Where to Sell My Car?

Photo: Brandon Bell / Staff via Getty Images News

Which is the best place to sell a car?

We might be biased, but if you ask us, the best place to sell a car is on Edmunds. Not only are you able to get an appraisal for your car, but you can also get instant offers from dealerships near you, plus you can even sell your car privately on Edmunds for free.

Ultimately, the best place to sell a vehicle is one that strikes a balance between the time you want to invest and the price you're willing to accept relative to the vehicle's market value. 

For instance, if you're after a quick or easy sale (or some combination of the two), a car-buying website will give you a solid return with minimal time and effort invested. Attempting to sell a car on your own may net more money, but it may also take a lot of time. You'll need to consider just how much effort you want to put into squeezing more out of the car you plan to sell. 

The good news is that you have dozens of options at your disposal. It can be tough to sort through them, so we've done some of the hard work for you. Here, we'll break down some of the most popular avenues to help you decide where to sell a car online. We also outline what you need to get ready to sell your car and some of the different ways you can go about it.  

Jump to:
Car shopping websites
Private-party websites
Who pays the best price for a car?
Where to sell my junk car?
Getting ready to sell my car online
Different ways to sell my car online

Car shopping websites

Edmunds: With just a few clicks, you can navigate your way to a top-dollar offer that’s good for up to seven days. Once you have your offer, you will be instructed to visit a dealership for a quick, free inspection. If the car passes muster, you’ll leave with a check shortly after.

CarMax: CarMax, which owns Edmunds.com, has been a leading player in the car-buying field for decades. With its nationwide chain of large retail locations, CarMax is convenient to just about everyone. You can get a value estimate online, then set an appointment at your nearest CarMax location to make the car-selling process as quick and painless as possible. 

In select cities, you may also be eligible for CarMax's pickup service; you won’t even need to leave home to sell your car! 

AutoNation: By leveraging its large network of car dealerships, AutoNation can make it fairly easy to sell your car. You can get an estimate online, but you will need to visit a specific AutoNation location in person — often just one or two in a major metro area — for a final inspection before you are paid. 

Cars.com: After entering some basic information into Cars.com’s car-buying tool, you'll get offers from nearby dealers that are good for three business days. As with other services, you’ll need to schedule your vehicle inspection within that short period, however. 

CarGurus: CarGurus has partnered with numerous car dealers across the country. Sellers can enter basic vehicle information and, within minutes, begin receiving email offers from dealers to buy their car. While CarGurus offers are good for a week, you’ll need to watch your mileage carefully. The site will void your offer if you drive more than 250 miles. 

Carvana: Though it may be best known for its "vending machine" structures, Carvana also buys cars. Generally, you can get a quote quickly on Carvana's website. In some cases, Carvana will inspect and pick up your car in person; in others, you may have to visit a physical location dedicated to car buying. Carvana offers both checks and ACH direct deposit payments. 

Kelley Blue Book: Also known as KBB, this site, once known only for determining car values, now offers a car-buying service with a seven-day instant offer. 

TrueCar: TrueCar's buying service looks a lot like its major rivals. The site connects your car to its network of car dealers — thousands across the country—and then presents you with the highest offers. One downside to TrueCar is that its offer is only valid for three days rather than the more common seven days. 

Private-party websites

There's a lot to consider when trying to sell a car by yourself. You may make more money than you would selling it to a dealer or a car-buying service, but you will also have to do more work. Whether it's worth the effort is up to you.

Also, you have to consider the used car market in your area. It's often more difficult for buyers to get a loan for a private-party purchase than it is for one through a dealership, so you may have a smaller pool of potential buyers. 

Here, let's look at some of the most common websites for selling a car yourself:

Edmunds: Edmunds has begun offering private-party listings. This avenue makes it convenient not only to get your car appraised to determine its value, but also to list it for sale online immediately. We use a third-party service that handles taking payment and any necessary paperwork for you.

Autotrader: Once a magazine sold on newsstands, Autotrader has evolved into a major classifieds site. Most of the cars listed on Autotrader are posted by dealers, though the site also has plenty of private-party listings. Ads currently cost upward of $25, and the site no longer works with Carfax vehicle history reports. 

Cars.com: In addition to its car-buying service, Cars.com allows users to list their own vehicles for sale. Users can post up to 30 photos, along with a relatively lengthy description of their car. Cars.com generally does not charge for private-party ads. 

Craigslist: You can buy and sell just about everything on Craigslist, including cars. To weed out scams, the site began charging $5 for car listings a few years ago. Today, sellers can upload two dozen photos and a lengthy description of their car. Craigslist is heavily used by dealers, which may make it somewhat tricky for a private-party sale to stand out. However, given its nominal cost and undeniably large audience, Craigslist remains a very popular site — and it can be a low-effort way to attempt to sell your car while you wait for a buying service offer.  

eBay: The online auction giant has an entire automotive section called eBay Motors. Sellers can post multiple photos and a lengthy description of their vehicles, and they may be eligible for a free AutoCheck history report. Sellers can choose an auction with or without a reserve as well as a fixed-price listing. Fee-wise, eBay Motors has several selling packages ranging from $19 and up, though you'll also be charged an additional 2.8% of the deposit the buyer pays when they begin the checkout process. 

