CarMax advertising spend, FY2026

CarMax (KMX) reported $284M of advertising expense for the fiscal year ended Feb 28, 2026. That is 1.1% of revenue of $25.9B. Up 8.6% from FY2025.

Ad spend, FY2026
$284M
year ended Feb 28, 2026
Change vs prior year
+8.6%
vs FY2025
Share of revenue
1.1%
of $25.9B revenue
Rank by ad spend
#177
of 336 companies

Key facts

  • Ad spend is 2.0x its FY2016 level ($142M), faster than revenue (1.7x).
  • The highest year on file is FY2022 at $332M; FY2026 is 14% below it.
  • Largest increase +52.0% in FY2022; largest cut -11.0% in FY2023.
  • Ad spend is 1.1% of revenue, about the same as 1.2% in FY2021.
  • CarMax spends more on advertising than 47% of the 336 US-listed companies tracked. Its ad-to-revenue ratio is below the median of 5.2%.

Ad spend by fiscal year

$0 $100M $200M $300M $400M FY2010 (ended 2010-02-28): $75.1M FY2011 (ended 2011-02-28): $96.2M 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-02-29): $100M FY2013 (ended 2013-02-28): $108M FY2014 (ended 2014-02-28): $115M 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-02-28): $124M FY2016 (ended 2016-02-29): $142M FY2017 (ended 2017-02-28): $146M 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-02-28): $159M FY2019 (ended 2019-02-28): $167M FY2020 (ended 2020-02-29): $192M 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-02-28): $219M FY2022 (ended 2022-02-28): $332M FY2023 (ended 2023-02-28): $296M 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-02-29): $266M FY2025 (ended 2025-02-28): $262M FY2026 (ended 2026-02-28): $284M 2026 $284M

Ad spend as % of revenue

0.0% 0.5% 1.0% 1.5% FY2010 (ended 2010-02-28): 1.0% FY2011 (ended 2011-02-28): 1.1% 2011 FY2012 (ended 2012-02-29): 1.0% FY2013 (ended 2013-02-28): 1.0% FY2014 (ended 2014-02-28): 0.9% 2014 FY2015 (ended 2015-02-28): 0.9% FY2016 (ended 2016-02-29): 0.9% FY2017 (ended 2017-02-28): 0.9% 2017 FY2018 (ended 2018-02-28): 0.9% FY2019 (ended 2019-02-28): 0.9% FY2020 (ended 2020-02-29): 0.9% 2020 FY2021 (ended 2021-02-28): 1.2% FY2022 (ended 2022-02-28): 1.0% FY2023 (ended 2023-02-28): 1.0% 2023 FY2024 (ended 2024-02-29): 1.0% FY2025 (ended 2025-02-28): 1.0% FY2026 (ended 2026-02-28): 1.1% 2026 1.1%

History

Download CSV
Fiscal year Period end Ad spend YoY Revenue Ad / revenue Tag Filing
FY2026 Feb 28, 2026 $284M +8.6% $25.9B 1.1% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 15, 2026
FY2025 Feb 28, 2025 $262M -1.4% $26.4B 1.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 15, 2026
FY2024 Feb 29, 2024 $266M -10.1% $26.5B 1.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 15, 2026
FY2023 Feb 28, 2023 $296M -11.0% $29.7B 1.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 11, 2025
FY2022 Feb 28, 2022 $332M +52.0% $31.9B 1.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 15, 2024
FY2021 Feb 28, 2021 $219M +14.0% $19B 1.2% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 13, 2023
FY2020 Feb 29, 2020 $192M +14.9% $20.3B 0.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 14, 2022
FY2019 Feb 28, 2019 $167M +5.3% $18.2B 0.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 20, 2021
FY2018 Feb 28, 2018 $159M +8.6% $17.1B 0.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 21, 2020
FY2017 Feb 28, 2017 $146M +2.7% $15.9B 0.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 19, 2019
FY2016 Feb 29, 2016 $142M +14.4% $15.1B 0.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 24, 2018
FY2015 Feb 28, 2015 $124M +8.5% $14.3B 0.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 21, 2017
FY2014 Feb 28, 2014 $115M +5.9% $12.6B 0.9% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 22, 2016
FY2013 Feb 28, 2013 $108M +7.9% $11B 1.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 24, 2015
FY2012 Feb 29, 2012 $100M +4.3% $10B 1.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K/A Apr 28, 2014
FY2011 Feb 28, 2011 $96.2M +28.1% $9B 1.1% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 26, 2013
FY2010 Feb 28, 2010 $75.1M n/a $7.5B 1.0% AdvertisingExpense 10-K Apr 25, 2012

What the figure is

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Compared with similar spenders

The 6 companies closest to CarMax in latest-year ad spend.

Rank Company Ad spend Ad / revenue YoY Fiscal year
172 iHeartMedia $290M 7.5% +13.7% FY2025
173 Starz Entertainment $289M 21.1% -10.4% FY2025
174 AMC Global Media $287M 12.4% +4.9% FY2025
175 Boston Beer $286M 13.7% +18.8% FY2025
176 Capri $285M 8.2% -4.4% FY2026
177 CarMax $284M 1.1% +8.6% FY2026
178 Conagra Brands $279M 2.5% +6.2% FY2026

Full ranking of 336 companies · Biggest increases #141 · Lowest ad-to-revenue #34

Questions

How much does CarMax spend on advertising?

CarMax spent $284M on advertising in fiscal 2026, the year ended Feb 28, 2026, according to its 10-K filed Apr 15, 2026.

What percentage of revenue does CarMax spend on advertising?

1.1% of revenue in fiscal 2026 ($284M of $25.9B). The median across the 336 companies tracked is 5.2%.

Is CarMax spending more on advertising?

Yes. Ad spend rose 8.6% in fiscal 2026 from fiscal 2025.

How does CarMax rank by advertising spend?

#177 of 336 US-listed companies with $100M or more in ad spend, ranked on each company's latest fiscal year.

What does CarMax's advertising figure include?

Advertising costs as disclosed in the annual report (XBRL tag AdvertisingExpense).

Source

Filing
10-K for FY2026, filed Apr 15, 2026
Accession number
0001170010-26-000021
Company
CARMAX INC, CIK 1170010, SIC 5500 (Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations)
Data
SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts, retrieved Nov 4, 2026. Methodology.
Cite
CarMax advertising spend, FY2010-FY2026. Aleksei Trudov, io.trudov.com, from SEC EDGAR XBRL company facts (latest: 10-K filed Apr 15, 2026), retrieved Nov 4, 2026. https://io.trudov.com/company/carmax/advertising-spend/
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