Is your dealership missing out on potential sales?
Without the right technological tools, engaging with customers in a way that truly speaks to their unique needs becomes almost impossible. You may find your team struggling to keep up with shifting buyer behaviors, adapt to digital-first journeys, or even target the new crop of EV shoppers effectively.
These gaps often lead to missed sales opportunities, inefficient processes, and a disconnect with today’s tech-savvy customers.
According to Statista, a significant 71% of automotive consumers expect personalized digital experiences from dealerships. When you fall short, you’re handing your competitors a clear advantage and losing loyal customers along the way.
That’s why having the right automobile industry software can be a true game-changer for your business outcomes.
In this article, I’m going to walk you through the best automobile industry software handpicked to help dealerships like yours increase sales, reach more customers, and work more efficiently.
You’ll discover which solutions can strengthen your marketing, boost retention, and help you achieve more streamlined operations.
So if you want to level up your dealership this year, this is the list you need.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary:
| # | Software | Target Users |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CDK Global → | Dealerships needing integrated sales and service management |
| 2 | Cox Automotive → | Dealership owners seeking omnichannel sales and marketing growth |
| 3 | Reynolds and Reynolds → | Dealership managers wanting increased operational efficiency |
| 4 | Tekion → | Dealership owners focused on AI-driven sales and customer engagement |
| 5 | Dealertrack → | Dealerships needing streamlined sales and compliance management |
1. CDK Global
Is growing your dealership’s sales and customer base a challenge?
CDK Global understands how automotive dealers struggle with complex processes and fragmented systems that slow growth and drain resources.
Their powerful Dealership Xperience Platform offers an integrated, customer-first solution that transforms sales, service, and operations.
This platform covers every part of your dealership from front office interactions to fixed operations, helping you deliver better experiences that keep customers coming back.
Its Digital Retail suite makes buying online or in person feel simple and consistent for your customers.
You’ll find CRM features that put your customers at the center, helping you nurture relationships and drive real sales growth.
Additionally, CDK’s Intelligence Suite leverages AI and machine learning to analyze data and guide smarter decisions.
One standout is their Vehicle Inventory Suite, which uses AI to price profitably and optimize your vehicle merchandising.
The software also supports Finance & Insurance processes, ensuring you never miss profit opportunities while improving customer satisfaction.
Key features:
- Comprehensive dealership solution: Offers end-to-end management across sales, service, F&I, and inventory, eliminating operational silos and reducing time wasted on multiple systems.
- AI-driven inventory pricing: Uses artificial intelligence to price vehicles for maximum profit and enhance merchandising performance in your dealership.
- Customer-centric CRM tools: Keeps your customers engaged with personalized communications and data insights that help improve loyalty and increase sales conversion.
Learn more about CDK Global features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict:
CDK Global is clearly a top contender for the best automobile industry software if you’re looking to boost sales and customer reach. Their integrated platform helped Car Pros Automotive Group accelerate sales and improve service operations across multiple dealerships. The AI-powered pricing and intelligent CRM capabilities make a substantial difference for dealers ready to grow.
2. Cox Automotive
Looking to boost your dealership’s sales and customer reach?
Cox Automotive offers a powerful suite of digital tools designed to help automotive dealers exceed consumer expectations and grow profitably.
Through their Retail360 platform, you get an omnicanal car buying experience that keeps sales connected across any path, anytime, anywhere. This means no lost leads or disjointed customer journeys. Their broad family of brands covers inventory, marketing, sales, fixed operations, and financing.
This platform powers your business growth.
You’ll appreciate how Cox Automotive leverages data and AI to provide deep insights, helping you make smarter inventory and marketing decisions. Their tools support dealerships with digital retailing, online advertising, and customer relationship management.
They even help you handle back-office tasks with modern dealership management systems and parts management, freeing you up to focus on your customers.
Cox Automotive’s end-to-end solutions position you for long-term success by tying all key dealership operations together in one ecosystem.
Experience more control and confidence over your inventory, marketing, sales, and fixed ops with Cox Automotive.
Key features:
- Retail360 omnichannel platform delivers a unified car-buying experience that boosts customer retention and streamlines deal flow for dealerships.
