Best sites to sell a car online

Written by:
Headshot of David Heiling, Editorial Lead at Intuit Credit Karma Edited by:
Updated
•7 min read
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Key Takeaway: The best site to sell your car online depends on your priorities: Carvana or CarMax can work well for a fast cash offer with pickup; CarGurus might be good if you want competing dealer offers; Autotrader or eBay Motors can have the widest reach when you list it yourself; and consider Facebook Marketplace if you want to sell locally without a listing fee.

If you’re selling your car, using an online platform can be a convenient way to list your vehicle and reach buyers beyond your immediate area. On some sites, you may also be able to get a cash offer without writing a full listing or waiting on a single dealer bid.

How does selling a car online work?

There are two main paths for selling a car online: using an instant-offer service or listing on a marketplace.

Why use an instant-offer service?

Use an instant-offer service if your priorities are convenience and a quick payout. You can drive your vehicle to the company’s nearest location for an appraisal — there’s no need to prepare an ad or field offers. If your car is approved for purchase, you may be able to get a check for it on the same day. But you may not get as much for your car as you would’ve if you’d fielded multiple offers from private buyers.

Why use a marketplace listing?

The key advantage of a marketplace listing is that it allows you to cast a wide net and reach a large pool of buyers. By doing so, you may receive multiple offers, giving you the chance to compare options and sell to the highest bidder. Keep in mind, though, that with this approach, you’ll have to spend time preparing a listing for your vehicle and evaluating offers when they come in.

Best sites to sell a car online

Autotrader: Great for getting eyes on your listing

Here’s why: Autotrader is a website that specializes in helping people buy and sell new, used and certified-used vehicles. The site is an excellent resource if you’re looking to sell or trade in your car, offering many tips to help you navigate the selling process.

  • Free vehicle history report — A vehicle history report offers insight into a car’s background. If your car has a clean history, this report can be a valuable selling tool. Autotrader offers a free report with each listing.
  • Buyers can obtain financing for their purchase — Autotrader partners with lenders to help buyers secure financing if needed. That could broaden your pool of buyers, making it easier to sell your car. 
  • Assistance with selling financed cars with outstanding loan balances — If you’re selling a financed car and still owe money on the loan, Autotrader will work with you, the buyer, and the lien holder to help coordinate the sale and lien payoff.

CarGurus: Great for a quick offer

Here’s why: CarGurus is a dealer-network service — it finds and compares offers from local dealers rather than buying your car directly like Carvana or CarMax. You’ll see the best dealer bids in your local market.

  • Useful pricing guidance — Once you’ve provided details such as your car’s vehicle identification number, or VIN, mileage and condition, CarGurus can give an estimate of the car’s market value. That data can help you make an informed decision when pricing your car.
  • Same-day payment — If the dealer has inspected your car and verified the offer, you may be eligible for same-day payment. 

Facebook Marketplace: Great for selling to a private party

Here’s why: Facebook Marketplace could be helpful if you’re interested in selling your car to a private party and want to target a specific audience.

  • No listing fee — Facebook Marketplace typically doesn’t charge sellers a listing fee for vehicle posts.
  • Target specific groups of potential buyers — Facebook Marketplace allows you to list your car publicly to everyone on Facebook, but you can also post a private listing to one or more of the site’s groups. A private group listing allows you to pitch your car to a specific audience, which can be valuable if you have a vehicle that’s popular with a niche group of potential buyers.

eBay Motors: Great for marketing your vehicle to a large audience

Here’s why: eBay Motors is an online marketplace where you can list vehicles to buyers across the country. 

  • Sell by auction or fixed-price listing — eBay Motors gives you different options for marketing your vehicle. With the auction-style listing format, buyers can bid on your vehicle, with the sale going to the highest bidder. The fixed-price format lets you list your car at your chosen price, and the Best Offer feature lets buyers submit an offer in response to your starting price.
  • Free vehicle history report with each listing — If you list fewer than seven vehicles per calendar year, you get a free vehicle history report with each listing.

Carvana: Great for no-hassle selling

Here’s why: After you’ve shared the necessary details about your vehicle, Carvana will extend an offer within minutes without haggling or hassles.

