CardealerThe honest comparison most dealer software pages avoid.
Most car-dealer platforms lock your money in their merchant account, tie you to their AutoTrader feed, and make you ring sales to see a demo. We do none of that. Here is exactly how Car Dealer SaaS stacks up against the big UK names, feature by feature.
Spin up a working demo dealership in 60 seconds. No credit card.
How we compare to the big UK names
Car Dealer SaaS against Vehiso, MotorDesk, Click Dealer, DragonDMS, Carbotix, Autopromotor and DealerKit. Where a rival has a partial tick, the capability exists but is narrower, costs extra, or routes through the platform rather than you.
Included Partial / extra cost – Not available
Comparison based on publicly available product information at the time of writing. Competitor features change - if anything here is out of date, tell us at hello@cardealersaas.app and we will correct it.
The differences that actually change how you trade
A tick in a table is one thing. Here is what these differences mean for your cash flow, your costs, and your freedom to leave.
Your money, your account
Deposits and payments go straight into your own Stripe account via Stripe Connect. We never sit in the middle, never hold a float, never take a cut of the transaction. Most platforms route the money through their own merchant setup first.
No AutoTrader lock-in
Bring your own AutoTrader key and pay AutoTrader directly at your own rate, or use our shared key to get going. Either way there's no platform markup baked into your listing costs.
Three ways to ship
Turnkey site on day one, a bespoke front-end built for your brand, or fully headless via our GraphQL API. The rivals are turnkey-website-only - if you outgrow the template, you start again elsewhere.
No lock-in, ever
Full ZIP export of everything you store, a documented schema, and granular import. If you ever leave, you take all your data with you. No hostage data, no exit fees, no "contact us to export".
Live in 60 seconds
Sign up with email or Google, pick a name, choose a blank site or one pre-loaded with demo stock, and your branded admin panel is live. No sales call, no onboarding fee, no waiting list.
Studio photos, one click
The built-in AI background tool turns phone-camera shots into consistent, on-brand studio listings - one click per photo, originals always kept. Better photos sell cars faster.
Straight answers
The questions dealers actually ask when they are weighing us up against the rest of the market.
Which car dealer software lets me take deposits into my own Stripe account?
Car Dealer SaaS uses per-dealer Stripe Connect, so customer deposits and full payments land directly in your own Stripe account. The platform never holds or touches your funds. Most rival platforms route payments through their own merchant account before passing money on.
What is the best alternative to Vehiso for independent UK car dealers?
Car Dealer SaaS is a strong Vehiso alternative if you want deposits paid straight into your own Stripe account, the option to bring your own AutoTrader key, a headless GraphQL API for a bespoke front-end, and a complete no-lock-in data export. You also get a working branded demo live in about 60 seconds with no sales call.
What is the best alternative to MotorDesk?
If you like MotorDesk but want every feature included with no tiered plans, payments into your own Stripe account, own-key AutoTrader with no platform markup, and a headless API option, Car Dealer SaaS covers all of that. Pricing is a flat figure from £250/mo + VAT tailored to your fleet, and you can start free.
Can I use my own AutoTrader account instead of the platform owning it?
Yes. You can connect your own AutoTrader credentials and pay AutoTrader directly at your own rate, with no platform markup on listing costs. If you would rather not, you can use our shared key to get started. This own-key option is something the major UK rivals do not advertise.
Can I export my data and leave without lock-in?
Yes. Everything you store - customers, sales, vehicles, photos - can be exported as a full ZIP with a documented schema, and re-imported granularly. There are no exit fees and no "contact us to get your data" gatekeeping. Your data is yours to take whenever you want.
How quickly can I get a working dealer website live?
About 60 seconds. Sign up with your email or Google account, choose a name, pick a blank site or one pre-loaded with demo stock, and your branded admin panel and public site are live immediately. No sales call, no onboarding fee, and no credit card to start.
Does it have an API, or can I build my own front-end?
Yes. Car Dealer SaaS ships in three deployment modes: a turnkey server-rendered site, a bespoke front-end designed for your brand, or fully headless via a GraphQL API - all sharing the same dealer toolkit (inventory, bookings, payments, vehicle data, CRM). The turnkey-website-only rivals cannot offer this.
How does the price compare to Click Dealer, DragonDMS or Carbotix?
Car Dealer SaaS is flat, published pricing from £250/mo + VAT, tailored to fleet size, with every feature included and no per-feature upsells. Several traditional DMS providers are quote-led or split website and DMS into separate plans with finance-lead bundling, which makes the true cost harder to compare up front.
See it for yourself in 60 seconds
No comparison beats spinning up your own demo dealership and clicking around. No call, no credit card, no waiting.