How much does a dealer website cost in the UK?

Ask what a dealer website costs and the honest answer is: it depends on what is included. Two quotes can look far apart and turn out to cover very different things. Here is what goes into the price, and how to compare one offer with another, whatever you sell.

The two ways to get a dealer website

A bespoke website is designed and built for you by an agency. You usually pay for the build up front, then a monthly fee for hosting, support and the stock feed. It takes longer to arrive, and changes often go through the agency. It suits dealers who want something made to measure, and franchised dealers who need a manufacturer-approved site.

A website builder made for dealers gives you a ready-made starting point that you shape yourself, for a monthly subscription. There is usually little or nothing to pay up front, and you can be live in days rather than months.

What the monthly fee should cover

Whichever route you take, check that the monthly price includes:

• hosting, security updates and the SSL certificate (the padlock)
• your stock on the website, with photos and search filters
• the connection to AutoTrader or any other marketplace you use
• number-plate lookup, if you sell registered vehicles
• enquiry forms, and somewhere to manage the enquiries
• a blog and SEO settings you can change yourself
• logins for your team, and any extra locations

Anything on that list that is charged as an extra belongs in your comparison.

How prices are worked out

Dealer website prices are usually set in one of three ways: a fixed monthly fee, tiers or bands by the number of vehicles you stock, or a base price plus a small charge per vehicle. None is right for everyone. What matters is how the price behaves for your stock. Work it out at today’s level, at your busiest time of year, and at the size you hope to reach. If your stock swings with the seasons, as it often does for bike, caravan and motorhome dealers, check whether the price comes back down in the quiet months.

The costs that are easy to miss

• Setup fees for building or configuring the site.
• Contract length. A long minimum term costs you if the website does not work out.
• Your domain name, bought from a registrar, usually for a small yearly fee.
• Changes and design work charged by the hour.
• Your own time. If adding a vehicle means typing it into two systems, you pay for that every week.

Compare like with like

The fairest comparison is the total cost over twelve months at your real stock level, including setup, extras and anything you would pay someone else to do. Then weigh up what each option leaves in your hands: can you change the site yourself, and can you take your data with you if you leave? Our guide to choosing a dealer website builder lists the questions to ask.

How MotoVend handles it

MotoVend is one plan, priced by your stock: £69 a month for your first 20 vehicles, then £1 for each extra vehicle, plus VAT. So 20 vehicles cost £69 a month, 50 cost £99 and 100 cost £149. The price follows your stock down as well as up. Only vehicles live on your site count; drafts, sold and archived vehicles do not.

There is no setup fee. The website builder, blog, SEO tools, AutoTrader connection, number-plate lookup, enquiries, sales and invoicing, team logins and multiple locations are all included. You buy your domain name from any registrar, and the SSL certificate is set up for you. You can try it free for 14 days with no card. If the per-vehicle price does not suit your business, the team can talk to you about one that does. See the pricing.