Tekion Review: Drive $9K Monthly Revenue & Boost Vehicle Retail by 31%

Fragmented dealership systems slow you down, right?

If you’re dealing with outdated Dealer Management Software and juggling disconnected sales, service, and accounting tools, you’re probably frustrated by duplicate work and slow workflows.

After researching Tekion, I found that wasted hours chasing down data is the main thing draining dealership productivity and hurting your bottom line.

Tekion approaches this differently—with their Automotive Retail Cloud, you get every part of your dealership on one cloud-native platform. That means sales, service, accounting, and customer management all work together, so you and your staff spend less time tracking data and more time serving customers. What I discovered is you’re not just replacing the old DMS—you might actually simplify how your whole dealership runs.

In this review, I’ll share how unified workflows can fix your daily frustration and what you can actually expect switching from legacy systems.

Here’s what you’ll find in this Tekion review: my hands-on analysis of features, pricing, strengths and drawbacks, implementation tips, and how Tekion stacks up against alternatives so you make the right call for your dealership.

Read on to get the real story and the features you need to make an informed software decision.

Let’s get started.

Tekion Overview

Tekion started in 2016, founded by Tesla’s former CIO and based in California. Their mission is to modernize auto retail with a single, cloud-native platform.

What sets them apart is their direct challenge to outdated dealer management systems. You’ll find they serve the entire market, from single-store independents to the largest multi-rooftop dealer groups with a modern alternative.

A recent $250M funding round and key OEM partnerships show strong market validation. This is a critical data point I considered for my Tekion review.

Unlike CDK or Reynolds, Tekion’s big pitch is its unified platform built from the ground up. My analysis shows this avoids the data silos and workflow friction that are common with stitched-together systems.

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They work with all kinds of dealerships, from innovative single-point stores to some of the largest and most recognized enterprise dealer groups in North America.

I was impressed by their strategic focus on connecting the entire customer journey in real time, from online browsing to the service bay. Their use of embedded AI aims to make your dealership proactive.

Now let’s dive into their core capabilities.

Tekion Features

Still wrestling with outdated dealership software?

Tekion solutions are built as a unified Automotive Retail Cloud, designed to replace fragmented legacy systems. These are the five core Tekion solutions that address critical dealership challenges.

1. ARC Core Platform

Still using disconnected, clunky software?

Traditional DMS systems often force duplicate data entry across departments. This creates workflow friction and slows operations to a crawl for your team.

The ARC Core Platform replaces old server-based DMS with a cloud-native, centralized hub for all dealership data. Here’s what I found: its modern interface frees staff to work anywhere. This core solution serves as your dealership’s central nervous system.

What you get is streamlined operations, eliminating data silos and giving your entire team unified access to critical information from any device.

2. CRM & Digital Retail

Online leads vanish once they hit the showroom?

A major pain point is the disconnect between online shopping and in-store processes. This often leads to frustrating restarts for your customers.

This solution integrates the entire customer journey, letting buyers structure deals online, then pick up seamlessly in-store. From my testing, the information flow is incredibly smooth, drastically cutting transaction times. It ensures a consistent experience.

This means your customers experience a fluid buying process, while your sales team avoids redundant steps and closes deals faster.

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3. Fixed Operations

Service center chaos slowing down your shop?

Managing service appointments, technician dispatch, and parts ordering can be a source of massive inefficiency. Customer communication often suffers too.

Tekion’s Fixed Operations module streamlines the entire service workflow, from tablet-based check-ins to customer approvals. This is where Tekion shines: real-time visibility into shop capacity and profitability. It integrates scheduling, parts, and billing.

The result is a highly efficient service department, leading to improved customer satisfaction and clearer insights into your shop’s performance.

4. Integrated Accounting

Stuck with rigid, unyielding accounting software?

Legacy DMS accounting modules are notorious for being inflexible and making it difficult to extract real-time financial insights.

This module posts every financial transaction directly to the general ledger in real-time, eliminating batch processing. What impressed me most is how this solution offers up-to-the-minute financial views. While different, it provides full transparency.

