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Car wash POS
Our team tested 25 POS systems with car wash business criteria and boiled it down to the top 5 systems you can't go wrong with.
While most POS systems can perform most the basic functions necessary to run a car wash, there are only a few that can truly optimize and streamline business operations.
Each car wash business is a bit different and has it's own set of criteria so we broke down the strengths, weaknesses and features of each of our top 5 so that you can decide which one is the best fit for your business.
Header | Best For | Cost | Top Features |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall | Quote-Based | Membership programs, vehicle identification, cutting-edge analytics | |
Best for App Integration and Customization | System Configuration-dependent | 300+ apps for integration, built-in payment processing, reporting and analytics | |
Best for Multi-Location Car Washes | Quote-Based | Multi-location data sync, membership programs, customer-facing mobile app | |
Best For Membership Plans | Quote-Based | Membership plans, kiosk system integration, detail management feature | |
Best For Car Washes Looking to Scale | $99 per month minimum | Loyalty programs, automated recording, inventory management |
The 5 Best Car Wash POS Systems
Quick Answer:
ezWash - Best Car Wash POS Overall
Clover - Best For Customization and App Integration
SiteWatch POS - Best For Multi-Location Car Wash
Washify - Best For Membership Plans
Vend POS - Best For Car Washes Looking To Scale
ezWash might just be our favorite car wash POS system with its easy-to-use interface, feature-rich software, and fast payment processing.
In fact, the ezWash system is lightning fast when it comes to just about any kind of operation.
One of the things we love most about ezWash is that it is set up for a type of unique car wash loyalty program.
If there are customers who visit your car wash frequently, they can simply sign up for the integrated membership programs and pull up to get their wash without ever having to take a trip inside to pay.
Customers love the membership programs, as it makes life easier for them. Plus, they keep coming back, so it's more money in your pocket and smarter planning for the future of your business.
Another unique feature with ezWash is the system's ability to identify a vehicle based on its license plate. ezWash then stores the license data in the system, giving car wash owners stored data so that they can see when certain customers are visiting and what kinds of washes they are purchasing.
A license plate from a member automatically gets scanned when they enter the car wash too.
Lastly, we love the cutting-edge analytics features that this particular system provides. ezWash users can gain crucial insight into sales, operations, employee performance, revenue trends, and so much more, thanks to the easy-to-view reports.
All ezWash reports, which are compressed in the form of intuitive charts and graphs, can be found on the user dashboard. Essentially, you get a bird's eye view of the performance of your car wash from wherever you are.
All data updates in real-time, allowing car wash owners to have the most up-to-date view of their business. You'll never go a day without feeling on top of your operations so that you can make the best decisions rest assured.
#2 Clover - Best For Customization and App Integration
Clover might not be car wash-specific point of sale solution, though it is a very unique option for car wash owners who want to completely customize their system.
The neat thing about Clover is that it allows users to build their own system dependent on their needs.
Clover can integrate with more than 300 third-party apps, making it somewhat of a Swiss army knife car wash POS system.
You can download and install all of these apps through the easy-to-navigate Clover website.
More often than not, car wash owners want accounting capabilities form their car wash POS system.
With Clover, you can integrate Quickbooks and other similar accounting apps for an additional fee.
Clover also offers its own apps for no cost at all. Some of the apps you can expect to find on the Clover point of sale system include promotion management, loyalty programs, and customer feedback.
While Clover does not have the same car wash management membership feature found in the ezWash system, it does have the ability to integrate with some of the best third-party membership apps on the market. If a car wash owner wants to automate the billing and membership of a returning customer, for example, he or she can use the Memberships app. In all honesty, we think this industry-leading app is far better than what you would find on a built-in membership system anyway.
Beyond Clover's expertise as a POS systems company, it is also a payment processor. Any car wash that needs a fast payment processing system will enjoy how quickly Clover's car wash POS software reacts in high-volume situations. Plus, customers can use a wide variety of payment types, including cash, cards, gift cards, checks, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.
When it comes to marketing and metrics, Clover takes the cake again. Within the 300+ apps that Clover integrates with, you'll find some of the most robust marketing apps on the market today. You can also utilize the several included reporting and analytics apps as well.
If you're the owner of a multi-location car wash, then the SiteWatch POS system from DRB systems might be your best choice in the car wash industry.
DRB Systems produces a variety of auto-specific POS solutions for promoting growth and increasing productivity.
Whether you are opening new car washes or you already have multiple car washes under your belt, SiteWatch makes it really easy to manage all of them at once.
A car wash owner can quickly and easily sync up multi-location data using the cloud-based POS software.
From a single screen, you can view reports from various car washes.
You can either view compiled data, including POS membership reports and monthly sales from all your car washes, or look at each location at a granular level.
As with the other car wash POS systems so far, SiteWatch also includes a membership program. However, its defining feature is its automatic membership renewal program. While customers are not obligated to renew their annual membership with your car wash business, this car wash solution gives them the option if they please. In doing so, customers never have to deal with the hassle of paying for a service each month. Plus, it helps create a sense of customer loyalty for your business that might be hard to create organically.
SiteWatch POS utilizes a customer-facing mobile app that allows customers to perform a number of unique tasks, including renewing their memberships, sending out gift cards, or creating special service appointments.
A customer can also go into their account and update or customize their profiles, checking their memberships, looking at your prices, or seeing what your hours are on specific days. If you have several physical car wash businesses around town, customers can also see which car was is closest to them.
#4 Washify - Best For Membership Plans
Washify is probably one of the most widely used car wash POS systems out there today. While it might not be the best car was point of sale system in the car wash industry, it does have pretty strong brand recognition and a pro feature set that can help any car was business optimize growth and operations. There are many things to love about the Washify system, including the reporting and analytics features, the built-in marketing features, and the mobile access.
