If you are starting out in the motor trade, or running a handful of cars alongside another job, paying a monthly fee for a website before you have made a sale feels like the wrong way round. So the obvious question is whether you can get a proper car dealer website for free, and if you can, what the catch is.
The short answer is yes. You can now get a genuinely free car dealer website, list your stock, and take enquiries without paying anything or handing over a card. The longer answer is that "free" means very different things depending on who is offering it, and it pays to know what you are actually getting before you build your business on it.
This guide walks through what free car dealer websites really include, the things worth checking before you commit, and exactly what Vehiso's free plan gives you.
Are free car dealer websites actually real?
They are, but "free" usually falls into one of three camps, and only one of them is free in the way you would hope.
Free but heavily limited. Some platforms offer a free tier that lists a small number of vehicles and holds back the tools you need to actually run and grow a dealership. This is real free, and for a small dealer it can be exactly right, as long as the limits match where your business is today.
Free trial, then paid. A "free" offer that is really a 7 or 14 day trial. Useful for testing, but the clock is running and you will need a paid plan to keep your site live.
Free general website builders. Plenty of drag-and-drop site builders are free or cheap, but they are built for cafes and consultants, not car dealers. There is no vehicle stock management, no enquiry pipeline, no way to feed your cars to marketplaces, and no reporting. You end up rebuilding the wheel and still doing everything by hand.
The one worth having is the first kind: a real dealer platform with a free tier that is honest about its limits and lets you upgrade only when your business is ready.
What to watch for with a "free" dealer website
Before you pick one, check these five things. They are where free offers tend to disappoint.
- The stock limit. How many vehicles can you actually list? A cap of a handful is fine when you are starting, a problem the moment you grow.
- Your own branding. Some free sites plaster their logo across your pages or force you onto a shared web address. Buyers notice, and it chips away at trust.
- Your own domain. Can you connect a domain you own, so customers see your business and not the platform? This is the difference between looking like a real dealership and looking like a hobby.
- Where your stock goes. A website on its own is only half the job. Feeding your cars to the big marketplaces is usually a paid feature, so check what free actually publishes.
- The upgrade path. When you do grow, is moving up simple, and do you keep everything you have already built? Or do you have to start again?
Knowing these up front means the free plan you choose fits now and does not trap you later.
Vehiso's free plan: a genuinely free car dealer website
We built Vehiso so independent dealers get the same quality of tools as the big groups. Part of that is a free plan that is actually free, with no card required and no trial countdown.
Here is exactly what the free plan gives you:
- A professional car dealer website, mobile friendly, fast, and built to turn visitors into enquiries. See what that looks like on our car dealer websites page.
- The dealer management system, included in full for the essentials. Manage your stock, customers and enquiries, book test drives and generate order paperwork from the same dashboard. This is the part most free websites leave out, and it is the difference between a shopfront and a system that actually runs your dealership.
- Up to 5 vehicles in stock, each with its own SEO ready listing page so your cars can be found in Google.
- Reporting, so you can see what is happening in your business from day one.
- Your own custom domain, connected to your website so customers see your brand, not ours.
- One user account to run it all.
No setup fee, no hidden charges, no card. It is a real shopfront and back office for a small dealer, not a stripped-back demo.
What is not on the free plan
Being upfront matters more than a longer feature list, so here is the honest part. The free plan gives you the website and the core dealer management system. The tools that help you scale start on the £49 per month Starter plan, which raises your stock limit to 20 vehicles and unlocks:
- Stock feeds to the major marketplaces, so your cars publish beyond your own site
- Accepting payments and car finance on your listings
- Accounting integrations with Sage, Xero and QuickBooks
- AI tools, including AI vehicle descriptions and AI background replacement, each with a monthly allowance
- Workshop management and social media posting
- Unlimited team members
If you want the full picture of how the platform fits together, our guide to the dealer management system explains what sits behind the website.
Who the free plan is for
The free plan is a strong fit if you are:
- Brand new to the trade and getting your first cars online. Our guide on how to start a used car dealership in the UK covers the wider setup.
- A part-time or side-hustle dealer selling a small number of vehicles around another job.
- Running very low stock and not ready to commit to a monthly fee.
- Testing the platform before you upgrade, so you can see how it works with your own cars first.
If you already hold more than a handful of cars, or you need your stock on the marketplaces from day one, you will likely want the £49 Starter plan sooner rather than later. There is no pressure either way, and you can start free and move up when it makes sense.
When to upgrade
Most dealers know the moment they have outgrown free. It usually looks like one of these:
- You are listing more than 5 vehicles and need room for stock
- You want your cars feeding through to the major marketplaces automatically
- You want to take deposits or payments, or offer finance on your listings
- You want the AI tools to write descriptions and clean up your photos
- You have taken on staff and need more than one login
When that day comes, upgrading takes a couple of clicks and everything you have built stays exactly where it is. For a wider view of what is out there before you decide, our top car dealer website providers in the UK guide is a good place to start.
Frequently asked questions
Is Vehiso's free plan really free?
Yes. The free plan is £0 per month with no setup fee, no hidden charges and no card required. It is not a trial, so it does not expire.
What is the catch with a free car dealer website?
There is no catch, but there are limits. The free plan covers a website and the dealer management system for up to 5 vehicles, so you can manage stock, customers, enquiries, test drives and order paperwork. Marketplace stock feeds, payments, finance and the AI tools start on the £49 Starter plan.
Can I put my stock on Auto Trader with the free plan?
Not on free. Stock feeds to the major marketplaces are part of the £49 Starter plan and above. On the free plan your vehicles appear on your own website.
Can I use my own domain on the free plan?
Yes. You can connect a domain you own to your free Vehiso website, so buyers see your brand rather than a shared web address.
Will I lose my data if I upgrade later?
No. Upgrading is the same account with more unlocked. Your website, stock, customers and settings all carry over, and the new features simply switch on.
Do I need technical skills to set it up?
Not at all. The platform is built for dealers, not developers. If you can upload a photo and fill in a form, you can get your website live.
Ready to get your free car dealer website?
A free car dealer website is the simplest way to get your stock online, look professional and start capturing enquiries without spending anything. When your business grows, the upgrade is there waiting, but there is no rush and no pressure.
