Automotive guide · Updated October 7, 2026
Email software for car dealerships: leads, service and owners
For most single-rooftop dealerships, ActiveCampaign is the best starting point: it pairs a standard CRM with marketing automation, so one contact can carry a showroom visit, a test drive and a later service appointment. Its Starter plan is listed at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts, with the same price on monthly and annual billing.
By the Email Marketing Software editorial team · Written for dealers and their general managers
Why dealership email is different
Dealership email runs on two rhythms that generic guides tend to blur. Showroom leads are short and urgent. An internet enquiry is most useful in the first hours, and a buyer may be comparing several stores at once. Service and owner mail is slow and calendar-driven: inspection and MOT due dates, mileage-based service intervals, seasonal tyre and air-conditioning work, warranty expiry and finance maturity. A tool has to handle both rhythms without forcing the sales team and the workshop to share one inbox or one mailing calendar.
The main question is therefore not which tool has the most features. It is which tool keeps a single customer record intact across a sale, a handover, a service visit and a later trade-in conversation. The comparisons below focus on that question, on the price that applies at realistic list sizes, and on the setup work that determines whether the system is useful after the first month.
Prices on this page come from each vendor's public pricing page, read on October 7, 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm the plan, the contact or send count, and the billing period before you buy. Several tools price by contact count and others by monthly sends, which can change the answer quite a lot for a dealership with a large owner list and a modest sending schedule.
Comparison at a glance
The table lists the tools we consider most relevant for dealerships, with the plan and billing view that applies to the entry price. Anything not shown as a figure on the vendor's page is marked as pricing on request.
| Tool | Best for dealerships | Entry price (plan, billing) | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Sales and service follow-up on one contact record | Starter: $15/mo at 1,000 contacts, monthly or annual billing | Cost rises with contact count; advanced segmentation sits on higher plans |
| Close | Sales-led showrooms running calls, texts and email from one CRM | Essentials: $49/user/mo monthly, $35/user/mo billed annually | Priced per seat; email is one part of a sales CRM, not a service mailing tool |
| Brevo | Low-cost volume mailing with a free starting tier | Free: 300 sends a day, up to 100,000 contacts; Starter: $9/mo for 5,000 emails | Plans are priced by monthly email volume; check SMS terms separately |
| Mailchimp | A familiar campaign tool for independent dealers | Free up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month; Standard from $20/mo at 500 contacts | Cost climbs with contact tiers, and the send allowance grows with the list |
| MailerLite | Small forecourts mailing stock news and service offers | Free to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails; Comfort: $12/mo monthly, $10.80/mo annual | Subscriber-tier ceilings shape both price and send volume |
| Constant Contact | Invitations for sale weekends and open days | Lite: $12/mo monthly, $10.20/mo annual; no ongoing free plan | Lighter automation depth; the free trial is not an ongoing plan |
| Moosend | Budget automation for dealers with a smaller owner list | Pro at 500 contacts: $9/mo monthly, $7/mo billed annually; 30-day free trial | Check template and design options against your brand before committing |
| Drip | Parts and accessories counters selling online | 1–2,500 people band: $39/mo; unlimited email sends | Built around store-style ecommerce flows, not showroom pipelines |
What it costs at realistic list sizes
A single rooftop usually has a few thousand active leads and owners, and the list grows each year as service customers accumulate. The table below shows the monthly price on each vendor's pricing page at three contact counts. Where a vendor does not publish a figure for that size, the cell says so rather than estimating.
| Plan | 1,000 contacts | 5,000 contacts | 10,000 contacts | Billing notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign Starter | $15/mo | Pricing on request | Pricing on request | Starting price at 1,000 contacts; same on monthly and annual billing |
| ActiveCampaign Plus | $49/mo | Pricing on request | Pricing on request | Adds standard segmentation and landing pages |
| Moosend Pro | $16/mo monthly, $13/mo annual | $48/mo monthly, $38/mo annual | $88/mo monthly, $70/mo annual | Contact-based; 30-day free trial |
| Klaviyo Email plan | $30/mo (1,000 profiles) | $100/mo (5,000 profiles) | $150/mo (10,000 profiles) | Monthly billing as listed; free plan covers 250 profiles |
| Drip | $39/mo (1–2,500 band) | $89/mo (4,501–5,000 band) | $154/mo (9,001–10,000 band) | Priced by people band; the 5,000 and 10,000 columns show the nearest bands |
| Customer.io Essentials | Pricing on request | Pricing on request | $145/mo (Essentials 10k profiles) | Billed monthly; the table shows the 10,000-profile tier only |
Two worked examples show how the arithmetic works. ActiveCampaign Starter at 1,000 contacts costs 12 × $15 = $180 a year on monthly billing. Moosend Pro at 5,000 contacts costs 12 × $38 = $456 a year on annual billing, while Klaviyo's 5,000-profile email plan costs 12 × $100 = $1,200 a year on the monthly price listed. The comparison only makes sense at the same contact count, so check the size you actually have before you compare any two plans.