One thing that truly stands out about the Washify car was POS system is its membership plans. Whether you have a single location or 100 locations, you can easily manage all of your membership plans from a single car wash system. From a customer-facing standpoint, it is easy for members to go online and manage their accounts. The Washify car wash POS uses unique vehicle identifiers, such as the plate, to identify a car when it rolls up.
The Washify car wash POS system also integrates well with kiosk systems, allowing customers to purchase car washes and create memberships. Having these features on the Washify POS system helps generate much better revenue for car washes.
Another great feature found on the Washify car wash POS system is the built-in detail management feature. You won't find this feature in many other car wash POS systems. Essentially, this unique POS system feature helps streamline the detailing process. A customer can book his or her appointment through the Washify mobile application, which will send them automatic notifications when their appointment is coming up.
You can even create a custom website with this car wash solution to help provide a top-of-the-line customer experience. When creating the website, Washify allows you to implement your own logos or brand elements. The website can be incredibly useful for posting discounts or specials, creating customer appointments, and selling memberships.
There are plenty of impressive features found within the Vend POS system, including loyalty programs, automated recording, inventory management, employee tracking, and customer data storage.
Though Vend POS might not necessarily be a car-wash-specific POS system, it is extremely versatile and can even work while offline, unlike many POS systems on the market.
The great thing about Vend POS is that you can implement it with just about any kind of hardware.
If your car wash business already uses an iPad or Android setup, you can simply install Vend onto your devices and get started up right away.
Of course, if your car wash business does not have the proper hardware on hand, you can always pick from one of the bundles that Vend POS offers.
Vend POS splits its pricing between three tiers, including Lite, Pro, and Enterprise. The Lite plan gives users the ability to use a single outlet, a single register, real-time inventory management, and 24/7 customer support, all for $99 per month.
The Pro plan moves up to $129 per month and gives users a few more growth-oriented tools. Lastly, the Enterprise plan is useful for car wash business owners with multiple locations.
One of the areas where Vend goes above and beyond other car was POS system solutions is with its scaling tools. The POS system performs really well, especially when you consider all of the tracking features. Plus, you can easily add new users, products, and tools as your business continues to grow.
What To Consider When Buying a Car Wash POS System
Intuitive Interface
When it comes to the way your business operates, speed is key. At most car wash businesses, multiple employees will be taking care of multiple tasks simultaneously. Having a slow, difficult-to-navigate cloud-based POS system could result in holdups.
A car wash POS system needs to be easy to navigate so that employees and customers can enter data and complete transactions quickly.
Membership Plans
One of the most important things for any car wash business owner is creating returning customers. The best way to do so is by selling membership plans. Customers will purchase a monthly or annual membership to get special access to your car wash.
With a strong car wash POS system, you can choose how you want the membership plans for your customers to work.
Memberships are incredibly important in business because they allow for recurring revenue sources. You can think of a membership program as a solution for accurate revenue forecasting.
Having membership programs introduce stability into a car wash that is difficult to do any other way.
Automated Vehicle Identification
One unique way to enhance the customer experience is with automated vehicle identification. If your car wash has a conveyor belt design, vehicle identification can go hand-in-hand with membership plans.
While automated vehicle identification varies from POS system to POS system, it typically works by scanning a license plate or sticker through the window to recognize the vehicle that is approaching. The system will then allow the car to get a wash without the customer inside having to get out and pay.
Marketing
Marketing is everything in the modern business world.
Similar to just about any other kind of business, a car wash must spread the word about its business if it hopes to bring more customers in.
A car wash POS system with high-quality features like automated email marketing, for example, can get your car wash's name out there.
Car washes often use email marketing features to increase brand recognition and speed up revenue growth.
e-Commerce Integration
If you're in the market for a POS solution that helps you to integrate your e-commerce site or build a brand new website, you'll want to look for a POS solution with this type of integration.
Customers can use your website to renew memberships or pay for a wash online without ever having to go into the actual car wash. Customers can also use your website to check for pricing, buy gift cards, check out discounts, and sign up for email marketing lists.
Kiosks and Terminals
When a customer shows up to get a car wash, they should be able to select the type of wash operations they want and pay for their wash without ever having to interact with an employee.
Once payment has been processed, customers will get a code or a ticket, which will eventually notify them when they are up for their car wash. When you have self-paying terminals and kiosks, employees can focus on different and more important tasks.
Reporting and Analytics
While intuition is crucial in business, sometimes, you need to make business decisions based on data. Having a cloud-based POS system that has powerful reporting and analytics features, which can collect data such as sales, purchase patterns, or inventory.
Once your car wash POS system has data, it should analyze it and give you reports so that you can get valuable business insight.
A manager can then use this type of data to make business decisions that are more informed for growth.
Additional Car Wash Software Features
There are a few car wash software tools and features that you should look for in a car wash POS solution, including:
- Employee Management
- Inventory Management
- Secure Payment Processing
- Customer Relations Tools
Final Thoughts - Which Car Wash POS System Is Best For Your Business?
There are clearly many things that you need to consider when looking for the right car wash POS system for your business. If you have an established car wash and you need a wide variety of tools and service options, we highly recommend going with ezWash or Washify.
Small to mid-sized car washes seem to do very well with Vend, especially considering the fact that they offer clear pricing information to their customers. A car wash that has multiple locations will probably work best with SiteWatch. Lastly, there is clover. With more than 300 app integrations, including license plate recognition, employee management, inventory management, loyalty programs, email marketing, and more, it's a serious car wash package.
If you have a gas station connected to your car wash, see our top 5 recommended gas station POS systems here.
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author