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Releasing February 2026

Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind

Understand how today’s CRM platforms are performing inside dealerships and what dealers expect as they evolve into operating systems for modern auto retail

As dealership technology stacks grow more complex, CRM platforms remain the system of record for sales, marketing, and customer engagement. This report analyzes dealer feedback across leading CRM providers, examining satisfaction, usability, reporting, support, and emerging capabilities such as AI-driven communication and automation. The findings offer a clear view into how well CRM platforms are supporting modern dealership operations—and where gaps still exist.

Dealership managers, take the CRM Survey today!

Highlights:

  • Comparative analysis of leading CRM platforms currently used in dealerships.
  • Real dealer feedback on usability, reporting, training, and customer support.
  • Identifies what dealers value most when evaluating CRM performance and ROI.
  • Explores how CRM platforms are evolving beyond contact management into operational hubs.

About this release

As automotive retail continues to evolve, CRM platforms are under increasing pressure to do more than manage leads. Dealers now expect their CRM to support complex workflows, integrate seamlessly with other systems, and deliver actionable insights across sales, marketing, and operations.

This market research report provides a dealer-informed view of the current CRM landscape. Built on direct feedback from dealership professionals, it evaluates how leading CRM platforms perform in real-world environments—not just in demos or feature lists. The report examines core areas such as usability, reporting and data access, mobile functionality, training, and support, while also exploring the growing role of AI-driven tools within CRM ecosystems.

Whether you’re reassessing a long-standing CRM relationship or preparing for a future platform decision, this report offers a structured framework to help dealers understand where CRM solutions are delivering value today—and what capabilities will matter most going forward.

What's Inside

  • A side-by-side evaluation of CRM platforms used in automotive retail.
  • Dealer feedback on strengths, limitations, and day-to-day usability.
  • Analysis of reporting, mobile access, and operational workflows.
  • Insights into AI-driven communication, automation, and platform direction.
  • Key takeaways to support CRM evaluation, optimization, and planning.

Related Media

Faqs

See how today’s CRM platforms compare to earlier generations—and why dealer expectations around usability, reporting, integration, and AI have shifted significantly.
Explore the criteria dealers now prioritize when assessing CRM performance, including workflow support, data accessibility, mobile functionality, and long-term platform viability.
Get a comparative view of CRM platforms to understand how different solutions align with single-point stores, dealer groups, and complex operational models.

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