4 Locomotive Alternatives for Your Dealership (2026)

Locomotive: what the platform offers

Facts first. Locomotive puts calls, SMS, website forms, webchat, Google review requests and payment links in one shared inbox [1].

Its cloud phone system handles IVR, routing and queues. When the team can't pick up, the missed call is followed up by SMS and the voicemail transcribed, 24/7 [1].

Henri, its voice AI agent, picks up 24/7, checks the licence plate against the French government registry and qualifies the request. Depending on your after-sales booking tool, it books the workshop appointment in your schedule, and it can transfer the call to a team member [2].

Pricing is set during a demo, based on your scenario [1].

Why look for an alternative?

Locomotive already covers phone and written channels. An alternative mostly makes sense if you want to answer on WhatsApp, which the Locomotive pages consulted do not mention for Locomotive [1] [2], want to know the price before a sales meeting, or only need some of the modules.

35-40% of dealership calls go unanswered. Salespeople with customers, lunch breaks, evenings, weekends. Lots of chances to lose leads. At roughly 63 euros per automotive lead by our estimates, it adds up.

SMS is a poor fit for real conversations: 160 characters, no photos, exchanges that die fast. Your customers already write on WhatsApp every day. Answering them there, at any hour, changes the relationship.

At Locomotive, pricing is set during a demo [1]. Some dealerships want to know costs upfront.

See our detailed Natalia vs Locomotive comparison

Alternative 1: Natalia - Voice AI + WhatsApp

What Natalia does: Conversational AI that answers on the phone and on WhatsApp, 24/7.

AI understands why the person called, qualifies the lead (vehicle interest, service, workshop appointment), transfers the call to the right person, or takes a message and alerts your team. During or after the call, it can text the caller.

Strengths: the same agent on the phone and on WhatsApp, published pricing (99-499 euros/month), connects to your DMS through its API (Web service action).

Limitations: webchat coming soon, no Google reviews automation, SMS on request. Google reviews can be covered by another tool alongside.

Best for: dealerships whose customers write on WhatsApp and who want to know the price before committing.

Alternative 2: Sandra AI - AI agents for dealerships

What Sandra AI does: AI agents for dealerships that answer calls, engage leads by SMS and WhatsApp and automate customer interactions 24/7 [5].

The call module advertises answering 100% of incoming calls, 24/7, and booking appointments directly in your scheduling tools. A website chatbot completes the offer, and Sandra AI says it is connected to your DMS and CRM [5].

Strengths: voice, SMS, WhatsApp and chatbot in one platform built for dealerships [5].

To check: the page consulted shows no price [5].

Best for: dealerships that want an automotive-specialized AI agent, on the phone and in writing.

Alternative 3: Diago - Voice AI and workshop booking

What Diago does: a suite of 4 modules for dealerships (voice AI agent, chatbot, online booking, conversational SMS) [4].

The voice agent advertises “100% des appels décrochés, 24/7”, books appointments in the workshop calendar and syncs with your DMS [4].

Strengths: workshop appointments synced with the DMS, SMS campaigns for service reminders [4].

To check: the page consulted names no DMS and shows no price [4].

Best for: dealerships whose priority is filling the workshop calendar.

Alternative 4: eKonsilio - Human advisers and AI

What eKonsilio does: a customer conversation platform on live chat, WhatsApp, SMS and Meta [6].

Its plans range from “Genius”, eKonsilio advisers available 24/7 on messaging channels, to self-managed setups that combine AI and in-house teams. eKonsilio also lists a call overflow solution [6].

Strengths: human advisers alongside AI, several written channels [6].

To check: the page consulted does not detail how calls are handled and shows no price [6].

Best for: dealerships that want human advisers on written channels, with or without AI.

Feature Comparison Table

What each vendor's pages say (sources at the end of the article):

Pricing

What vendors publish:

How to Choose

Depends on your main problem:

Unanswered calls? Natalia, Locomotive with Henri, Sandra AI and Diago offer a voice AI agent [1] [4] [5].

Want to answer on WhatsApp? Natalia, Sandra AI and eKonsilio offer it [5] [6].

Want human advisers? eKonsilio provides online advisers [6].

Workshop calendar is the priority? Diago and Locomotive advertise booking in your schedule; at Locomotive, depending on your after-sales tool [2] [4].

Google reviews are the priority? Locomotive sends review requests by SMS [1]. Natalia doesn't do this.

Want to see prices upfront? Natalia shows pricing. The other vendors' pages consulted publish none [1] [4] [5] [6].

Bottom Line

Locomotive covers phone, written channels and Google reviews in one tool [1]. To pick an alternative, start from what matters to you: WhatsApp, the workshop calendar, human advisers or a price known upfront.

For many dealerships, the answer is a combination: Natalia for calls and WhatsApp, a dedicated tool for Google reviews. Webchat is coming to Natalia soon.

One thing is clear: doing nothing costs money. Roughly 63 euros per lost lead, by our estimates. Every unanswered call hits your revenue.

Calculate how much you're losing in missed calls

Sources

[1] Locomotive, “Locomotive vs Aircall” page (shared inbox for calls, SMS, forms, webchat and payments; missed call “repris par SMS, message vocal retranscrit”; “Agent vocal IA” row: “Oui : Henri, 24/7, avec ou sans la téléphonie Locomotive”; webchat, Google review requests by SMS, payment links: “Oui”; price “Établi en démo, sur votre scénario”; WhatsApp cited only for Aircall): page, archive, consulted on November 10, 2026.

[2] Locomotive, “Agent IA Automobile” page (“Henri décroche 24/7, vérifie la plaque dans la base de l'État”; workshop booking “selon votre outil de rendez-vous APV”; call transfer “vers un collaborateur”): page, archive, consulted on November 10, 2026.

[3] Locomotive, “Service après-vente automobile : automatiser le suivi client” article (“Intégration DMS”, no DMS named): page, archive, consulted on November 10, 2026.

[4] Diago, “Nos produits” page (“Une suite de 4 modules connectés”: voice AI agent, chatbot, online booking, conversational SMS; “100% des appels décrochés, 24/7”; “Prend les RDV dans votre agenda atelier”; “Synchronise avec votre DMS”, no DMS named; no price; WhatsApp and Google reviews not mentioned): page, archive, consulted on November 10, 2026.

[5] Sandra AI, home page (“AI-powered agents that answer calls, engage leads via SMS, and automate your customer interactions 24/7”; “Respond instantly to 100% of incoming calls, 24/7”; “book appointments directly in your scheduling tools”; “Conversational SMS & WhatsApp”; “AI Chatbot”; “Sandra AI is connected to your DMS, CRM, and tools”; no price; Google reviews not mentioned): page, archive, consulted on November 10, 2026.

[6] eKonsilio, home page (“Live Chat, WhatsApp, SMS et Meta”; “Genius”, “IA” and “IA + Genius” plans; advisers “disponibles 24h/24 - 7j/7, sur l'ensemble des canaux de messagerie”; “Gestion des débordements d'appels” solution; no price; Google reviews not mentioned): page, archive, consulted on November 10, 2026.