There are six common ways to verify physical vehicle stock against the DMS: manual counts, barcode/QR or NFC tags, RFID, ANPR and fixed cameras, generic inspection apps, and image-based VIN verification. LotCount uses the last of these, combined with three-way reconciliation against the DMS and the floorplan funder's statement. This page compares all of them on cost, evidence quality, speed and fraud resistance.
| Capability | Manual count | Barcode / QR / NFC | RFID | ANPR / cameras | LotCount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware or consumables required | None | Stickers per vehicle | Tags plus readers | Fixed camera install | None (staff smartphones) |
| Vehicle preparation before audit | None | Tag every vehicle | Tag every vehicle | None | None (VIN is always there) |
| Verifies the actual vehicle, not a proxy | Human error prone | Verifies the sticker | Verifies the tag | Verifies the plate | Verifies the VIN with photo |
| Timestamp and GPS evidence per vehicle | No | Sometimes | Sometimes | Yes, at fixed points | Yes, every asset |
| Detects unexpected vehicles on site | If spotted | Untagged = invisible | Untagged = invisible | At entry points only | Yes |
| Fraud resistance | Low | Stickers can be moved | Tags can be moved | Plates can be swapped | AI-validated VIN imagery |
| Group-wide audit speed | ~5 weeks multi-site | Days | Days | Continuous, entry points | Single day, all sites |
| Reconciles against funder statement | Manual | No | No | No | Yes, VIN by VIN |
| Accepted by funders as audit evidence | Rarely | Varies | Varies | Varies | Yes, Bureau Veritas validated |
Every method above produces a list of vehicles found. On its own, that list is worth little. The value sits in the gap between three records every dealer group holds: what the DMS says, what the floorplan funder is charging for, and what is physically on the lot. Across every audit LotCount has run, around 11% of vehicles on the DMS are inaccurate in their location, status or existence. Any counting method that reconciles only against the DMS misses the funder side entirely, and that is where interest quietly accrues on vehicles that left the forecourt weeks ago.
LotCount's TripleMatch process matches all three sources at VIN level, across every site, in a single day, and returns a timestamped, photo-evidenced report within 48 hours. One 37-site group's first audit surfaced 259 sold-but-not-invoiced vehicles and returned close to $300,000 to the business.
The first site audit is free. Your team scans with their own phones, alongside normal trading. You see the findings first.
Book a demoPhotographing each vehicle's VIN and matching it against both the DMS and the floorplan funder's statement is the most accurate method, because the VIN is the only identifier that cannot be detached from the vehicle. Tag-based systems (barcode, QR, NFC, RFID) verify the tag rather than the vehicle, and manual counts depend on transcription accuracy.
No. Image-based systems such as LotCount run on the smartphones staff already carry. Barcode and NFC systems need stickers applied to every vehicle, and RFID needs tags plus dedicated readers that can cost several thousand pounds each.
With multiple staff auditing in parallel on their phones, a multi-site group can complete a full physical audit in a single day. The same exercise done manually typically takes around five weeks, by which point the earliest data is already stale.
