CarDealership ai vs Toma: Pricing & Feature Comparison (2025)
When evaluating the best car dealership AI solution for your store, two names frequently emerge in the conversation: CarDealership ai and Toma. Both companies offer advanced AI voice agents for dealerships designed to automate customer conversations, but their approach to the full dealership ecosystem, specifically the Sales and Service BDC, presents a crucial difference. Toma, based in San Francisco, positions itself as an AI Operating System, focusing on inbound automation, service scheduling, and dropped call follow-ups. CarDealership ai, however, is built as a comprehensive, voice-first platform with distinct, powerful engines for both Sales and Service, offering a complete BDC replacement or augmentation strategy. This in-depth comparison will analyze their features, pricing transparency, and core differentiators to help you determine which automotive AI service is the superior choice for maximizing revenue and efficiency in 2025.
CarDealership ai: The Voice-First AI Built for Modern Dealerships
CarDealership ai is a voice-first car dealership AI platform that automates calls 24/7, augments or replaces BDCs, and scales sales and service operations. Unlike generic automation tools, CarDealership ai is automotive dealership software AI created around how dealerships actually operate. With a proven track record of serving 500+ Dealerships and achieving a 57% Cost Reduction for many partners, CarDealership ai delivers results 30% Above Industry Benchmark.
The platform is structured around three core, powerful engines:
Sales Engine - AI-Powered Automotive Sales
The Sales Engine is an automotive sales AI designed to handle the entire inbound and outbound sales call lifecycle, ensuring no lead is missed and every prospect is qualified.
- First Response AI: Instant inbound sales call answering
- Inbound Sales Call Handling: Handles complex sales inquiries and routes calls intelligently
- Lead Qualification: Qualifies leads based on budget, timeline, and vehicle interest
- Outbound Sales Follow-Ups: Automated, human-sounding follow-up calls
- Sales AI Agent: A human-sounding agent for seamless customer interaction
- Sales BDC With AI: Augments or replaces the traditional BDC sales team
- Sales Campaigns: Tools for launching targeted sales outreach
- Sales Coaching & Performance Insights: Data-driven feedback to improve human BDC performance
- Service-to-Sales Conversion: Identifies and acts on opportunities to convert service customers into sales leads
Service Engine - AI-Driven Fixed Operations
The Service Engine focuses on maximizing fixed operations efficiency and revenue, a critical component of any successful dealership.
- AI Service Agent: Handles service-related inquiries, freeing up service advisors
- Appointment Automation: Seamlessly books, confirms, and reschedules service appointments
- Service Re-Engagement: Automated campaigns to bring back lapsed customers
- Service Advisor Call Handling: Reduces call volume for human staff
- Service BDC Automation: A complete solution for service BDC meaning a massive reduction in manual work
- Service Campaigns: Targeted marketing for service specials and maintenance reminders
- Fixed Ops Performance Insights: Provides data-driven insights to optimize service operations
Voice Engine - Human-Sounding AI Voice Technology
The Voice Engine provides the core infrastructure for seamless, human-like communication and robust call management.
- AI Voice Agent: Delivers human-sounding, natural conversations
- Spam & Robocall Blocking: Protects staff time from unwanted calls
- After-Hours Call Handling: Ensures 24/7 coverage for all calls
- Intelligent Call Routing: Directs calls to the right department or human agent instantly
- Live Call Transfers: Seamlessly transfers calls to human agents when needed
- Call Recording & Monitoring: Provides full transparency and data for coaching
- Call Tracking & Analytics: Deep insights into phone performance
Toma: AI Agents for Dealership Conversations
Toma also offers AI voice agents for dealerships, positioning itself as an AI Operating System to handle conversations and automate key processes. Their focus is on protecting revenue by ensuring every call is answered and managed.
Toma's key features, based on available information, include:
- Inbound Automation: Real-time responses, appointment booking, and lead qualification.
- Service Scheduling: Direct integration with service schedulers and DMS to book appointments.
- Full-Store Receptionist: Handles general inquiries and transfers calls to the right team member.
- Automated Reminders: Text and call reminders to reduce service no-shows.
- Dropped Call SMS: Instant text follow-up for missed or disconnected calls.
- Safeguards: Features like Transfer Triggers (knowing when to transfer to a human) and Transfer Clawback (AI steps back in if a transfer is unanswered).
- Inbox: A unified dashboard for managing all customer interactions (calls, texts, messages).
Key Limitation: While Toma is a strong competitor in the car dealership AI space, a deeper look at its feature set compared to CarDealership ai's dedicated Sales and Service Engines will reveal key differences in BDC-level functionality and overall platform depth.
CarDealership ai Pricing (2025): Transparent and Predictable
CarDealership ai offers transparent, predictable pricing with five distinct tiers, ensuring dealerships of any size can find a plan that fits their needs and budget. This clear structure is a major differentiator in the automotive dealership software AI market, where many competitors require a custom quote.
Starter
100 minutes
- AI voice agent
- API & integrations
- Call transfers/SMS/calendar
- Unlimited Assistants
Business
Most Popular1,000 minutes
- 24/7 AI
- Workflow builder
- CRM/DMS integrations
- 10 concurrent calls
Pro
2,500 minutes
- Advanced BDC workflows
- Team access
- Priority support
- 25 concurrent calls
Agency
7,000 minutes
- White-label
- Unlimited sub-accounts
- 30-day onboarding
- 80 concurrent calls
Enterprise
Volume-based
- SLA, SIP trunk
- As low as $0.08/min
- SOC 2/HIPAA/GDPR compliance
Toma Pricing (2025): Contact for Pricing
Toma's pricing model is not publicly disclosed on their main website, which is common for enterprise-focused automotive AI service providers. The company uses a Contact for pricing approach, which typically involves a custom quote based on the dealership's size, call volume, and required integrations.