This means you get immediate, accurate financial data across your entire dealership, enabling smarter, faster business decisions daily.

5. AI-Powered Analytics

Drowning in data, but starved for insights?

Dealerships generate vast amounts of data daily, yet often lack the tools to turn this raw data into actionable intelligence.

Tekion embeds AI throughout the platform to provide predictive insights, identifying trends and personalizing marketing. From my evaluation, this feature works best when it automatically flags customers for upgrades. This shifts operations from reactive to proactive.

So as a manager, you can anticipate customer needs, optimize sales strategies, and make data-driven decisions that boost profitability.

What I love about these Tekion solutions is how they work together as a truly unified, cloud-native platform rather than disparate tools. This cohesive design ensures smooth data flow and streamlined operations across your entire dealership.

Tekion Pricing

Unsure what you’ll actually pay monthly?

Tekion pricing is based on custom quotes tailored to your specific operational needs offering flexibility but requiring direct contact to get detailed cost information.

1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors

Understanding their cost model.

Tekion’s pricing operates on a multi-year subscription basis, customized significantly based on your dealership’s specific needs. What I found regarding pricing is that key drivers include your number of physical rooftops, active user count, and which advanced modules you select. This means Tekion pricing is highly variable for each client but ensures you only pay for what you genuinely need.

Budget-wise, this approach helps you secure a solution perfectly aligned with your operational scale and departmental requirements.

2. Value Assessment & ROI

Unlocking true dealership value.

While specific Tekion pricing isn’t public, its all-in-one Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) platform aims to reduce your total technology spend. From my cost analysis, it consolidates numerous third-party tools (CRMs, equity mining, service lane software) that currently incur separate subscriptions. This means Tekion’s comprehensive suite offers potential savings by eliminating fragmented system costs, compared to traditional legacy DMS setups.

The result is your budget gets better visibility and predictable expenses over time, avoiding hidden fees from multiple vendors.

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3. Budget Planning & Implementation

Planning your budget wisely.

Given the custom pricing model, expect a thorough sales process to determine your exact investment. What I found regarding pricing is that there are no free trials or plans available for direct evaluation; you’ll need to engage with sales. Beyond the recurring subscription, factor in internal resources for implementation, data migration, and staff training to ensure a smooth transition and maximize your return.

So for your business size, you can expect to allocate significant budget upfront to ensure smooth deployment and success.

My Take: Tekion’s custom pricing structure caters to the unique needs of dealerships, offering a scalable, integrated solution designed to consolidate technology costs, making it ideal for those seeking comprehensive modernization.

The overall Tekion pricing reflects customized enterprise software value aligned with your needs.

Tekion Reviews

User feedback tells an important story.

Tekion reviews offer valuable insights into real customer experiences. I’ve analyzed user feedback from various platforms to provide a balanced perspective on its strengths and weaknesses for you.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Users are generally very satisfied.

From my review analysis, Tekion consistently earns high ratings, averaging 4.5/5 stars, which is impressive for a complex enterprise system. What I found in user feedback is how this modern platform significantly improves operations, often replacing outdated legacy systems that hinder efficiency. Review-wise, the sentiment leans heavily positive.

This suggests you can expect a generally positive experience, especially if you prioritize a modern DMS.

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2. Common Praise Points

A modern, integrated approach.

Users frequently praise the intuitive, web-based interface as a vast improvement over outdated systems. Review-wise, the most cited benefit is all-in-one integration for streamlined workflows, reducing errors by centralizing CRM, service, and accounting data in one place.

This means your team can work more efficiently and access full DMS functionality from anywhere on any device.

3. Frequent Complaints

Some growing pains persist.

A recurring theme in user feedback points to occasional bugs or glitches, making the platform feel like it’s still evolving. What stands out in Tekion reviews is how customer support can sometimes be slow or lack deep knowledge, leading to delays in issue resolution for complex issues.

