Used Car Dealership Software

A dealership management system (DMS) is computer software designed to help run your car dealership. A good DMS will simplify your dealership management whilst also improving your efficiency, ultimately reducing your operating costs.

Typical dealership management system features may include the ability to organise your car inventory/stock into a stock list, and the ability to create invoices when selling cars.

A more advanced car dealership management system (DMS) like MotorDesk will provide a full range of tools to help automate the day-to-day tasks you need to perform in your car dealership including advertising your cars for sale across multiple platforms, and recording the financial aspects of the car sale from purchase through preparation/repair and on to the final sale and beyond.

This automation can revolutionise your car dealership by reducing the time involved in each sale and therefore the costs, it can also help improve your processes and elevate your dealership to a higher and more professional standard.

MotorDesk is designed to bring all of the features and software your car dealership may need into a single platform, eliminating the need to maintain multiple car dealership systems which require separate data entry.

Key features include the ability to add vehicles for sale quickly and accurately which can then be advertised on numerous platforms/marketplaces with a single click, all whilst recording the financial aspects required for your accounting. Marginal VAT and stock book automation ensure you meet your compliance requirements, whilst live synchronisation with popular accounting software automates your accounting and VAT processes.

What makes MotorDesk so good is the range of features it brings in a single piece of software. Most car dealer software providers rely on third-party software for features like live website chat, customer messaging, automatic social media posts and automated follow-up messages. MotorDesk includes these features as standard and without additional cost.

What's even better is these features are available with a 30-day free trial which you can sign-up for online, giving you the opportunity to try the MotorDesk car dealership management platform without any cost or commitment.

Using MotorDesk you can add a vehicle and publish it for sale on popular marketplaces including AutoTrader, CarGurus and eBay, along with your website and your social media accounts, within a minute – let's be realistic and allow another minute to upload your photos. We're not talking about a bare-bones advert, we're talking about a detailed industry-leading ad with every detail of the vehicle, including optional extras and standard features, technical specification, and even details like road tax costs, ULEZ compliance and fuel costs. But it doesn't stop there, MotorDesk can automatically upload finance examples, write vehicle descriptions with AI technology, and automatically brand and crop your photos.

This time saving doesn't just free up your staff time, it also means customers are seeing the vehicle sooner, reducing the number of ad views you may be missing. When they do see your ad it will be more professional and complete, and by making the detailed information available and in a clear and easy-to-digest format you will enable your customers to answer their own questions, again saving your staff time.

This ethos continues through every aspect of the MotorDesk car dealer software including the intuitive and streamlined car sale and invoicing process.

We understand switching to a new car dealer software provider can be a daunting prospect, but it's something we do routinely for dealerships big and small.

We can import all your existing stock from popular marketplaces and competitor car dealer software, and we can quickly develop custom import tools free of charge. If you use AutoTrader we can quickly import your stock and allow MotorDesk to take control of your adverts for a seamless transition.

Similarly, we can import your customer database from competitor products or create custom import tools. Or we can import your contacts from your accounting software to synchronise your customer records and avoid duplicate records in the future.

We will fully manage the migration of your website domain name and email accounts with absolute minimum disruption, and we're on-hand through and after the switch to assist in any way we can, including with comprehensive set-up assistance, support and training available on demand.

Absolutely! MotorDesk provides you and your staff with a central system for your car dealership. Front of stage is the dashboard calendar giving you and your staff a clear view of any events and appointments, with support for multiple calendars and control over whether staff can see and/or manage other staff appointments.

MotorDesk's omni-channel communication tool provides a centralised system for all of your car dealership communications enabling staff to assign leads, share internal notes, and collaborate on responses. The shared messaging channels enable staff to share a single SMS number, along with WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and more – meaning no more shared phones or third-party messaging software which is disconnecting from your car dealership management software.

Instant notifications to staff can be targeted to ensure team members are only notified about events which are relevant to them, and a comprehensive roles and permissions system gives you complete control over which sections of MotorDesk, and which data, each member of staff can access.

MotorDesk's car dealer software integrates with countless third-party platforms for everything from advertising and accounting to payments and vehicle data.

