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Manual · Updated May 2026 · Version 14

The Autaxo Manual

Every function explained, from the mobile.de import and AI document import to automatic tax logic and the DATEV export. Follow each process step by step with screenshots from the real app.

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

Getting started

Autaxo is a cloud-based dealer management system for independent used-car dealers. After signing in at garage.autaxo.de, you arrive directly on the dashboard. A clean initial setup is worthwhile before you sell your first vehicle.

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Autaxo sign-in page
Sign in at garage.autaxo.de

Recommended setup order:

  1. Complete your dealer details under Settings, Details: company data, tax number, address and bank details.
  2. Upload your logo. It appears on invoices, contracts and in your AI showrooms.
  3. Define your invoice number ranges under Settings, Invoices.
  4. Connect mobile.de and import your inventory under Settings, Integrations.
  5. Configure DATEV, optionally, for automatic accounting exports.
  6. Set up the cash book with an opening balance and effective date.

Tip

If you already advertise vehicles on mobile.de, the quickest start is to import from mobile.de first and then upload the purchase documents with document import. Chapter 07 explains the process.

Dashboard

The dashboard is your home screen. Use “Buy” or “Sell” at the top to jump directly into the relevant process. On the right, you can see at a glance how many vehicles are in stock and the value of your inventory.

The financial overview shows eight monthly metrics: revenue, costs, gross profit, net gross profit, vehicles sold, VAT due, VAT paid and the VAT balance, each compared with the previous month.

Important

All financial metrics relate exclusively to sold vehicles. Vehicles that have been purchased but not yet sold, and therefore tie up capital, are not shown as a loss.

Widgets such as “Top 5 Alarming Inventory”, which lists vehicles with the longest days in stock, and the onboarding checklist help you keep track of everything.

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Autaxo dashboard with financial overview and widgets
The dashboard with financial KPIs, recent vehicles and days-in-stock warnings

Managing vehicles

Under Vehicles, Inventory, you will find every vehicle either in a list with sortable columns including days in stock and status, or as a card view with the image, price and most important specifications.

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Vehicle inventory in list view
List view with status, VIN and days in stock
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Vehicle inventory in card view
Card view, ideal for a visual overview

Add a vehicle

Create a vehicle with “+ Add vehicle”, either by VIN import, where you enter the 17-character vehicle identification number and Autaxo decodes the make, model, engine and other data, or manually. In the same step, you can create a purchase deal with the customer and price on the right.

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Add vehicle dialog with VIN import
Import a vehicle using its VIN or create it manually

The vehicle record

The vehicle record is the central detail page. It includes an image carousel with access to the Photo Studio, purchase and sales deals, days in stock with a warning icon for long stock times, internal notes, marketplace status and all editable vehicle details. When you sell, Autaxo also suggests an AI-assisted recommended sale price.

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Vehicle record with vehicle image and information panel
Vehicle record with image, status, purchase, sale, days in stock and profit

Tools: VIN and vehicle history

Under Vehicles, Tools, you can decode a VIN through Vincario or request a CarVertical vehicle-history report covering accidents, mileage and previous owners.

Customers and VIES validation

Under Customers, you manage private and business customers. Customer records can be created manually, automatically during document import, through a VIES query or by Carlo, for example from a photo of a business registration document.

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Customer list with private and business customers
Customer list with type distinction and filter

For a business customer, enter the VAT ID with its country prefix and run the VIES query. Autaxo retrieves the company name and address directly from the EU register and completes the customer record automatically.

Important

A tax-exempt intra-Community supply is not possible without valid VIES confirmation. The tax exemption would not apply. Autaxo archives the confirmation automatically in VAT ID Validation, explained in Chapter 10.

Sales process and tax logic

A deal connects the vehicle, customer and tax treatment. Create the purchase when adding the vehicle or through “Buy.” Start the sale from “Sell” in the vehicle record once a purchase invoice exists.