These issues, while notable, don’t seem to be deal-breakers for most users given the platform’s overall benefits.

Overall, Tekion reviews paint a picture of a powerful, modern DMS with strong potential. The feedback reveals genuine satisfaction balanced with areas for improvement.

Best Tekion Alternatives

Confused by Tekion’s competitive choices?

The best Tekion alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations and priorities you might face when choosing a DMS.

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1. CDK Global

Prioritizing deep-rooted, established integrations for your dealership?

CDK Global stands as a legacy leader, offering a comprehensive suite with long-established integrations for very specific third-party vendors. From my competitive analysis, CDK provides deep, time-tested integrations, often requiring more third-party add-ons. This alternative might appeal if you prioritize stability over a modern, unified platform.

Choose CDK when your primary concern is stability and you need deep integrations with a specific set of existing vendors.

2. Reynolds and Reynolds

Do you prefer a tightly controlled, integrated workflow?

Reynolds and Reynolds is known for its highly rigid, closed ecosystem, often requiring proprietary hardware and strict adherence to its workflows. What I found comparing options is that Reynolds offers unparalleled system control, ensuring consistency across all departments. This alternative is ideal if you value an all-in-one, proprietary structure.

Consider Reynolds if your dealership processes are already built around their strict workflow and you value maximum system control.

3. Cox Automotive (Dealertrack DMS)

Heavily reliant on the wider Cox Automotive ecosystem?

Dealertrack DMS excels with its seamless integration into the broader Cox Automotive family, including Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. Alternative-wise, Dealertrack strengthens your Cox ecosystem ties, which can be invaluable for lead generation and vehicle data. Its pricing is often similar to Tekion’s offerings.

You should choose Dealertrack when your dealership heavily leverages other Cox Automotive products for leads and data services.

4. Autosoft DMS

Are you a smaller dealer seeking a budget-friendly option?

Autosoft DMS provides a more straightforward, less complex solution, specifically aimed at independent and smaller dealerships. From my competitive analysis, Autosoft offers significant cost savings, making it a compelling alternative if price is your primary driver. It provides essential DMS features without advanced digital retail or AI capabilities.

Choose Autosoft if you are a smaller dealership, prioritizing a lower price point over Tekion’s advanced functionalities.

The best Tekion alternatives truly depend on your specific operational needs and existing ecosystem, not just feature lists. Carefully evaluate which solution aligns best with your dealership’s unique strategic priorities.

Setup & Implementation

Is Tekion implementation as complex as it seems?

Navigating a major system change like Tekion can feel daunting. This Tekion review section will cut through the noise, helping you understand the practical deployment process and what to truly expect.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

This isn’t a quick switch.

Tekion implementation involves migrating decades of complex customer, vehicle, and financial data from your legacy DMS. From my implementation analysis, this process demands substantial time and internal resources, particularly from your controller’s office, making it a significant project requiring months, not weeks.

You’ll need dedicated internal project leads and a clear allocation of staff time to collaborate with Tekion’s team, ensuring data accuracy and a smooth transition.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Expect significant IT involvement.

While Tekion is cloud-native, eliminating much of your hardware burden, implementation often means complex integrations with your existing systems. What I found about deployment is that data migration from legacy systems is intensive, requiring careful planning and IT oversight to ensure accuracy.

Prepare your IT team for thorough data cleansing and mapping, alongside network readiness, to support the new system’s connectivity and data flows.

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3. Training & Change Management

User adoption is a significant hurdle.

Tekion’s workflows are fundamentally different from older DMS platforms, leading to a steep learning curve for your staff. Extensive training is essential for all departments, and successful implementation hinges on management driving adoption to overcome long-standing habits.

Plan for comprehensive training programs tailored to each department, designate internal champions, and ensure strong leadership buy-in to guide your team through this transition.

4. Support & Success Factors

Vendor support quality varies.

Tekion provides implementation and ongoing support, but user reviews indicate mixed experiences. Some praise responsiveness, while others note delays or a need for escalation. Implementation-wise, Tekion is still scaling to meet demand, so patience and clear communication are key.

