Mobile Repair Service Valuation
29 valuation methods · 43 industries · Results in under 10 minutes
In short
A mobile repair business is usually valued on seller's discretionary earnings: EBITDA plus the owner's pay. VA values service contracts and site agreements as their own layer, at a higher multiple than dispatched call-outs.
Who this is for
Owners of mobile repair and dispatched field service businesses that fix equipment on customers' sites, preparing to sell, bring in a partner or plan succession, and buyers who need contract work separated from call-outs.
How is a mobile repair business valued?
VA values an owner-run mobile repair business on seller's discretionary earnings: EBITDA plus the owner's pay, because a buyer replaces the owner. Service contracts and site agreements are valued as their own layer, at a higher multiple than one-off work, and that multiple rises with the share of customers who renew. Dispatched call-out work is valued at a lower multiple that rises with the company's size and falls as work for new construction takes a larger share. Comparable companies, precedent transactions and a discounted cash flow check the result, and an asset floor keeps it above what the company's own assets would recover. This tool is informational only. Output is driven by your inputs and does not constitute a formal appraisal or certified valuation.
What drives the value of a mobile repair business?
- Service contracts and fleet or site agreements, and the share of customers who renew them
- Dispatch and scheduling that run without the owner answering every call
- The service vehicles and tools a buyer takes over, and their age
- Technician skills, and how long technicians stay
- Customer concentration, especially reliance on one fleet or site operator
- The service area, and how many calls each technician can reach in a day
What lowers the value of a mobile repair business?
- Work that depends on the owner taking calls and routing technicians
- One fleet or site operator making up most of the revenue
- Aging service vehicles a buyer will have to replace
- Technician turnover
How much is a mobile repair business worth? A worked example
A contract base in a call-out business
A mobile repair business with $2 M of revenue, $300 K of EBITDA and $110 K of owner pay has $410 K of seller's discretionary earnings. Service contracts bring in 20% of revenue and 75% of those customers renew. The trades model values the contract share of earnings at 4.5× and the rest at 3×, about $1.35 M before debt. With the same earnings from call-outs alone, it comes to about $1.23 M.
Illustrative figures from the industry model alone. A full report blends it with a discounted cash flow, comparable companies and precedent transactions.
Value your mobile repair business in under 10 minutes
- 1.Upload your financial statements, or type the figures in.
- 2.Confirm the add-backs and the industry details the model asks for.
- 3.Get a valuation range, the methods behind it and a PDF memorandum.
Which numbers matter most?
Seller's discretionary earnings
EBITDA plus the owner's own pay and perks. VA uses the pay you enter; for a small owner-run company with no figure entered, it estimates a working owner's salary.
Contract revenue
Revenue under service contracts and site agreements. VA values it as its own layer, separate from call-outs.
Contract renewal rate
The share of contract customers who renew each year. The multiple on the recurring layer rises with it.
Jobs per technician
Completed jobs per technician per week. Buyers read it to judge how well dispatch and routing work.
Vehicle fleet
The service vehicles and their age. Buyers price in the replacements they will need.
What do you need to value a mobile repair business?
- Profit and loss statements and balance sheets, ideally for the last three years
- Figures for the current year to date
- A list of add-backs: the owner's pay and perks, and any one-off costs
- Loan and lease balances
- A list of service contracts and site agreements, with renewal dates
- Revenue split between contracts and call-outs
- The vehicle list with ages, and the owner's own pay
Example scenarios
Contracts against call-outs
Two mobile repair businesses earn the same. One maintains a fleet operator's equipment under a contract that renews each year; the other takes calls as they come. VA values the first higher, because its contract layer is priced at the higher multiple.
An owner who runs dispatch
A repair business depends on the owner taking every call and routing every technician. The model values the earnings entered, and a buyer will weigh how the business runs once the owner steps back.
Further reading
How to Value an HVAC Business in 2026: SDE and EBITDA Multiples
HVAC businesses sell for about 2x to 3.3x SDE for small shops and 5x to 9x EBITDA for larger firms. See 2026 multiples by size and what drives the number.
Is a Business Worth 3 Times Profit? When It Is 2x, When It Is 5x, and Which Profit Counts
Is a business worth 3 times profit? Often, if the profit is SDE. When 2x or 5x applies instead, which profit counts, and what diligence does to the price.
How Much Is a Business Worth With $500,000 in Sales? The Revenue Ladder From $100K to $3 Million
Revenue does not set a price, earnings do. See what businesses at $100K, $200K, $300K, $500K, $1M, $2M and $3M in sales are worth at 10%, 20% and 30% margins.
Frequently asked questions
How is a mobile repair business valued?
On seller's discretionary earnings, EBITDA plus the owner's pay, with service contracts valued as their own layer at a higher multiple than call-outs. Comparable companies, precedent transactions and a discounted cash flow check the result.
Do service contracts raise the value?
Yes. VA values contract revenue as a separate layer, and the multiple on it rises with the share of customers who renew. Enter the contract revenue and your renewal rate to see the effect.
Does my dispatch setup matter?
It does not change the model's multiple, but buyers look at whether scheduling and routing run without the owner, because that decides whether the earnings survive the sale.
Are the service vehicles part of the value?
They are part of what the buyer takes over. The model values the earnings; the asset floor keeps the result from falling below what the company's own assets would recover.
What if I pay myself less than a manager would cost?
Seller's discretionary earnings add back your own pay, so the level you pay yourself does not change that figure. A buyer who hires a manager will still look at EBITDA after a market salary, which is why the EBITDA-based checks are shown too.
Is this a certified appraisal?
No. This is an informational estimate. A bank loan, a partner buyout or an estate matter may require a certified business appraisal, which this does not replace.
Terms used on this page
- Seller's discretionary earnings (SDE)
- EBITDA plus the owner's own pay and perks. It shows what the business earns for one owner who works in it, and it is the figure most buyers of small owner-run businesses price.
- Add-backs
- Costs added back to reported earnings because a new owner would not bear them: personal expenses run through the business, one-off costs, or owner pay above what the role would cost to fill.
- Recurring revenue
- Revenue that repeats without a new sale, such as maintenance agreements, service plans or contracts customers renew.
- Renewal rate
- The share of customers on agreements or plans who renew each year.
- Valuation multiple
- The number earnings are multiplied by to reach a value. It rises with how durable the earnings are and how easily a new owner can keep them.
As featured in
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Last reviewed September 25, 2026 against VA's valuation models.