- Data-driven insights and AI tools enable you to optimize inventory, price vehicles competitively, and improve marketing ROI with real-time analytics.
- Comprehensive dealership solutions cover marketing, sales, fixed ops, financing, and back-office management to simplify operations and increase profitability.
Learn more about how to boost your shop’s profitability with effective software solutions.
Learn more about Cox Automotive features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict:
Cox Automotive stands out as the best automobile industry software for dealership owners aiming to grow sales and customer loyalty. Their Retail360 omnichannel experience and powerful data analytics helped Ed Morse Automotive Group improve communication and operational efficiency across 43 locations. This end-to-end system simplifies dealership management and accelerates growth.
3. Reynolds and Reynolds
Tired of complex dealership operations slowing you down?
Reynolds and Reynolds offers a comprehensive retail management system that helps dealerships increase productivity while handling daily tasks efficiently.
Their system simplifies everything from vehicle sales to service operations by centralizing data and automating workflow. This means your staff can focus on selling cars instead of drowning in paperwork or manual processes. Many dealers report a 7-day decrease in customer in-transit time and a 44% increase in service department gross profit.
It actually saves you money.
In addition, their Spark AI technology helps cut through data clutter by providing actionable insights, so you don’t have to dig through information to make decisions.
The platform also supports parts inventory management, eContracting, payroll, customer relationship management , and appointment scheduling—all integrated to boost your dealership’s performance.
You can actually drive more revenue and repeat customers with these connected tools.
Many dealerships have seen a 9.7% increase in service revenue and significant cost savings like $20,000 monthly on shipping fees after switching to Reynolds and Reynolds.
Key features:
- All-in-one retail management system that streamlines sales, service, parts, and business office functions, reducing manual work and improving staff efficiency.
- Advanced analytics and Spark AI deliver easy-to-use insights so you can make faster, informed decisions without sifting through piles of data.
- Integrated eContracting and digital document storage speed up deal closure and improve compliance while reducing errors and paperwork delays.
Learn more about Reynolds and Reynolds features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict:
Reynolds and Reynolds stands out as the best automobile industry software for dealership managers seeking efficiency and profitability. Dealerships using it have cut customer in-transit time by a week, boosted fixed ops gross profit by 44%, and lowered operational costs significantly. Its comprehensive retail system helps you sell more cars and serve customers better.
4. Tekion
Want to sell more cars with less hassle?
Tekion’s AI-driven platform helps dealers reduce tedious tasks and boost sales with smarter, personalized customer experiences.
It’s built for automotive retailers like you who want an end-to-end retail solution that connects your brand to the store effortlessly. You can provide faster, tailored service without the usual wait times or repetitive work slowing you down. Tekion harnesses AI and machine learning to deliver upselling, cross-selling, and revenue opportunities you’d usually miss.
This platform saves you money.
With AI-driven insights, you get data-backed recommendations to maximize every interaction, enhancing profitability and customer loyalty. Tekion also meets top security standards like ISO and SOC2 Type II to keep your customers’ data safe and compliant.
Its open API ecosystem means integration with your current systems is simple and real-time, giving you unlimited access to your data for smarter decision-making.
This means managing your dealership operations becomes smoother, while your team can focus on selling instead of admin tasks.
Tekion also supports digital retail experiences, online payments, e-signatures, and virtual visits so you can offer customers more convenient buying options.
Key features:
- AI-driven personalization and upselling: Tekion uses machine learning to tailor every customer interaction and generate up to $9,000 monthly in accessory upsell revenue per rooftop dealer.
- Comprehensive end-to-end platform: Combines DMS, CRM, digital retail, service, and payment solutions to simplify all dealership functions in one place.
- Developer-friendly open APIs: Enables seamless, real-time integrations and unlimited data access for streamlined operations and advanced analytics.
Learn more about Tekion features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict:
Tekion stands out as the best automobile industry software for dealership owners aiming to boost sales and improve customer reach. Its AI-powered upsell capabilities and end-to-end platform helped dealer partners generate millions in additional revenue and reduce inefficiencies, proving its value for retailers focused on growth.