Proactively engage with their support team, establish clear communication channels, and build internal expertise to resolve common issues, reducing reliance on external assistance.

Overall, Tekion implementation is a transformative but demanding project. Successfully deploying this modern DMS requires careful planning and strong internal commitment to navigate the change effectively.

Who’s Tekion For

Is Tekion the right fit for your dealership?

This Tekion review provides a detailed look at its ideal users. I’ll help you quickly assess if this innovative platform aligns with your specific dealership profile, team size, and operational requirements.

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1. Ideal User Profile

Forward-thinking automotive dealerships.

Tekion is built for franchised new car dealers or large independent groups eager to modernize their operations. From my user analysis, dealerships constrained by legacy DMS limitations will find its all-in-one, cloud-native approach revolutionary. It appeals directly to GMs and IT Directors prioritizing improved customer experience.

You’ll see significant success if your team is ready for process change, aiming to consolidate your tech stack and leverage integrated data for proactive marketing.

2. Business Size & Scale

Scaling your modern dealership.

Tekion is designed for large independent dealers or multi-rooftop enterprise groups. What I found about target users is that its comprehensive platform suits significant transaction volumes and complex operational structures. Smaller, single-store dealers might find it powerful but potentially oversized for their operational needs.

You’ll assess a good fit if your business has dedicated IT resources and is prepared for a substantial transition from outdated systems.

3. Use Case Scenarios

Creating a seamless “phygital” experience.

Tekion truly excels for dealerships aiming to create a seamless ‘phygital’ car buying and service experience. From my analysis, the platform streamlines processes from CRM to accounting, empowering staff with mobile tools. It helps reduce transaction times and leverages data for proactive marketing strategies.

You’ll determine alignment if your priority is consolidating fragmented systems into one modern, accessible platform for improved efficiency.

4. Who Should Look Elsewhere

For conservative, budget-conscious dealerships.

If your dealership is highly conservative, resistant to significant process change, or operates on a very tight budget, Tekion might not be ideal. From my user analysis, the disruption and cost of switching can be high, especially if your team resists a steep learning curve or occasional glitches.

Consider a simpler, lower-cost DMS or your familiar legacy system if process stability and minimal financial outlay are current concerns.

This Tekion review clarifies who stands to gain most. The ultimate fit depends on your readiness for significant modernization and embracing an all-in-one cloud platform. Assess your operational priorities carefully.

Bottom Line

Tekion modernizes the automotive retail experience.

My Tekion review shows a groundbreaking, cloud-native platform that delivers significant advantages for dealerships ready to embrace a new way of operating their business.

1. Overall Strengths

Tekion truly excels in modernizing dealership operations.

The platform provides a unified, web-based interface integrating CRM, desking, service, and accounting into one system, dramatically streamlining workflows and reducing errors. From my comprehensive analysis, its all-in-one integration is a game-changer for efficiency, enabling full mobile accessibility from any device.

These strengths directly translate into improved productivity, better customer experiences, and a more agile business model.

2. Key Limitations

Despite its innovation, Tekion faces some challenges.

The system, while powerful, can sometimes feel like it’s still evolving, with occasional bugs or glitches disrupting daily operations. Based on this review, customer support responsiveness can sometimes be slow, and front-line agents occasionally lack deep knowledge for complex issues, leading to frustration.

These limitations are common with new technology but require dealerships to be patient and ready for a significant learning curve.

3. Final Recommendation

Tekion earns a strong recommendation for forward-thinking dealerships.

You should choose Tekion if you’re a single-store or multi-rooftop dealer group eager to escape legacy DMS systems and fully embrace digital operations. From my analysis, success hinges on committing to comprehensive training and adapting to a truly modern, integrated platform.

My confidence in this recommendation is high for those prioritizing innovation and long-term operational efficiency.

This Tekion review provides a clear path for modernizing dealership operations, balancing innovation with implementation realities.