two groups: the six-location 1 Stop Auto Shop in Illinois and the seven-location Clutch Automotive in Houston. Straightaway has also bought single shops, such as Total Automotive in Fort Collins, Colorado, and The Shop @ 160 in Fort Mill, South Carolina. In June 2026 it also bought the seven-shop Auto Repair Pros in South Florida.
Will my shop keep its name and my team after a sale?
It depends on the buyer. GreatWater says the shops it buys keep their local names and teams. Straightaway said Total Automotive would keep the same team, and Left Lane says it preserves each acquired brand. Sun Auto rebranded Main Street Tire & Auto in Virden, Illinois, as Plaza Tire Service, and turned a Service Street shop in Cypress, Texas, into a Sun Auto Tire & Service. VIP Tires & Service reopened Lyons Auto Service in West Hartford, Connecticut, as 'Lyons Auto Service by VIP' and offered jobs to all of its full-time staff.
Are new private equity firms still entering auto repair in 2026?
Yes. In April 2026 CenterOak Partners took a majority stake in Grismer Tire & Auto Service, which has 28 locations around Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati. It is CenterOak's fourth automotive service platform. Bertram Capital invested in Left Lane Auto in December 2025, when it had more than 75 locations, and Left Lane passed 100 in September 2026. In October 2025 Percheron recapitalized Big Brand for $1.625 billion through a continuation vehicle co-led by Blue Owl, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus. Capstone Partners counts 126 automotive aftermarket platforms formed by private equity between 2021 and 2023.
Are there buyers that are not private equity funds?
Yes. VIP Tires & Service of Auburn, Maine, is family-owned by John Quirk, whose family has served New England drivers since 1926. It has 78 locations, bought four Connecticut shops between March 2024 and January 2026, and added a shop in Fort Kent, Maine, in September 2026. Steve Shannon Tire of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, is co-owned by the Shannon brothers. It has 62 retail outlets and has made three acquisitions since January 2025. Main Street Auto of Atlanta describes itself as founder-owned and led, with about 100 locations. Les Schwab is owned by Meritage Group, a family-owned investment firm.
What about Monro and Pep Boys?
Pep Boys is no longer a separate buyer. Mavis bought it from Icahn Enterprises for about $700 million, closing August 20, 2026. Monro (Nasdaq: MNRO) closed 145 underperforming stores in the first quarter of its fiscal 2026. In May 2026 it began a review of strategic alternatives that could include selling the company. Its June 2026 investor deck cites only four acquisitions in the past five years.
Methodology & sources
Compiled on 5 October 2026 and then re-checked adversarially the same day. The check fetched 86 pages and read 81 of them in full. Five were blocked: three Business Wire releases returned 403 and two Audax pages returned 404, and their claims were confirmed from other outlets. The pages read were sponsor and platform press releases, trade press (Modern Tire Dealer, Tire Business, Ratchet+Wrench, Traction News), KPMG Corporate Finance's quarterly automotive aftermarket deal tables (Q3 2025 to Q2 2026) and the five market-study PDFs. The check also used excerpts from 23 Parallel searches, which re-tested every platform's owner for a 2025-2026 sale or recap and looked for missed consolidators. Tire-and-service chains are included because they do mechanical repair. Collision, glass, quick-lube-only and commercial-truck-tire buyers are excluded. Each deal month is the announcement or closing date its source gives, and it is left blank where the source gives none.
Market sources
- Cox Automotive 2025 Service Industry Study (citing IBISWorld) ↗
- Lincoln International, Vehicle Aftermarket Intelligence Report (Nov 2025) ↗
- Capstone Partners Automotive Aftermarket M&A Report (May 2025) ↗
- 2026 Ratchet+Wrench Industry Survey ↗
- Baird, Automotive Service whitepaper (Apr 2025) ↗
Last updated October 6, 2026. Platform ownership last verified October 6, 2026. Ownership in this sector changes frequently; figures reflect the most recent public sources available and are not investment, legal, or tax advice.
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