Big O Tires Franchise Failure Rate
SBA 7(a) loan default data, FY2010–FY2019 · Updated 2026
Big O Tires franchisees defaulted on 5.5% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 55 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Tire Dealers industry average of 7.5%.
- 5.5%SBA default rate3 of 55 loans
- 55loans resolvedapproved FY2010–FY2019
- 7.5%Tire Dealers averageall SBA loans in the industry
- 10.2%all-franchise average7.8% non-franchised
| SBA default rate | 5.5% |
|---|---|
| Loans approved | 55 |
| Loans charged off | 3 |
| Date range | FY2010–FY2019 |
| Industry | Tire Dealers |
| Industry average | 7.5% |
| Data source | U.S. SBA 7(a) FOIA loan data |
Most SBA default figures published online use loans approved since 2020 — loans that have had six years or less to fail — so those rates are floors, not outcomes. Every rate on this site is computed from the matured FY2010–FY2019 cohort: loans that have been paid in full or charged off, so the result is settled. Loans approved since 2020 are shown as counts so early charge-offs are visible without being mistaken for a rate.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.
About 1 in 18 Big O Tires SBA borrowers failed to repay — well below the Tire Dealers average of 7.5%.
What is the Big O Tires franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Big O Tires is a Tire Dealers franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Big O Tires franchisees: 55 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 3 were charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY201955
- Charged off3
- Charge-off rate5.5%
- Tire Dealers franchise benchmark7.5%
- Brand vs industry0.7x
- All-franchise SBA benchmark10.2%
- Average loan size, 2010s cohort$623,785
- New SBA loans since 202064
- Early charge-offs since 20200
How does Big O Tires compare with other Tire Dealers franchises?
The table sets Big O Tires's charge-off rate beside its Tire Dealers peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.
| Measure | Big O Tires | Tire Dealers | All franchises | All SBA borrowers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (charge-off) rate | 5.5% | 7.5% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| Loans in sample | 55 | — | — | — |
| Defaults | 3 | — | — | — |
| Average loan size | $623,785 | — | — | — |
What has Big O Tires SBA lending looked like since 2020?
Since 2020, Big O Tires franchisees have taken 64 new SBA 7(a) loans. None have charged off to date, though most remain outstanding and unresolved.
Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 0 have charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.
Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2010 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2011 | 4 | 1 | 25.0% |
| FY2012 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2013 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2014 | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
| FY2015 | 10 | 1 | 10.0% |
| FY2016 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2017 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2018 | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2019 | 9 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FY2020 | 15 | — | outstanding |
| FY2021 | 19 | — | outstanding |
| FY2022 | 12 | — | outstanding |
| FY2023 | 6 | — | outstanding |
| FY2024 | 1 | — | outstanding |
| FY2025 | 7 | — | outstanding |
| FY2026 | 4 | — | outstanding |
How to read this
A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.
How reliable is this number?
Big O Tires's figure rests on 55 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019. That cohort has matured, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 55 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 1.8 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Big O Tires figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.
Based on 55 resolved loans — directional, not precise.
Is Big O Tires in financial trouble? What the SBA data shows
Big O Tires's SBA 7(a) default rate was 5.5% for loans approved FY2010–FY2019 (3 of 55 loans charged off) — the only Tire Dealers brand tracked here. A default rate close to the Tire Dealers average of 7.5% is, on its own, neither a warning sign nor a reassurance.
Frequently asked
- What is Big O Tires's franchise failure rate?
- Big O Tires franchisees defaulted on 5.5% of SBA 7(a) loans between FY2010 and FY2019 — 3 of 55 loans were charged off — according to U.S. Small Business Administration data. That is lower than the Tire Dealers industry average of 7.5%.
- How does Big O Tires compare to other Tire Dealers franchises?
- Big O Tires's 5.5% SBA default rate is lower than the Tire Dealers industry average of 7.5%. See every Tire Dealers franchise ranked on the Tire Dealers industry page. Tire Dealers franchises →
- What does 'SBA default rate' mean?
- An SBA default rate is the share of SBA 7(a) loans, approved FY2010–FY2019 and since resolved (paid in full or charged off), that were charged off — written off after the borrower failed to repay. It is not a measure of unit closures.
Source
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) loan program charge-off data, FY2010–FY2019. Franchise data is matched on the SBA's franchise code / brand name. "Failure rate" here means the share of approved loans (resolved: paid in full or charged off) that were charged off; it is not a measure of unit closures. Last updated September 30, 2026.
Every brand in one table, with percentiles and breakdowns by year, industry and loan size: franchise SBA default rates, all 415 brands.
Cite this page
Franchise Default Rates (2026). Big O Tires franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 5.5% (3 of 55 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/big-o-tires/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)