The core is automatic tax-treatment detection. Autaxo determines the treatment from four factors: the original purchase, including margin scheme or standard VAT, the customer type, customer country and VAT ID validation.

  • Margin scheme under Section 25a UStG: Purchase from a private seller, small business or dealer applying the margin scheme. Only the margin is taxed; VAT is not shown separately on the invoice.
  • Standard taxation at 19%: Purchase with input VAT deduction and a domestic sale; VAT is shown.
  • Intra-Community supply: Sale to an EU business customer with a valid VAT ID, exempt under Section 6a UStG; a confirmation of arrival (Gelangensbestätigung) is required.
  • Export supply to a third country: Sale outside the EU, exempt under Section 4 no. 1a UStG; an MRN or export document is required.

Tip

The detected tax treatment appears as a notice in the deal and can be overridden at any time, for example if you waive the margin scheme under Section 25a(8) UStG.

Invoices

Under Accounting, Invoices, you can see all purchase and sales invoices, separated by source, “Autaxo” or “Import.” Invoices without an invoice number appear as a draft.

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Invoice overview with purchase and sales invoices
Invoice overview with source labels and draft status

When creating an invoice, add line items manually or insert a vehicle directly from inventory, use text snippets such as warranty language and define the payment notice. If a payment includes a cash portion, Autaxo creates a cash-book entry automatically. Once finalized, the invoice is available as a PDF for download and email; you can create a cancellation invoice with one click.

Tip

You do not have to type invoices manually. With “Import invoice,” Carlo reads the customer, date, line items and tax rates automatically from a PDF or photo. The next chapter explains how.

AI document import

Document import, under Accounting, Document import, is designed for batch processing. Drag an entire set of PDFs or photos into the upload area. Carlo processes every document in parallel, with per-document status progressing from “Uploading...” through “Analyzing...” to the completed preview.

Carlo identifies the supplier, date, amounts and tax rates and uses the VIN to assign a document automatically to the correct vehicle. Review each document in the familiar edit and preview view and complete it by selecting “Finalize.”

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Document import processing multiple documents with AI in parallel
Batch upload: Carlo analyzes and assigns all documents in parallel

Important

During onboarding, import all purchase documents first, followed by sales documents. Vehicles can then be assigned correctly to their purchases before their sales are processed.

Cash book

The digital cash book, under Accounting, Cash book, records every cash transaction automatically from invoices containing a cash portion and from manual entries. On first use, configure it with an opening balance and opening date.

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Cash book with KPI cards and transaction table
Cash book with monthly KPIs and automatic entries from cash invoices

Important

Transactions dated before the opening date are not recorded. A cash invoice imported later with a date before the effective date therefore does not affect the cash book.

Tasks and mandatory documents

Autaxo creates tasks automatically when tax-relevant documents are missing, such as an invoice, a confirmation of arrival (Gelangensbestätigung) for an EU sale, or an MRN document for an export to a third country. Each task’s action button takes you directly to the solution.

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Task list showing missing mandatory documents
Automatically generated tasks for missing mandatory documents

Important

Without a confirmation of arrival or export evidence, the tax exemption is retroactively lost. Tasks remain active until the document is available and cannot be closed manually.

VAT ID validation

Under VAT ID Validation, you will find the complete history of VIES queries, including their status, validated or invalid, and a downloadable PDF confirmation for each query.

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VAT ID validation history with PDF downloads
Validation history with each confirmation available as audit-ready PDF evidence

Tip

In a dispute, the PDF confirms that the VAT ID was valid on the sale date. Queries from customer and invoice workflows are added here automatically.

DATEV and vehicle trading register

The DATEV export, under Export, DATEV, shows for each month whether all accounting entries and documents were transferred to “DATEV Unternehmen online.” The accounting-data service automatically sends revenue, debit and credit entries, accounts, BU keys, document numbers and posting texts to the tax adviser.