5. Dealertrack
Want to close deals without dealer headaches?
Dealertrack offers a comprehensive, integrated platform that manages every step of your vehicle sales process digitally.
You can handle everything from credit applications to contract management swiftly in one place, reducing delays and manual errors. This simplifies your workflow, so you can focus on selling and growing your dealership.
It’s a game changer.
Dealertrack’s digital retailing tools let you deliver real-time financing options directly to your customers, letting them shop and apply for credit online.
Also, their compliance and audit tools help you avoid costly penalties by making sure every sale meets regulation standards, reducing your legal risks while keeping your processes transparent.
With its dealer management system, you can track inventory, customer interactions, and sales analytics, helping you make smarter decisions that boost profitability.
The platform truly supports end-to-end vehicle sales.
Key features:
- Digital credit application and contract management streamlines approvals and eliminates paperwork slowdowns, so you close sales faster with fewer errors.
- Real-time customer financing options enable buyers to shop and apply for loans online, increasing customer convenience and sales conversion rates.
- Built-in compliance and auditing tools lower your risk of regulatory fines by ensuring all transactions follow current legal standards carefully.
Learn more about Dealertrack features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict:
Dealertrack stands out as one of the best automobile industry software solutions for dealership owners who want to simplify sales and stay compliant. Its integrated platform helped customers reduce paperwork delays by up to 30%, proving its value through efficiency and risk reduction.
6. Frazer
Struggling to stay on top of your used car dealership?
Frazer simplifies inventory and sales management so you can focus more on closing deals and less on paperwork.
Frazer’s VIN decoding feature saves you from tedious manual data entry by automatically pulling detailed vehicle info when you enter a VIN. Its integrated mobile app, Frazer Sidekick, makes snapping and storing photos of your cars effortless—helping your listings stand out.
You’ll love it.
The software also manages financing with ease, allowing you to adjust payment options live while connecting directly to lenders and credit reporting services.
Frazer’s Buy Here Pay Here tools are a game-changer, automating payments through FrazerPay, syncing collateral protections, and streamlining customer communication for better collections and customer reach.
It even has a full accounting suite built-in, which handles everything from bills and deposits to bank reconciliations, plus transfers data to QuickBooks.
Frazer offers a complete dealership solution, enabling you to manage everything from sales to accounting under one roof, with reliable cloud hosting options for access anywhere, anytime.
Underline your success with a tool designed specifically for used car dealers just like you.
Key features:
- Automatic VIN decoding and vehicle data entry saves you hours of manual typing and ensures your inventory details are accurate and complete.
- Integrated financing and payment processing connects you with lenders and credit bureaus directly for faster sales approvals and simplified Buy Here Pay Here management.
- Built-in accounting and reporting tools help you track profits, expenses, and generate essential reports without juggling multiple systems.
Learn more about Frazer features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict:
Frazer stands out as the best automobile industry software for individual used car dealers looking for an all-in-one DMS solution. Trusted by more than 19,000 dealers across the US, it streamlines inventory, sales, financing, and accounting in one reliable platform. Dealers like Kenneth S. praise how it simplifies daily paperwork and tracking.
Conclusion
Are you missing potential sales because of outdated processes?
It’s crucial to recognize that without advanced software solutions, your dealership may be lagging behind in the fast-evolving automotive landscape. This disconnect often results in lost opportunities and inefficiencies that can hinder growth and customer satisfaction.
It’s striking that by 2030, nearly 95% of new vehicles sold globally will be connected cars reliant on sophisticated software. If you’re not adapting, you’re risking being left behind in a tech-driven market.
The solution? Look no further than CDK Global. Their integrated platform offers a comprehensive dealership solution that covers everything from inventory management to customer relationship tools, helping you streamline operations and enhance customer experiences.
With CDK Global, you can expect significant improvements, as seen with the Car Pros Automotive Group, which accelerated sales and service efficiency. Want to elevate your dealership’s performance? Book a free demo of CDK Global today!
Taking action now will position you better for future success, ensuring you’re not just keeping up but thriving in the automotive industry.
