DealerVLO
Sign inStart free trial

Get your inventory on AutoTrader & Cars.com

DealerVLO can send your inventory to AutoTrader and Cars.com automatically, so you enter each car once and it shows up everywhere. Here's exactly what to do to connect each one — and what happens on our side once you do.

How it works (the two-part setup)

There are two separate things, and it helps to keep them straight:

  • Your marketplace account — you keep your paid AutoTrader / Cars.com advertising account and pay them directly. DealerVLO does not replace it or change their fees.
  • The inventory feed — you authorize DealerVLO as the source that sends your cars to that account. Then DealerVLO delivers your available inventory to them every day, so you never re-type a car.

So the whole job is: (1) tell the marketplace to accept a feed from DealerVLO, and (2) turn on the feed in DealerVLO with your Dealer ID. The steps below do exactly that.

Before you start

  • An active, paid account with AutoTrader and/or Cars.com, and the Dealer ID they assigned your rooftop.
  • Your DealerVLO public website enabled (Settings → Public website) — the feeds mirror your public site.
  • Your inventory complete in DealerVLO, with photos and prices, so the feed you send is the full picture.

Connect AutoTrader

  1. 1
    Have your AutoTrader Dealer ID handy
    It's on your AutoTrader dealer account — ask your AutoTrader / Cox rep if you're not sure.
  2. 2
    Ask AutoTrader to accept a feed from DealerVLO
    Contact your AutoTrader / Cox Automotive account manager(AutoTrader is a Cox company), or submit Dealer.com's 3rd-Party Inventory Request Form, and say you want DealerVLO to be your inventory feed provider. Ask them to send the SFTP details for us to deliver to — they can coordinate the technical setup directly with DealerVLO at support@dealervlo.com. If you already feed AutoTrader through another source, tell them to replaceit with DealerVLO so you don't get duplicate listings.
  3. 3
    We get connected
    Once AutoTrader issues the SFTP credentials to us, DealerVLO configures the connection. You don't handle host names or passwords.
  4. 4
    Turn it on in DealerVLO
    In Settings → Feeds, enter your AutoTrader Dealer ID and check “Include my inventory in DealerVLO's daily AutoTrader feed.”
  5. 5
    Your cars go live
    Within a day or two AutoTrader starts showing your inventory, and it refreshes every day automatically. Sold cars drop off on the next refresh.

Connect Cars.com

  1. 1
    Have your Cars.com Dealer / Customer ID handy
    It's on your Cars.com dealer account — ask your Cars.com rep if you're not sure.
  2. 2
    Ask Cars.com to accept a feed from DealerVLO
    Contact your Cars.com account managerand say you want DealerVLO to supply your inventory feed. They'll give the SFTP drop details and their field-mapping document to DealerVLO at support@dealervlo.com. If Cars.com already gets your inventory from another provider, ask them to switch the source to DealerVLO.
  3. 3
    We get connected
    DealerVLO configures the delivery to match their format and drop. No technical work on your end.
  4. 4
    Turn it on in DealerVLO
    In Settings → Feeds, enter your Cars.com Dealer ID and check “Include my inventory in DealerVLO's daily Cars.com feed.”
  5. 5
    Your cars go live
    Within a day or two your inventory appears on Cars.com and refreshes daily. Sold and hidden cars are removed automatically.

What DealerVLO sends

A daily file of your available used inventory — one entry per car with the VIN, year/make/model/trim, mileage, price, photos, specs, a link to the car's page on your site, and your dealership's name, address, and phone. It's a complete snapshot each day, so a car that sells simply stops appearing on the next refresh. Only cars that are available, priced, and not hidden from your website are included.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need a paid AutoTrader or Cars.com account?+

Yes. DealerVLO is the feed provider that sends your inventory — it does not replace your marketplace subscription. You keep your paid AutoTrader/Cars.com advertising account and pay them directly for the listing; DealerVLO just supplies the daily inventory data so you don't have to enter cars twice. Connecting a DealerVLO feed does not change or remove the marketplace's fees.

How long does it take to go live?+

Once your account manager sets up accepting the feed and DealerVLO is connected, it usually takes a day or two for the marketplace to start ingesting and showing your cars. The feed then refreshes automatically every day.

Which of my cars get sent?+

Only vehicles that are marked available, have a real price, and are not hidden from your public website. Sold, pending, unpriced, or hidden cars are left out automatically, and a car that sells drops off the marketplace on the next daily refresh — no manual takedowns.

Should DealerVLO replace my current feed or run alongside it?+

If you already send inventory to AutoTrader or Cars.com through another source (your website provider, HomeNet, vAuto, etc.), you usually want DealerVLO to REPLACE it, not run alongside — two feeds for the same rooftop can create duplicate or conflicting listings. Confirm your current source with your account manager and switch it to DealerVLO once your inventory is complete in DealerVLO.

Where does the technical setup happen?+

Your account manager coordinates the SFTP hand-off directly with DealerVLO at support@dealervlo.com — you don't have to handle host names or credentials. Your only in-app step is entering your Dealer ID and turning the feed on in Settings → Feeds.

Ready to connect?

Head to your feed settings to enter your Dealer IDs and turn on each marketplace, or see how DealerVLO keeps one inventory synced everywhere.

Go to Settings → Feeds Where to list your cars