For car dealer marketplaces MotorDesk can currently feed your stock to AA Cars, AutoTrader, CarGurus.co.uk, Carhuna, CarsVansandBikes.com, Dealer Auction, eBay.co.uk & eBay Motor Group. New feeds and API integrations can be developed on request, usually free of charge.

For vehicle data MotorDesk connects you with the DVLA, DVSA, Transport for London, AutoTrader, Experian, MotorCheck and much more.

For car dealer finance MotorDesk connects you with Codeweavers and iVendi, each of which connects with countless finance providers and brokers.

For customer messaging MotorDesk integrates with SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, LINE, Google My Business and AutoTrader Leads, and with RingCentral for phone calls.

For dealership accounting MotorDesk integrates with Sage, Intuit QuickBooks and Xero – all with live instant synchronisation of your invoices, purchase invoices and contacts, with automated marginal VAT calculation.

For car sales payments MotorDesk integrates with takepayments, Acquired.com, Stripe and Crezco.

For automated dealership social media MotorDesk connects you with Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube.

These are just the headline examples, MotorDesk's car dealer software also integrates with countless services in the background for everything from address lookups and exchange rates to dealership review collection and car fuel costs. All of this is included as standard with MotorDesk car dealer software, and we don't just integrate, we're also fully certified by numerous partners including Intuit QuickBooks, Sage and Stripe.

The best platform for selling cars in the UK depends on whether you're a private seller or a used car dealership. Here are some of the most popular and trusted UK car selling platforms used by used car dealers:

• AutoTrader - The UK's largest and most trusted marketplace for new and used car sales.
• eBay Motors & eBay Auctions - Great for both fixed-price and auction-style car sales, offering wide reach and flexibility.
• Carwow - Connects sellers directly with verified car dealers for quick, competitive offers.
• Motorway - A top choice for fast sales to UK car dealers, often with higher-than-average offers.
• CarGurus.co.uk & PistonHeads - Ideal for selling used and performance used cars to an informed buyer audience.
• Facebook Marketplace - A popular option for local, private used car sales.
• Facebook Automotive Ads - A great choice for professional social media advertising.
• AA Cars, CarSite, MOTORS, Gumtree, Carhuna, CarsVansandBikes.com & Exchange & Mart - Well-known UK platforms with strong car buyer traffic.
• Car & Classic - Specialises in classic and vintage used car sales, reaching a niche enthusiast audience worldwide.
• Dealer Auction - Used by car dealers for trade-only selling.
• Zuto, Oodle Car Finance, CarFinance247, ChooseMyCar, CarCliq & Your Red Car - Combine used car listings with finance options for wider appeal.
• LOCALiQ, JamesEdition, MotaClarity & Used Cars NI - Regional and specialist platforms offering targeted reach.

Car dealers in the UK buy used cars from several key sources:

• Car Auctions – Dealers frequently purchase vehicles from UK-based used car auction houses such as BCA (British Car Auctions) and Manheim. These auctions offer a wide range of used cars at competitive prices.
• Part Exchange Vehicles – Many dealers acquire used cars through part-exchange deals, where customers trade in their old car when buying a new or used one.
• Fleet and Lease Returns – Cars returned from lease agreements or company fleets are often sold in bulk to car dealers, typically through auction platforms or direct partnerships.
• Private Sellers – Some car dealers buy used cars directly from private sellers, either through classified ads, online marketplaces, or car dealer websites that offer instant valuation and purchase options.
• Manufacturer Trade Programmes – Franchised dealers often receive used cars through manufacturer-approved trade-in or resale programmes.

Yes absolutely! Please forgive us for targeting our website content towards car dealerships as it's the most common usage - the MotorDesk platform is ideal for all types of automotive vehicle dealerships including motorbike, truck, van, motorhome and caravan dealerships, even trailers and farm equipment.

MotorDesk adapts to each vehicle type and provides a different set of vehicle data fields targeted to each particular type of vehicle and dealership, for example adapting the body type options to suit motorbikes, and enabling cab type for vans and trucks.

You can even use MotorDesk to sell different vehicle types within the same dealership!