Software
Automotive app development for dealers, garages, clubs and fleets
Automotive app development covers the apps your customers and staff actually open: an MOT reminder that books the test, a dealer app that shows live stock, a car club app for events and membership, a driver app for fleet checks. We build native, cross-platform or progressive web apps on the same vehicle data we integrate everywhere else.
Who we do this for
- Car Dealers
- Garages & MOT Centres
- Clubs, Media & Enthusiasts
- Commercial Vehicles & Fleet
- Vehicle Rental & Hire
- Leasing & Finance Brokers
Native data integrations
The first question is whether you need an app at all. Many motor trade use cases are better served by a progressive web app (PWA): it installs from the browser, works offline, sends push notifications on Android and modern iOS, and avoids App Store review cycles. Where you need camera-heavy workflows, background location, Bluetooth to an OBD dongle or a presence in the stores for marketing reasons, we build cross-platform (React Native or Flutter) or fully native.
Every app we build sits on an API we also build, and that API is where the vehicle data lives. VRM lookup through DVLA VES or UKVD identifies the car once; the DVSA MOT History API supplies expiry dates and test history; your DMS or stock system supplies vehicles and prices; your booking system supplies availability. The app is the front end to that data, not a second copy of it.
App projects fail on maintenance more than on build. iOS and Android ship breaking changes yearly, data providers rotate keys and change schemas, and store listings need updating. Our retainers cover that, along with crash monitoring and analytics, so the app that launched still works in three years.
Sound familiar?
You probably need this if
- Your MOT reminder is a letter or a text with no way to book, and the garage down the road has an app.
- Customers ask if you have an app and you send them to a mobile site that does half the job.
- Club members organise everything on Facebook groups and the committee has no member data it owns.
- Fleet drivers do walkaround checks on paper and defects reach the workshop days late.
- You have a dealer app built by a platform vendor and cannot change a single screen.
Deliverables
What you get
- Platform recommendation (PWA, cross-platform or native) with the trade-offs written down
- UX flows and screen designs tested with real customers or drivers before build
- API back end with vehicle identification by VRM, MOT data and your stock or booking system
- Push notification service for MOT, service, tax and event reminders
- App Store and Google Play listings, screenshots and review submission handled
- Analytics, crash reporting and a privacy policy that matches what the app collects
- Admin panel for your staff to manage content, offers, bookings and members
- Maintenance retainer covering OS updates, data-provider changes and store compliance
Dealer apps
A dealer app earns its place when it does something the website cannot: saved searches with push alerts when matching stock lands, a part-exchange valuation from the customer's own registration, service booking and vehicle health check videos in one place, and a digital glovebox holding the customer's documents after purchase.
Stock, prices and photos come from your DMS or Auto Trader Connect; leads go back into your CRM. For dealer groups, one app with branch selection rather than one app per site.
MOT reminder apps
Garages and MOT centres get the fastest return from an app that holds the customer's cars, watches the MOT and service dates through the DVSA MOT History API and lets them book with two taps. Add tax reminders from DVLA VES and the customer has a reason to keep the app installed all year.
The booking side connects to your workshop diary or garage management system so the customer sees real availability, and the reminder cadence is yours to set.
Car club apps
dijitul started life around the Maxxd car club, so we know what committees need: membership payments and renewals, event listings with sign-up and ticketing, a members' garage, news and forum-style discussion, and membership cards that can be checked at the gate. Data stays with the club, not with a social platform.
For owners' clubs and media brands we can add classifieds, regalia sales and sponsor placements.
Fleet driver apps
A fleet driver app replaces the paper walkaround sheet. Drivers select the vehicle by registration, work through a check list with photos, report defects that reach the workshop immediately, and record mileage and fuel. Managers see compliance by vehicle and driver.
We build against your fleet management system where one exists, or provide a simple back office where it does not. Offline capture is standard, because depots have poor signal.
Process
How we approach it
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Scope and platform choice
We define the jobs the app must do, who uses it and how often, then choose PWA, cross-platform or native on that basis rather than on fashion.
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Design and prototype
Clickable prototype of every screen, tested on a phone with a handful of real customers, members or drivers. Changes are cheap here and expensive later.
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API and data integration
We build the back end first: vehicle lookup, MOT history, stock or booking sync, member records, notifications. The app then has something real to talk to from day one.
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Build and beta
TestFlight and Google Play internal testing with your staff and a pilot group. We fix what they find before public release.
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Launch and maintain
Store submission, launch comms, then ongoing monitoring, OS compatibility updates and feature releases under a retainer.
Apps: common questions
Do we need a native app or will a web app do?
For reminders, bookings, stock browsing and member content a progressive web app usually does the job at lower cost and with no store review. Native or cross-platform makes sense when you need camera-heavy inspection flows, Bluetooth, background location or a store presence.
How does an MOT reminder app know when the test is due?
It looks the vehicle up by registration through the DVSA MOT History API or DVLA VES, which return the MOT expiry date. We store the date, schedule reminders ahead of it and refresh it after each test so the reminder is always accurate.
Can a dealer app show our live stock?
Yes. We pull stock from your DMS, Auto Trader Connect or your website feed, so the app shows the same vehicles, prices and photos as the forecourt with no separate upload.
What does a car club app need?
Membership sign-up and renewal, an events calendar with RSVP, a member directory, news, and a way to check a member's status at a show. Ideally a members' garage where people register their cars, which gives the club real data it owns rather than a Facebook group.
How much does app maintenance cost?
We price it as a monthly retainer sized to the app. It covers iOS and Android compatibility updates, data-provider API changes, store compliance, monitoring and a bank of development hours. We will not quote a figure without seeing the scope.
Who owns the app and the store accounts?
You do. The App Store and Google Play developer accounts are opened in your company's name, and you receive the source code and back-end infrastructure at handover.
Sectors
Who we do this for
Car Dealers
Car dealer marketing that does not rent all your traffic from Auto Trader.
View servicesGarages & MOT Centres
Garage marketing that fills the diary: local SEO, garage website design with online booking and MOT reminders from DVSA data.
View servicesClubs, Media & Enthusiasts
Car club website design by a team that began as a car club in 2006.
View servicesCommercial Vehicles & Fleet
Commercial vehicle dealer website design with payload filters, Auto Trader Vans feeds and B2B quoting for van, truck and fleet firms.
View servicesVehicle Rental & Hire
Car hire website design with booking engine, deposits and ID checks, and local SEO for every branch.
View servicesLeasing & Finance Brokers
Car leasing website design, deal feeds and FCA-compliant marketing for leasing and finance brokers.
View servicesRelated services
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Talk to us about apps
Tell us what you sell, fix, break or race and what is getting in the way. We will come back within one working day with a straight answer and, if it fits, a fixed-price scope.