Why do dealers choose DealerSoftware over Cardealer5?
- A full dealer management system on every plan, not a website with a DMS bolted on at the top tier: stock, leads, invoicing with the VAT margin scheme, VAT return figures, reporting, reservations and deposits.
- A workshop module Cardealer5 does not have: jobs, parts, online bookings and a workshop website for £99, on the same login.
- AI that does work for you: vehicle descriptions in one click, a customer chat on your live stock that answers overnight, and background and plate removal on photos, on Premium.
- DealerPricing valuations, comparables and history checks inside the stock record, so you buy right as well as sell.
- A 14-day trial on every plan and no setup fee. Cardealer5 advertises no trial and charges £132 including VAT to set up its top package.
- By the time you add a DMS, feeds and a website at Cardealer5 you are at £92.40 to £132 a month including VAT; DealerSoftware Website is £99 with all three, and Professional £199 adds the full sales process.
Cardealer5 vs DealerSoftware: side by side
| DealerSoftware | Cardealer5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price you can read before you call (all figures including VAT) | £99, £199 or £299 a month, Workshop £99, on the pricing page | £52.80 to £132 a month including VAT, published (advertised before VAT as £44 to £110) |
| Contract | Rolling monthly, cancel from the billing page | Pay monthly, no long contract |
| Free trial | 14 days on every plan, card charged on day 15 unless cancelled | None advertised |
| Setup fee | None | £132 including VAT on the Symphony package |
| Dealer website on your own domain with SSL | Included on every plan, with templates | Yes, the core product |
| Marketplace feeds on the entry plan | AutoTrader, CarGurus and PistonHeads, AA Cars, Carwow, Cazoo with Motors, eBay Motors and Gumtree | Yes, a wide list |
| VAT margin scheme invoicing and VAT return figures | Built in from Professional | VAT margins in DMS 5, on the Symphony packages |
| Workshop: jobs, parts, online bookings, workshop website | £99 standalone or £99 added to any plan | No |
| AI descriptions, 24/7 customer chat on live stock, photo clean-up | Included on Premium | AI vehicle descriptions |
| Live valuations, comparables and history checks in the stock record | DealerPricing integration (DealerPricing membership needed) | No |
| Search and AI visibility | Professional grade, built to perform across every search engine and AI search | Standard dealer website with an SEO add-on |
| Support | Email within a working day, priority on Premium, no premium-rate line | Not stated |
What does DealerSoftware cost?
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial. Your card is taken at signup and the first charge is on day 15; cancel before then and you pay nothing. There is no sales call to get a number and no setup fee.
| Plan | Price | Stock | Users | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website | £99 | up to 10 | 1 | A professional dealer website with stock, leads and marketplace integrations. |
| Professional | £199 | up to 20 | 3 | Everything in Website plus a full CRM and sales process. |
| Premium | £299 | up to 30 | 5 | Everything in Professional plus AI-powered tools. |
| Workshop | £99 | n/a | 2 | Standalone garage plan, or add the module to any dealer plan for £99 |
What does Cardealer5 cost?
Published, and shown here including VAT at 20%, which its site leaves off: Responsive website £52.80 a month, Responsive Plus £72.60, Symphony Lite £92.40 (DMS included), Symphony £132 with a £132 setup fee (advertised as £44, £60.50, £77 and £110 plus VAT). Its site shows a couple of figures inconsistently between pages, so check the packages page.
Trial: None advertised. Contract: No long contract, pay monthly. Founded 2011. Customers: 2,300+ dealers, by its own figure.
Where does DealerSoftware lead?
- A full dealer management system on every plan, not only on the top packages.
- A workshop module and AI tools that Cardealer5 does not offer.
- A 14-day trial and no setup fee.
- Valuations and history checks in the stock record through DealerPricing.
How hard is it to move from Cardealer5 to DealerSoftware?
An afternoon, in practice. Export your stock from Cardealer5 as a spreadsheet and import it (make, model, registration, mileage, price and photos come across; a registration lookup fills the rest). Point your domain at the new site, reconnect AutoTrader and your other feeds, and run both systems for a week before you switch the old one off. We do the import with you on request, and because there is no contract, moving back costs nothing but the afternoon.
The bottom line
Cardealer5 will cost you £52.80 to £132 a month including VAT and a £132 setup fee at the top, for a website with a DMS on the higher packages and no workshop or AI. DealerSoftware costs £99, £199 or £299 a month with everything on this page, you can see it working on your own stock inside 14 days, and you can leave whenever you like. For an independent dealer that is the better bet, and the trial is how you check we are right.
Other comparisons
We make DealerSoftware, so this page argues for it. Everything it says about Cardealer5 comes from Cardealer5 packages, read on 22 October 2026, and Cardealer5 is at www.cardealer5.co.uk. If a fact is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.