Contact-based pricing rewards clean lists. A dealership that keeps every former buyer, every lapsed service customer and every unqualified enquiry in one active list will pay for all of them. Segment out contacts who have unsubscribed, bounced or stopped responding, and keep a separate archive for records you must retain but do not need to mail.
Tool by tool: what each one does for a dealership
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is the best fit when the same person moves through several dealership stages. An enquiry arrives, a salesperson books a test drive, the buyer takes delivery, and two years later a service reminder or trade-in conversation starts from the same contact. Starter includes marketing automation and a standard CRM, so the sales record and the mailing record do not have to be synchronised by hand. Plus adds standard segmentation and landing pages, which helps when you want separate paths for new-car buyers, used-car buyers and service-only customers.
Where it falls short: cost grows with the contact count, and the advanced segmentation that a large group might want sits on Pro and Enterprise. A single-rooftop dealership with a small list and a simple process may not need the CRM depth at all. Setup also takes real time. The automations are only as good as the field mapping behind them, and the first month is usually spent cleaning the import.
Price: Starter from $15 a month at 1,000 contacts, Plus $49 a month at the same count, with higher plans and larger contact counts on request. See ActiveCampaign's pricing page.
Close
Close is the strongest choice when the showroom works as a sales desk. Its Essentials plan combines a team inbox, a task list, built-in forms, email, calling and SMS in one CRM, which suits salespeople who follow up by phone and text as much as by email. Growth adds automated workflows, a power dialer and bulk email. For a dealership where the sales manager wants call activity, email and text history on one lead, Close keeps those records together.
Where it falls short: it is priced per user, so the cost scales with headcount rather than with the owner list, and it is not designed as a broad service-reminder mailing tool. Owners who have bought and never returned to the showroom may sit awkwardly in a sales CRM. Calling and SMS usage is also passed through, so check the expected volume before you choose it for a busy floor.
Price: Essentials is $49 per user per month on monthly billing or $35 per user per month billed annually, with a 14-day trial and no ongoing free plan. See Close's pricing page.
Brevo
Brevo suits dealers who want to mail the owner list on a predictable budget, and who value a free starting tier while they build the list. The free plan allows 300 sends a day and storage for up to 100,000 contacts, which is enough to test a service-reminder series or a stock-announcement program before paying. Its paid plans are priced by monthly email volume, so a dealer who mails a large list once a month pays for the volume rather than the number of records.
Where it falls short: plan pricing is tied to email volume rather than to the depth of showroom workflows, so a dealership that needs a full sales pipeline will be working around the tool. If SMS matters to your service lane, look at Brevo's current SMS terms directly, because SMS credits and rates are not part of the email price on the pricing page we read.
Price: free for up to 300 sends a day; Starter from $9 a month for 5,000 emails and Standard from $18 a month on the monthly plans. See Brevo's pricing page.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the easiest starting point for an independent dealer that has never run email before. Its free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, which is enough to learn the basics on a small used-car lot. Staff who already know the interface can send stock announcements and sale notices without training, and the template library is a reasonable starting point for a branded monthly newsletter.
Where it falls short: the cost follows the contact count, so a growing owner list will push the bill up, and deeper automation depends on the paid tiers. For a dealership whose main need is lead follow-up and trade-in timing, Mailchimp usually needs more manual setup than a CRM-led tool.
Price: free up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month; Standard from $20 a month at a 500-contact selector. See Mailchimp's pricing page.
MailerLite
MailerLite fits a small forecourt or a single-brand used-car business that mails once or twice a month. The free plan covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails, and the paid Comfort and Power plans are priced by subscriber tier. Its builder is comparatively easy for a non-marketer, which matters when the person sending the email is also the person managing the lot.
Where it falls short: the subscriber-tier ceilings and send allowances shape the real cost, so check whether your owner list sits near a tier boundary. Sales pipelines and service-history triggers are not its strongest areas, so pair it with a separate CRM if you need them.
Price: free to 250 subscribers; Comfort from $12 a month on monthly billing or $10.80 a month annually; Power from $25 a month or $22.50 annually. See MailerLite's pricing page.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact is built around events and invitations, and that is where it fits a dealership. Sale weekends, open days, new-model launch evenings and anniversary events all need a clear invitation, reliable RSVP tracking and a simple reminder. Standard adds automation, scheduling and A/B testing, while Premium adds advanced automation, segmentation and reporting, along with 500 SMS a month.
