We Released the AI Compatibility Tool. Here's What We Found.

Less than 20% of dealership websites are not blocking AI. Even fewer have pages that are actually compliant with AI best practices.

That's what we found when we started testing. And it should concern every dealer in the country.

How We Discovered the Problem

This research began by accident. I was working on a simple question: how do pre-COVID dealership inventory levels compare to today? Which brands are stocking more new or used inventory now versus before the pandemic?

To answer this, I needed to scan dealer websites using AI to pull basic information—dealership name, phone number, inventory levels. I built tools with multiple AI models to access these sites.

The vast majority of websites actively blocked AI from accessing even basic information. I couldn't get a dealership name. I couldn't get a phone number. I certainly couldn't get inventory data.

That discovery became the seed for everything that followed.

Why This Matters: The Third-Party Threat

Here's the danger most dealers haven't connected yet: if you don't feed AI your data, someone else will. And they'll charge you to get your own customers back.

We have spent our entire careers working with franchised dealers. There is a serious risk brewing. If dealers are unable or unwilling to give AI the data it needs—inventory, contact information, service capabilities—third parties will fill that void.

Large companies like Amazon, or more familiar third-party lead providers, could see a resurgence at the expense of individual dealerships. Our current marketing strength as individual stores comes from our ability to generate our own leads, independent of the manufacturer. If third-party lead providers regain their position between dealers and customers, this significantly weakens the entire franchise model.

We all get excited about the opportunities of AI. But we cannot ignore the dangers.

What We Built

The discovery led us to build the first version of our AI Compatibility Tool, focused on detecting whether AI was being blocked from accessing dealer websites. When we released it, the response was immediate. Dealers tested their sites. Many were vocal in their complaints to their vendors. We saw some improvements.

It was time to expand.

After extensive rework, we released Version 2—moving beyond blocking detection to evaluate whether dealer websites are positioned to be discovered, understood, and recommended by AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews.

Why We Gave It Away

We could have kept this tool for our own clients. We chose not to.

We felt it was more important to push standards that the entire industry can benefit from. If we fail to unify behind good standards—standards set by AI companies, not us—we will be surpassed by vendors who will become the middlemen between dealers and their customers. Some of those vendors we may not yet know the name of.

This is bigger than competitive advantage. This is about protecting the franchise model.

What We're Hearing

Many dealers were shocked to realize their vendors had not addressed AI access. Our recommendation is straightforward: get a specific timeline from your vendor. Not a vague promise—a date.

Some vendors have pushed back on our methodology. We welcome that conversation. If your vendor has data that contradicts our findings, we're happy to review it. If they've been caught flat-footed, we're equally happy to explain why they're failing and how they can improve.

The Vendor Trap—We've Seen This Before

There was a time when Google decided mobile-first was the future. They demanded major revisions to all websites. Many vendors published press releases disagreeing. They argued their solution was superior, that Google had it wrong.

Google didn't care what they said.

Google rolled out mobile-first ranking, and the vendors making arguments were left in the dust.

The same principle applies here. If the entire automotive industry unified in disagreement with AI and rolled out their own standard, AI wouldn't notice or care. We are a small industry compared to the wide internet. The only prudent move is to comply.

I caution you: if your vendor is releasing their own AI standard, or their interpretation of what they think it should be, this is historically a trap. Consequences will be felt in your used car department leads first and trickle down from there—if this follows the same pattern mobile-first followed.

What's Next

We're continuing to gather data from Version 2, and we'll release more findings soon. Early results are telling.

In the meantime: test your site. Share the results with your vendor. Demand a timeline.

Run the AI Compatibility Test now at ai-detect.savvydealer.com

The dealers who get ahead of this shift will capture leads directly. The ones who wait will watch third parties fill the gap.

We've seen this movie before with mobile-first. The ending doesn't change just because we're in automotive.