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DATEV export with monthly transfer status
DATEV monthly transfer status for Unternehmen online

Under Export, More, export the audit-ready vehicle trading register (Kfz-Handelsbuch) for any date range as CSV or XLSX, including all purchase and sale data for each vehicle.

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Export dialog for the vehicle trading register
Vehicle trading register export for a selectable date range

Important

German law requires the vehicle trading register, and it must be available during a tax audit. Autaxo maintains it automatically.

Document templates

Under Settings, Templates, customize every contract. Autaxo includes 16 predefined templates, one for every combination of deal type, customer type and tax treatment. When you create a document from a deal, Autaxo automatically selects the matching template.

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Template overview with filters for deal type, customer type and tax treatment
16 standard templates filterable by deal type, customer type and tax treatment

In the editor, use a rich-text editor and dynamic variables for vehicle, customer, dealer and price data, which are filled automatically for each document. Insert ready-made blocks for vehicle data, a price box, terms and conditions, ZDK conditions and signature lines with one click.

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Template editor with dynamic variables and content blocks
Editor with dynamic variables and reusable content blocks

Separately, manage invoice text templates under Settings, Invoices: short snippets such as reduced warranty periods or installment payment language, which you insert while creating an invoice with “+ Text block.”

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Invoice text template management
Reusable text blocks for invoices

Carlo AI

Carlo is your AI assistant, available from the button in the top-right corner as a sidebar on desktop and full-screen chat on mobile. Carlo can both answer specialist questions about Section 25a, margin scheme taxation, GoBD, confirmations of arrival and mobile.de, and perform actions, such as creating a customer or changing a vehicle status.

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Carlo AI chat with a specialist question and system action
Carlo answers specialist questions and performs actions after confirmation

Tip

Carlo never performs an action without your approval. It first shows a summary of the planned action with “Approve” and “Reject.” Nothing happens until you confirm, keeping a human in the loop.

AI Photo Studio

Open the Photo Studio from “Open Photo Studio” in the vehicle record. Upload phone photos and AI isolates the vehicle, then places it in a professional showroom that you can create with your own text prompt, such as “dark luxury showroom with warm lighting.” Once generated, a showroom can be reused for any number of vehicles.

Important

The vehicle is not retouched: scratches, dents and stickers remain. Only the background is replaced, and shadows are generated automatically. Switching to a different showroom is free.

Settings and integrations

Under Settings, Details, maintain all information that appears on invoices, contracts and in your showroom: core company details, tax information, address, bank details and logo.

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Dealer details in Settings
Dealer details are the basis for every document

Connect mobile.de

Under Integrations, mobile.de, enter your API credentials and use “Import from Mobile” to import your full inventory, including images and equipment.

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mobile.de integration with API credentials
Connect mobile.de and import your inventory

Configure DATEV

Under Integrations, DATEV, first configure the master data, including adviser and client numbers, chart of accounts and profit-determination method. Then connect the accounting-data service using DATEV SmartLogin and its QR code.

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DATEV integration with master data and accounting-data service
DATEV master data and accounting-data service

Important

The DATEV accounting-data service will not work without correctly configured master data, especially the adviser and client numbers. Your tax adviser provides this data.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to set the margin scheme under Section 25a manually?

No. Autaxo identifies the tax treatment automatically from the customer type, customer country and original purchase. You can override it manually in the deal if necessary.

How do I import my mobile.de inventory?

Go to Settings, Integrations, mobile.de, enter your API credentials and select “Import from Mobile.” All vehicles, including images and equipment, are imported.

Does AI image enhancement retouch my vehicle?

No. The vehicle remains unchanged: scratches, dents and stickers are preserved. Only the background is replaced with a showroom.

Which DATEV charts of accounts does Autaxo support?

SKR 03, SKR 04 and SKR 51. Your tax adviser provides the master data, such as adviser and client numbers.

Ready to try Autaxo yourself?

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