Where it falls short: the free trial is not an ongoing free plan, and its automation depth is lighter than the CRM-led tools. It works best as a campaign tool alongside a separate sales system, not as the central record for every customer.
Price: Lite from $12 a month on monthly billing or $10.20 annually; Standard from $35 a month; Premium from $80 a month. See Constant Contact's pricing page.
Moosend
Moosend suits a dealer who wants real automation without a large monthly bill. At 500 contacts the Pro plan is listed at $9 a month monthly or $7 a month billed annually, and the price rises in clear contact bands. For a budget used-car lot with a modest owner list, that makes automated welcome and service-reminder flows affordable.
Where it falls short: the design options are simpler than in larger suites, and there is no built-in showroom pipeline. Check the template options against your brand before committing, and confirm that the integrations you need with your DMS or CRM are available on your plan.
Price: Pro at 500 contacts from $9 a month monthly or $7 annually; 30-day free trial, no credit card required. See Moosend's pricing page.
Drip
Drip is designed for online stores, which makes it a fit for a dealership's parts or accessories counter rather than its showroom. Store-style flows for abandoned carts, back-in-stock alerts and post-purchase follow-up can work for tyres, detailing products and accessories sold online. Its pricing is based on people bands, with unlimited email sends on the plans listed.
Where it falls short: it is not a showroom CRM and does not manage test drives, trade-ins or service schedules in the way a dealership needs. Use it for the parts side of the business and keep the sales and service records elsewhere.
Price: from $39 a month for the 1–2,500 people band, with a 14-day free trial and no ongoing free plan. See Drip's pricing page.
Klaviyo and Kit: two tools to check, not to start with
Klaviyo is a profile-based email platform built around online store data. Its email plans scale by profile count, starting at $20 a month for 500 profiles, and the free plan covers 250 profiles and 500 sends a month. It can suit a dealership that sells a lot of parts and accessories online, but it does not provide showroom lead objects or trade-in timing out of the box.
Kit offers a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, including unlimited email broadcasts and audience tagging. Its Visual Automations and sequences start on the Creator plan, which is listed at $33 a month billed annually. That makes Kit a good choice for an enthusiast or specialist dealer that sends newsletters to a large interested audience, though it is not a sales pipeline. See Klaviyo's pricing page and Kit's pricing page.
Decision table: which tool for which job
Start from the job you most need done, then check the constraint listed on the right before you buy.
| If you need | Pick | Because | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| One record for showroom, test drive and service | ActiveCampaign | Starter includes marketing automation and a standard CRM | Whether Starter segmentation is enough or Plus is needed |
| Sales staff who call and text leads from one CRM | Close | Essentials includes email, calling, SMS and a shared inbox | Per-user cost multiplied by the number of salespeople |
| The lowest-cost start with a free tier | Brevo | Free plan covers 300 sends a day for up to 100,000 contacts | SMS terms, which are separate from the email price |
| A familiar tool for a small team | Mailchimp | Free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month | How quickly the contact tier rises as the owner list grows |
| Invitations for sale weekends and open days | Constant Contact | Event-led tools with scheduling and A/B testing on Standard | No ongoing free plan |
| Automation on a tight budget | Moosend | Pro at 500 contacts is listed at $9 a month, or $7 annually | Template options against your brand |
| Parts and accessories sold online | Drip or Klaviyo | Store-style flows and ecommerce data fit online parts sales | That neither is a showroom pipeline |
How to choose for your dealership
Start with the mix of work your rooftop does. A franchise store with a large new-car floor, a busy service lane and a trade-in desk has three distinct customer journeys, and the tool needs to handle at least two of them well. An independent used-car lot with a small service bay may only need a list, a monthly newsletter and a reliable way to send sale notices. Choosing a tool for the larger business when you are the smaller one usually means paying for depth you will not use.
Then count the contacts honestly. Include former buyers and service customers who are still active, but exclude people who have unsubscribed or stopped opening mail for a long period. Contact-based plans punish a messy list, so clean it before you compare prices. A list of 1,000 active contacts on the Starter plan costs far less than a list of 10,000 dormant records on a higher tier.
Third, decide who will own the system. A sales manager who lives in the CRM will want Close or ActiveCampaign. A general manager who wants to send a monthly service offer with a template will prefer Mailchimp, MailerLite or Constant Contact. Choose a tool your team will still use in month six, because an unused automation is a cost with no benefit.
Finally, check the consent and data-handling rules that apply where your customers live. Keep marketing consent separate from service messages, record how each contact opted in, and honour unsubscribe requests quickly. The rules differ by country and state, so confirm the requirements with your legal adviser before you launch a trade-in or finance campaign.
