Best Dealer Management Systems 2026

What is a Dealer Management System (DMS)

Dealer Management Systems (DMS) are used by car dealerships and sellers of industrial equipment (e.g. tractors, forklifts, etc.) to manage inventory information. The DMS present this information to dealership staff and customers via a web interface. Beyond the platform itself, DMS vendors provide many ancillary software tools. They also automation for managing marketing, customer relationships, and sales.

Features of Dealer Management Systems (DMS)

Dealer Management Systems (DMS) provide the following capabilities to auto dealerships and industrial equipment lots and sellers:

• Real time updated inventory information
• Integrated CRM with marketing automation features
• Integrated appointment management system for sales and service
• Customer account management with financing interface, payment management
• Vehicle and equipment parts and service order management
• Ecommerce interface, online ordering and retailing
• Quoting and lending management interface
• May present specialized features for dealer type (e.g. marina, farming equipment / agriculture, etc.)
• Sales and profit analytics