LxCars review
A free, flexible repair ERP for technical teams comfortable managing self-hosted software.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
LxCars is a web-based, open-source ERP for automotive repair shops and car dealerships. It brings customer, supplier, and contact management together with vehicle records, quotes, orders, invoices, delivery notes, mechanic work instructions, time tracking, parts requests, inventory, TÜV defect management, calendars, tasks, and follow-up workflows. Its vehicle module supports KBA database integration, document scanning, mileage history, and customer-linked records. The fit is strongest for technical teams that want free software they can host on local infrastructure or through Docker and adapt to their operating model.
The published offering emphasizes a broad operational scope rather than a single workflow. Work instructions include start/stop time tracking, while parts requests support status workflows and photo documentation. Inventory management and stocktaking cover parts operations, and role-based access control with multi-tenant operation supports more structured deployments. Integrations include Meta WhatsApp Business API, Brevo, OpenAI Whisper, Anthropic Claude, VIES, IMAP/SMTP, IP telephone systems, DATEV, fahrzeugschein-scanner.de, and SilverDAT. Optional AI features can provide transcription, summaries, and work-position suggestions, but those capabilities depend on external services.
LxCars is free and has no monthly license costs. The main trade-off is operational responsibility: self-hosting places deployment and ongoing infrastructure management with the team adopting it. That makes LxCars a strong choice for shops or dealerships with technical resources, local hosting preferences, or a need to connect repair operations with communications, accounting, and vehicle-data services. Teams seeking a simpler managed tool, or those unwilling to maintain self-hosted software and external-service connections, should consider a different type of automotive repair system.
LxCars pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free and open source with local or Docker deployment
- Combines work orders, inventory, vehicle records, and time tracking
- Supports role-based access, multi-tenant operation, and broad integrations
- Where it doesn't
- Self-hosted deployment requires local infrastructure or Docker management
- Some AI and communications features require external services
- The feature set may be more involved than smaller shop needs
LxCars fact sheet, pricing and score →
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