Setup checklist for the first 30 days
Most dealerships lose time in the import, not in the campaign. This checklist puts the cleaning and consent work first.
| Step | What to do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Split the lists | Separate showroom leads, sold customers, service-only customers, parts buyers and unsubscribed contacts | Each contact has one source tag and one list membership |
| 2. Record consent | Mark how each contact opted in, and keep service messages separate from marketing consent | Every marketing contact has a consent source and date |
| 3. Map the fields | Map vehicle make, model, purchase date, mileage and next service due date to fields the tool can use | A test contact shows the right vehicle and dates |
| 4. Build the lead flow | Write an instant acknowledgment that names the exact vehicle, then day-one and day-three follow-ups | A test enquiry reaches the salesperson and the customer |
| 5. Build the service flow | Trigger reminders from service history and mileage, not from a single annual calendar blast | A test vehicle receives the correct reminder on schedule |
| 6. Build the trade-in flow | Send offers on a schedule you can justify, such as 24, 36 and 48 months after purchase, with accurate figures | Each offer shows the real model and finance terms |
| 7. Test with staff addresses | Send every flow to internal addresses and check links, names and unsubscribe handling | No broken fields or dead links remain |
| 8. Set the reporting | Decide which numbers the general manager reviews each week, such as lead response time and service bookings | The weekly review takes place from the first live month |
Workflow advice for each customer journey
Internet leads
Reply in minutes, not hours. The first message should name the vehicle the buyer asked about and offer a specific next step, such as a test-drive slot. If that unit has sold, the second message should offer comparable stock on the same day. A third message can explain warranty, part-exchange process or delivery steps, and a later message can invite the buyer back when the buying window opens. Keep the arc short enough that salespeople can still personalise the test-drive invitation, because that personal touch is usually what moves a buyer from browsing to visiting.
Service reminders
Trigger reminders from the service history and the owner's mileage where you have it. Send a clear date, the work due, and a booking link. For declined work, follow up with the specific item the technician recommended, not a generic offer. Review requests work best after a completed visit, and they should go to the customer who had the work done. Service email tends to be most useful when it reflects what the car actually needs.
Trade-in and finance
Use the ownership and finance dates you already hold. An offer that names the car, the approximate valuation range and the finance term is more credible than a generic invitation to upgrade. Keep these messages to owners who have agreed to marketing email, and stop sending them once the customer has traded in or asked not to receive them. Be cautious with any figure in the email, and make sure the sales team can honour it when the customer calls.
Frequently asked questions
Which email tool should a single-rooftop dealership start with?
For most single-rooftop dealerships, ActiveCampaign is the strongest starting point because showroom leads, test-drive follow-up and service history can live on one contact record. Starter is listed at $15 a month for 1,000 contacts, with the same price on monthly and annual billing. Move to Plus at $49 a month if you need standard segmentation and landing pages.
Is a free plan enough for a dealership?
Only for a small list or a trial period. Brevo allows 300 email sends a day for up to 100,000 contacts, Mailchimp covers up to 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, MailerLite covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails, and Klaviyo covers 250 profiles and 500 sends. Kit lists free use up to 10,000 subscribers, but its Visual Automations and sequences start on the Creator plan. Check the free limits against your list size before you commit.
What does ActiveCampaign cost for a dealership list?
The Starter plan is listed at $15 a month at 1,000 contacts, and Plus is $49 a month at the same contact count. Pricing for larger contact counts is not shown as a fixed figure on the page we read, so request a quote for lists above that starting point. Annual Starter billing works out to 12 × $15 = $180 a year.
Should dealerships send service reminders by SMS or email?
Use both for different jobs. Operational messages such as appointment confirmations and inspection due dates are often best sent by SMS where the customer has agreed to receive them, and promotions and newsletters work better in email. Constant Contact's Premium plan includes 500 SMS a month, but SMS allowances and rates differ by vendor, so check each vendor's pricing page before you plan volumes.
Can we send trade-in offers to owners?
Yes, if the owners have agreed to marketing email and the offer is accurate. Use vehicle and sale dates from your own records, time the messages around realistic ownership periods, and make sure the offer names the actual model and any finance terms. Avoid sending generic new-car pushes to owners whose finance agreements are not yet mature.
Do we need a CRM as well as email software?
Not always. A dealership with a separate sales CRM can use a simpler email tool and sync contacts. A showroom without a strong CRM may prefer ActiveCampaign, which includes a standard CRM on its Starter plan, or Close, which is priced per user per month and includes email, calling and SMS. Decide based on who needs to see the customer history and where salespeople already work.