Finding 01p. 2
CRMs must become the dealership's operating platform.
The report argues the CRM must grow past sales lead management into the hub for customer data, engagement and AI across every department, alongside the DMS.
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2027 Automotive CRM Research Report
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Understand how today’s CRM platforms are performing inside dealerships and what dealers expect as they evolve into operating systems for modern auto retail
Read our one-minute summary, or ask your AI what this report means for your dealership.
As dealership technology stacks grow more complex, dealers need their CRM to become the engagement platform for sales, marketing and service. This report analyzes feedback from 463 dealership leaders across leading CRM providers, scoring reporting, mobile, support, AI, desking and service CRM. The findings show how well CRM platforms support modern dealership operations, and where gaps still exist.
The report argues the CRM must grow past sales lead management into the hub for customer data, engagement and AI across every department, alongside the DMS.
On average, dealers rated their CRM's mobile app 5.9/10, reporting 6.7/10 and built-in AI 5.1/10. DriveCentric led all three.
Cover daily tools, built-in AI, reporting, add-on vendors, compliance & data hygiene, and feedback from front-line users and super users.
Dealer scores for CDK, DealerSocket, DriveCentric, Reynolds FOCUS, Tekion & VinSolutions on overall, reporting, mobile, support, AI, desking & service CRM.
Why CRMs must become AI engagement hubs, and whether CRM & CDP will merge
Five challenges CRM leaders must solve, from data hub & tech sprawl to UI & AI
A 30-year history of dealer CRMs, new entrants, and how M&A left gaps for bolt-on tools
How fragmented vendor stacks add cost, compliance and cyber risk for dealers
Four companies best placed to lead, and why the DMS & CRM should be peer platforms
Who was surveyed, what every CRM does today, and low scores for mobile, reporting & AI
Profiles & 2026 roadmaps for the six CRMs with the most survey responses
Platform scores for reporting, mobile, support, AI, desking & service CRM
Vendor-supplied summaries of ProMax Complete, TECOBI, AutoAlert CXM & Oplogic
Six sets of questions to ask CRM vendors before a demo or a NADA visit
What the CRM must do next, plus the report's conclusions and scope limits
NADA 2026 booth numbers and websites for CRM vendors
Short on time? Read the dealer scores (p. 29) and the CRM evaluation questions (p. 36). About 10 minutes.
The team, the method, and where the data came from.
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 scores core areas such as reporting, mobile, support, desking and service CRM, 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.
Pick your seat to see what this report means for your job.
Quick answers about the report and who it's for.
Dealers give their CRM's everyday tools low marks. In a survey of 463 dealership leaders, dealers rated their CRM's built-in AI 5.1/10, mobile app 5.9/10 and reporting 6.7/10 on average. The scores come from Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind, which found DriveCentric led all three.
DriveCentric led dealer ratings for mobile, reporting and built-in AI. Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind scores six CRMs with 25+ survey responses on overall, reporting, mobile, support, AI, desking and service CRM: CDK, DealerSocket, DriveCentric, Reynolds FOCUS, Tekion and VinSolutions.
Because dealers now need the CRM to run engagement across the whole store, not just manage sales leads. Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind argues the CRM must become the hub for customer data, engagement and AI across every department, alongside the DMS. Pieces of the customer journey already sit in 10+ platforms.
More cost, compliance and cyber risk. Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind traces how CRM mergers and acquisitions left gaps that bolt-on tools filled, and how fragmented vendor stacks now add cost, compliance and cyber risk for dealers.
Few do. Only 16% of dealers surveyed use their CRM in the service department, which Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind calls a gap. The report argues the CRM should be the engagement platform for sales, marketing and service.
Among franchise dealers surveyed, 14% planned to shop for a new CRM at NADA 2026. Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind includes a CRM vendor directory with NADA 2026 booth numbers and websites, and vendor-supplied summaries of ProMax Complete, TECOBI, AutoAlert CXM and Oplogic.
Ask six sets of questions: daily tools, built-in AI, reporting, add-on vendors, compliance and data hygiene, and feedback from front-line users and super users. Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind lays them out to use before a vendor demo or a NADA visit.
Pasch Group surveyed 463 dealership leaders with confirmed dealership email addresses from December 15, 2025 to January 21, 2026. Of those, 90% work at new car dealerships and 10% at independent used car dealers. CRMs with 25+ responses were scored, and CDK, Cox Automotive, DriveCentric, ProMax, Reynolds and Tekion gave roadmap briefings.
Dealer principals and GMs weighing a CRM renewal or switch, plus marketing and sales leaders and CRM vendors. Marketing can compare reporting and data access, sales can see how platforms compare on mobile and desking, and vendors can see how dealers score each platform.
Yes. It's a free 45-page PDF by Brian Pasch. Download it on this page. Short on time? Read the dealer scores and the CRM evaluation questions, about 10 minutes.
Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind. Free, and yours in under a minute.
Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind · 45 pages
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Download the PDFThe 2027 Automotive CRM Research Report examines how AI, CDPs, cloud data warehouses and evolving CRM platforms are reshaping who controls dealership data and customer communications, and the new standards dealers should demand as CRMs expand into service, F&I, lifecycle marketing, compliance and AI-agent governance.
Based on interviews with dealership leaders using AI in sales and service, this report shows how the strongest stores split work between AI and people, manage the handoff, bring staff along and measure what AI actually adds.
In collaboration with ImpelDealers still struggle to verify where their ads ran, how their budgets were spent, and whether reported results reflect real business impact. This research gives dealers a framework for evaluating CTV economics, placement quality, format integrity, pacing, attribution and transparency.
In collaboration with Dealer Stream