CDK Global vs Keyloop

What to check before you choose

For a dealer, the first question is whether each is offered for your brand and region.

For either one, ask what the conversion plan is for open deals, parts and repair orders and how long it takes. Get an answer on which third-party tools already connect through its interfaces, what each connection costs and who owns the dealership data.

Ask for the contract term, the renewal terms and what happens to your data if you leave. Visit a store of your brand and size that runs each system and ask the controller how the month-end close compares with the old system.

CDK's CRM page describes AI assistants, integrated desking, a connected customer data platform and mobile tools for sales and service. Keyloop's published scope covers dealer management systems for several regions, including SERTI in Canada, and a Fusion product line, and it has grown by acquisition since its launch in 2021. Both sell a DMS plus applications around it.

For a dealer the choice rarely comes down to features. It depends on region, brand programs, the people who support the store and the cost of a migration.

Ask each company which systems are certified for your manufacturer, what the migration of historical data and open deals involves and how long support takes to answer. Ask for two references that moved from your current system.

Both vendors are also changing. CDK's CRM page stresses continuous innovation and AI assistants that engage every lead and write summaries, and offers a short assessment that compares a store with top performers.

Keyloop's recent history is a string of acquisitions, including the Canadian DMS provider SERTI, bought with its 185 staff and more than 1,000 dealerships in 2022. A buyer should ask what each roadmap commits to in writing, since a slide at a conference is not a contract.

Where the two overlap, test the same three things. First, ask each to run a repair order from check-in to invoice and a deal from desking to funding in a live environment, and count the manual steps.

Second, ask for the standard reports a controller needs at month end. Third, ask which third-party tools connect natively and which require a paid integration.

Keep the notes and score them yourself.

Inside the shared categories, CDK Global fields 12 named lines against it (CDK Dealership Xperience, CDK Drive, CDK CRM, CDK Service, and others); Keyloop fields 4 named lines against it (Keyloop DMS, Fusion, Sales, Service).