Facebook Marketplace: Facebook's enormous marketplace is sort of like the internet's junk drawer; there's something for just about everyone. You can post an ad for free, though you may want to pay extra to "boost" it in order to get it in front of more eyes. Facebook's complicated algorithm does its best to put your ad in front of people searching for similar things. In other words, someone searching for a Nissan Rogue may also get ads for a Nissan Pathfinder and a Honda CR-V. 

Hemmings: If you have an older or collectible car, Hemmings may be a good place for it. The site combines auction and fixed-price listings in an easy-to-use format. While you might occasionally find a mainstream car, the site's audience is largely classic-car enthusiasts. 

Nextdoor: Though Nextdoor does not currently have a vehicle-specific category, its automotive section often includes many cars. Nextdoor will automatically generate an AI description of your vehicle, so you may want to add more details. Unfortunately, Nextdoor only has a 50-mile search radius, so those in rural or small metro areas may find it hard to reach a big audience.

PrivateAuto: This upstart is primarily an app-based platform for private-party sales. In addition to standard private-party listings, PrivateAuto says it can handle payments from buyers to sellers in many cases. Its primary downside may be the relatively limited number of vehicles on its platform. 

Bring a Trailer or Cars & Bids: Owners of enthusiast-oriented or collectible vehicles may want to consider auction platforms such as Bring a Trailer or Cars & Bids. Both sites work essentially the same way: For a small fee, they allow you to list certain vehicles for auction. These sites carefully curate the vehicles allowed on their platform, and they only accept listings with many high-quality photos. They'll also write the vehicle description for you to keep the playing field level. Only consider one of these sites, though, if the car you want to sell is the kind that will appeal to a collector or enthusiast. 

Who pays the best price for a car? 

There are too many variables to determine who pays the best price for a car, but in our experience, CarMax tends to offer a good balance of strong pricing and convenience. Selling the car yourself will often yield the best price, but it can take a lot of time and effort. Are you willing to put in the work?

What a car is truly worth depends on a variety of factors, including its condition and mileage, its trim level and options, and even its location. A two-wheel-drive pickup in Chicago may be a very tough sell since most buyers in the snowbelt want four-wheel drive; similarly, a convertible will probably do better in Miami than Seattle. 

Car shopping websites let you quickly compare their offers, though even then, the final price you get is subject to a final vehicle inspection.

Sellers of performance-oriented or collectible cars may do best with an online auction platform that reaches enthusiasts.

Conversely, those simply looking to junk an old car will probably find it easiest to sell their vehicle to a junkyard or through a car-buying service. 

Where to sell my junk car?

If you are trying to figure out where to sell your junk car, you will likely be inundated with "cash for junk cars" services promising top dollar. 

Numerous car-buying services will take an old non-running vehicle, though in most cases, you'll need to prove you are the owner. Generally, this means you'll need the vehicle's title.

Alternatively, some junkyards and car-buying services will pay you for a car even if you do not have the title. This varies greatly by state, and doing so typically requires signing an affidavit stating that, under penalty of law, you are legally allowed to dispose of the vehicle. Junkyards typically pay for a vehicle based on its weight, though in some instances, they may make exceptions. Typically, you will need to pay to have the vehicle brought to the junkyard, which can make it more expensive to sell a junk car, but some places may be willing to dispatch a tow truck to haul off a junk vehicle. 

You may want to consider listing a junk car on Facebook Marketplace; buyers may be willing to pick it up as a project or use some of its parts to repair their own vehicle. Craigslist also has an "auto parts" section where you can post a junk vehicle for free. 

Getting ready to sell my car online

Edmunds offers a complete 10-step guide for those who want to take a deep dive into selling their car. Regardless of where you choose to sell your car, you'll need to gather a few important items. First, you'll need the vehicle identification number (VIN), a 17-digit serial number that identifies your specific vehicle, or, in most cases, the license plate number. Then, you should be aware of important things like:

• The model year (e.g., 2022)
• The make, model and trim level (e.g., 2022 Toyota Corolla XLE)
• Any important features (e.g., Apple CarPlay, a sunroof and heated front seats)
• Any modifications (e.g., a backup camera or a trailer hitch)
• The status of its title (e.g., clear or salvage)
• Any payoff information if you do not own the vehicle outright
• The car's general condition, including any damage or prior repairs

Armed with this information, you can get a feel for what your car is worth by entering this information into Edmunds' appraisal tool. 

Different ways to sell my car online

There are a handful of different avenues you can take. We'll briefly describe each below. 

1. Trade the car in to the dealership you're buying from: This is the most common method that car shoppers use, as it offers the convenience of handling both transactions at once. It involves shopping for your next car, having that dealership appraise the one you want to trade in, and then concluding the deal. The downside is that it makes the day longer and adds some complexity to the car deal. 

2. Trade it in to a third-party dealership: This method gives you the flexibility to compare offers from different dealerships. There is always one dealership willing to pay more than another, so you can seek it out. While it makes for two transactions (trading in and buying the next car), it allows you to stay focused on a single price and spreads the time it would take over two shorter days versus one long one.

3. Sell the car yourself: This method is the most labor-intensive, but it has the potential to yield the most profit. It involves you listing the car on automotive classified sites, fielding calls and texts from prospective buyers, negotiating a final price, and taking payment.