Pricing: Contact for Pricing
Based on industry reports, Toma's pricing structure is known to include a monthly subscription fee combined with an agent cost per minute usage allowance. This model can make budgeting less predictable than CarDealership ai's tiered, minute-inclusive plans, especially for dealerships with fluctuating call volumes.
To get an accurate cost for Toma, a dealership must engage in a sales process, which contrasts sharply with the immediate transparency offered by CarDealership ai. This lack of Toma pricing transparency is a key factor for dealerships prioritizing clear, upfront costs.
Feature Comparison Table: CarDealership ai vs Toma
Choosing the right car dealership AI software hinges on a detailed comparison of core capabilities. The table below provides a side-by-side look at how CarDealership ai and Toma stack up across critical features relevant to modern dealership operations, from BDC automation to integration and pricing.
| Feature | CarDealership ai | Toma |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Voice-First, Full BDC Automation (Sales & Service) | Voice AI Agents, Inbound Call Automation |
| AI Voice Agent | Yes, Human-Sounding, Dedicated Voice Engine | Yes, Voice AI Agents for Dealerships |
| 24/7 Call Handling | Yes (Included in Business+ Plans) | Yes |
| Sales BDC Automation | Comprehensive (Inbound, Outbound Follow-Ups, Lead Qualification, Campaigns) | Limited (Primarily Inbound Lead Qualification) |
| Service BDC Automation | Comprehensive (Appointment Automation, Re-Engagement, Campaigns) | Strong (Service Scheduling, Reminders) |
| Inbound Call Handling | Yes, Instant Response AI | Yes, Real-time Responses |
| Outbound Campaigns | Yes (Sales Follow-Ups, Service Re-Engagement, Campaigns) | Unclear/Limited Publicly (Focus is heavily Inbound) |
| Lead Qualification | Yes (Budget, Timeline, Vehicle Interest) | Yes |
| Appointment Scheduling | Yes (Sales & Service) | Yes (Service Scheduling) |
| CRM Integration | Yes (Elead, DriveCentric, DealerSocket, etc.) | Yes (DMS/CRM mentioned) |
| DMS Integration | Yes (CDK Global, Reynolds & Reynolds, Tekion, etc.) | Yes (DMS/CRM mentioned) |
| Call Transfers | Yes (Live Call Transfers) | Yes (Transfer Triggers, Transfer Clawback) |
| SMS Capabilities | Yes (Automated Reminders, Call Transfers/SMS) | Yes (Dropped Call SMS, Reminders) |
| After-Hours Coverage | Yes, Dedicated Voice Engine Feature | Yes |
| Spam Blocking | Yes (Dedicated Voice Engine Feature) | Not explicitly mentioned in public features |
| Multi-Location Support | Yes (Pro/Agency/Enterprise Tiers) | Yes (Implied by customer base) |
| White-Label Option | Yes (Agency Plan) | Not publicly advertised |
| OEM Certifications | Yes (Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota, etc.) | Not publicly advertised |
| Pricing Transparency | High (Public, Tiered Pricing) | Low (Contact for Pricing) |
| Starting Price | $29/month | Contact for Pricing |
The 3-Way Comparison: CarDealership ai vs Toma vs Traditional BDC
The decision to adopt AI for car dealerships is often a comparison between two AI providers and the status quo: the Traditional Business Development Center (BDC) or manual staff. Understanding the trade-offs in this three-way comparison is essential for a dealership's long-term strategy.
CarDealership ai provides the best of both worlds: the predictable cost and instant scalability of AI automation combined with the full-funnel coverage necessary to augment or fully replace a traditional auto dealer BDC.
| Factor | CarDealership ai (Voice-First AI) | Toma (AI Operating System) | Traditional BDC/Manual Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low, Predictable (Starting at $29/month) | Variable (Contact for Pricing) | High (Salaries, Benefits, Training, Turnover) |
| Availability | 24/7/365 (Never misses a call) | 24/7/365 | Limited (Standard business hours, sick days) |
| Scalability | Instant (Scales to 80+ concurrent calls) | High (24/7 Availability) | Low (Limited by hiring and training time) |
| Consistency | 98%+ Accuracy, always on-brand | High (Consistent script and tone) | Variable (Dependent on agent training and mood) |
| Focus | Sales, Service, and Lead Qualification | Primarily Service | Sales or Service (Often siloed) |
| Data & Insights | Deep Call Tracking & Performance Insights | Dashboard & Analytics | Manual tracking, often inconsistent |
Recommendation Section
The choice between CarDealership ai and Toma depends on your dealership's specific needs, but for the vast majority of dealerships seeking a comprehensive, scalable, and cost-effective solution, CarDealership ai is the superior choice.
Choose CarDealership ai if you want…
Choose Toma if you want…
Final Verdict: CarDealership ai is the Clear Winner for Comprehensive Dealership AI
While Toma is a highly capable provider of AI voice agents for dealerships and excels at inbound call automation, CarDealership ai emerges as the clear winner for any dealership seeking a truly comprehensive, full-funnel BDC solution.
The key difference lies in CarDealership ai's modular architecture—the dedicated Sales Engine and Service Engine—which provides a depth of functionality that goes beyond simple call answering and scheduling. CarDealership ai offers explicit features for BDC sales and service campaigns, outbound follow-ups, and service-to-sales conversion, making it a complete BDC replacement or augmentation platform. Furthermore, CarDealership ai's commitment to predictable, transparent pricing with a low entry point of $29/month provides a significant advantage over Toma's Contact for pricing model. For dealerships looking for the best AI for car dealerships that offers both superior technology and financial clarity, CarDealership ai is the definitive choice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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