Tekion vs CDK Drive
Head-to-head comparison for car dealers evaluating Core Systems. Both vendors are in the same subcategory, so the comparison is apples-to-apples.
Tekion
Cloud-native automotive retail platform
Founded2016
HQPleasanton CA
SegmentFRANCHISE
PricingPer rooftop / month
OwnershipPRIVATE
ParentIndependent
Employees—
Websitetekion.com
CDK Drive
Enterprise DMS for franchise dealers.
Founded1972
HQHoffman Estates, IL
SegmentFRANCHISE
PricingSaaS + per-user
OwnershipPUBLIC
ParentBrookfield
Employees1000+
Websitecdkglobal.com
What each vendor does
Tekion
Tekion's Automotive Retail Cloud is a born-in-the-cloud DMS with modern APIs, connecting sales, service, accounting and CRM on a single platform.
CDK Drive
Long-standing DMS with deep third-party integrations.
Notable customers
Tekion
None listed
CDK Drive
15000+ rooftops
Integration matrix
| Integration kind | Tekion | CDK Drive | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|
| dms | Self | Self | 1 shared |
Only Tekion (0)
—
Shared integrations (1)
Self
Only CDK Drive (0)
—
Feature checklist
| Feature | Tekion | CDK Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Open API / webhooks | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| SSO / SAML | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Native AI tools | ○ — | ● Yes |
| Third-party marketplace | ○ — | ● Yes |
| Two-way texting | ○ — | ○ — |
| Video messaging | ○ — | ○ — |
| Digital retail workflow | ○ — | ○ — |
| Desking & payments | ○ — | ● Yes |
| Credit prequal / soft pull | ○ — | ○ — |
| Inventory syndication | ○ — | ○ — |
| Custom reporting dashboards | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Call tracking & recording | ○ — | ○ — |
| Spanish-language support | ○ — | ● Yes |
| Multi-rooftop management | ● Yes | ● Yes |
Compare more than two?
Build a 2–4 vendor side-by-side and share the URL.
Choose Tekion vs CDK Drive
Choose Tekion if…
- ▸You prefer a privately held company with direct access to leadership.
- ▸Your budget process aligns better with Per rooftop / month pricing.
Choose CDK Drive if…
- ▸You value the stability and disclosure of a publicly traded vendor.
- ▸Your budget process aligns better with SaaS + per-user pricing.
- ▸You want the longer track record in the dealer tech category.
- ▸You want more reference proof points from named dealer groups.
Quick facts scorecard
| Dimension | Tekion | CDK Drive | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track record | 2016 | 1972 | B |
| Scale | — | 1000+ | — |
| Segment breadth | FRANCHISE | FRANCHISE | — |
| Integrations listed | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| DMS connectivity | 1 DMS | 1 DMS | Tie |