  • Quick payment — Carvana will pay you on the spot if your vehicle is approved for purchase after an on-site review.
  • Vehicle pickup — Carvana offers vehicle pickup for customers in specific locations for an additional service charge.

CarMax: Great for same-day payment

Here’s why: If you take CarMax’s offer on the spot, you have the option to leave with a check in your hand — or you can consider the offer for the next seven days.

  • Online and in-store appraisals are the same — Whether you want to go to a CarMax facility to get your appraisal or input your car’s info from the comfort of your own home, CarMax uses the same appraisal criteria, so your offer will be consistent.
  • Selling a leased car — CarMax will buy vehicles that are leased from select companies.

How can I avoid scams when selling my car online?

You can avoid scams by being aware of what common ones look like. A common one is the fake-check overpayment scam. Per the Federal Trade Commission, never accept a check for more than the asking price, never wire money to a buyer and don’t sign over the title until the payment clears.

In a fake-check overpayment scam, a potential buyer will say they’re interested in your car but aren’t local and can’t view it in person. They’ll send you a deposit check for more than you expected. They’ll say this overpayment was accidental and request that you refund them the difference. If you send the refund, you’ll find that the buyer’s original check was fraudulent and the buyer has disappeared with the money you sent them.

Here is some guidance to help you sell your car safely.

  • Verify cashier’s checks with the issuing bank. Some scams involve fraudulent cashier’s checks. If you’re paid via a cashier’s check, call or visit the bank that issued the check to verify it’s genuine.
  • Communicate with buyers via platform messaging. “Make sure you use the selling website’s tools that make a potential buyer communicate with you through the site’s interface,” says Brian Moody, executive editor for Autotrader. 
  • Meet in safe exchange zones. “Many police stations will let you use their parking lot for this purpose,” says Moody. 
  • Keep your personal information private. “Don’t give out your phone number or email address unless you personally know the person,” advises Moody. 

Our methodology: How we picked these sites

We used five main criteria for picking these sites: listing fees, payment speed, payment and pickup handling, audience reach and seller protections. We chose these criteria because we believe they are vital to ensuring an efficient, quick, and safe car sale.

  • Listing fees: Listing fees can cut into your profit when selling a car, so we took a look at how much each platform charges you to use their services. 
  • Payment speed: Some platforms pay you directly, with payment taking place as quickly as the same day. Others connect you with potential buyers. 
  • Payment and pickup handling: Some platforms pay you directly and allow you to drop off the car at their office. Others provide platform messaging that allows you to safely coordinate payment and pickup with private buyers
  • Audience reach: A platform’s audience reach should be a key consideration if selling via a marketplace listing. Our picks include established platforms with a wide reach. 
  • Seller protections: Our picks include platforms offering mechanisms to foster a safe selling experience. These mechanisms include platform messaging that allows you to communicate with potential buyers without sharing personal information. 

FAQs about selling a car online

The Federal Trade Commission recommends using safe public meeting spots, protecting your personal information and watching for scams like fake-check overpayments. Platforms with in-app messaging and verified exchange zones can also reduce risk.

Selling a car privately may pay more than a dealer buyout, but you’ll have to create a listing and field offers. Selling to a dealer-network buyer is often faster, though you may accept a lower offer. With a dealer-network buyer, you won’t have to list the vehicle, and you may be able to get same-day payment.

The main document needed to sell your car online is the car title. That document establishes you as the vehicle’s legal owner. If you still owe on the car, you may need to pay the outstanding balance to get the title from the lender. Check with your local DMV to see which other documents are required in your state.

The time it takes to sell a car online depends on the method. If you’re selling via an instant-offer service, you can get same-day payment. If you’re selling via a marketplace listing, it could take several days or weeks to find a buyer.

Bottom line

If speed and certainty matter, an instant-offer service (Carvana or CarMax) gets you paid within days. If you want top dollar and have a few weeks, a private listing on Autotrader, eBay Motors, or Facebook Marketplace may net you more, depending on your car and market. Either way: Get a value estimate first, gather your title, and contact your lender if you still owe on the car. If you need to finance your next car, you can explore auto loans on Credit Karma.