Best Websites To Sell Your Car Online (2023 Review) - MarketWatch

*To rank these companies, we considered these factors: Industry standing, platform features, cash offer value, support services and customer experience

We'll cover each of our top picks for the best sites to sell a car online in detail in the sections below. While we received offers from each company, we didn't always use the same vehicle to get a quote. That's because Peddle and Copart specialize in buying older vehicles, while the other companies buy newer cars. Our team received cash offers for a 2016 Chevy Equinox from sites that buy newer cars and offers for a 2007 Toyota Camry from Peddle and Copart.

#1 Cars.com: Editor's Choice

Services offered: Car buying and selling
2016 Chevy Equinox offer: $8,275 to $10,575

Cars.com is our pick for the best website to sell your car online. The company has been around since 1998 and is a household name when it comes to selling your car. We found the experience of getting an offer was fast and easy. Cars.com also has an A+ rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which shows it works with customers to resolve complaints.

How Selling a Car to Cars.com Works

Cars.com offers two ways to sell your car. You can sell your car to a dealer in the Cars.com network or list it on Cars.com and sell it to a private buyer for free.

With the first option, you provide information about your vehicle and then get a range for your instant cash offer. If you like the offer, you can continue the process and redeem the offer at a local dealer in the Cars.com network. You can sell your car outright or trade it in for another vehicle there.

With the second option, you can make a free listing on the Cars.com marketplace. People in your area can see your listing and contact you about the vehicle. It's up to you to protect yourself and make sure the buyer is legit.

Read More: Cars.com Review

#2 Carvana: Most Seamless Process

Services offered: Car selling, buying, financing and warranties
2016 Chevy Equinox offer: $9,911

We can't talk about the best websites to sell your car online without mentioning Carvana, which was founded in 2012. The company's name is synonymous with selling a car online because it offers fully digital service from start to finish.

Carvana offered us $9,911 for a 2016 Chevy Equinox. While that was in the lower range of cash offers we received for the vehicle, it was still reasonable. Many of Carvana's customers were happy to sell their cars to the company, as evidenced by the more than 8,600 reviews that give it an average of 4.2 out of 5.0 stars on Trustpilot.

How Selling a Car to Carvana Works

With Carvana, you can get a cash offer, accept the offer and possibly even sell your car without leaving home. Before the offer can move on to a sale, however, a Carvana representative will inspect your vehicle. Depending on where you live, the inspection can be done at your house, a Carvana site or halfway between your home and a Carvana site.

Once the vehicle has been accepted, you can either have it picked up or drop it off at a Carvana site. Carvana pays by certified check or direct deposit. The second option can take two to five business days.

Carvana has 38 physical locations, so you can take your car to one of them to sell it or trade it in. Trade-ins work just like sales do with Carvana, and they can often be done remotely. This means you can get an offer online and use that as a credit toward your next vehicle as you shop on the site.

If you do a trade-in, Carvana will bring your new car and take the old one away. However, you might have to bring your car to a Carvana location or meet a representative at another place if your address is outside the service area. Carvana may charge you if they have to bring a trailer and pick up your vehicle.

Carvana's offer is good for seven days. After that, you may get a different offer from the company. In our experience, Carvana will keep emailing updated offers periodically if you don't sell your car to the company.

Read More: Carvana Review

#3 Peddle: Good Choice for Older Vehicles

Services offered: Car selling
2007 Toyota Camry offer: $820

If you have an older vehicle that's taking up space on your property, we recommend checking Peddle out. The company buys old and junk cars across the country, whether they run or not.

Perhaps you've tried getting an offer from Cars.com or Carvana but got a message saying the vehicle was too old or had too much damage. You won't get that message from Peddle. According to Peddle, the company has bought more than 2 million vehicles.

Most Peddle reviews show customers have a great experience. The company has a 4.6-star average rating on Trustpilot from more than 120,000 reviews.

How Selling a Car to Peddle Works

Peddle's car-selling process is similar to Carvana's. You input information about your vehicle, including its make, model, year and vehicle identification number. Since Peddle buys junk cars, it'll also ask if the tires are inflated or if any parts have been removed from the car.

Once you finish the questionnaire, you'll get a cash offer that's good for seven days. If you accept the offer, Peddle will send a tow truck to pick your vehicle up from your home. The driver will do a quick inspection and then pay you with a check (or cash in some cases).

Read More: Peddle Review

#4 CarMax: Great Value

Services offered: Car selling, buying, financing and warranties
2016 Chevy Equinox offer: $12,000

Out of all the car-selling websites we compared, CarMax gave us the best price for our 2016 Chevy Equinox. If you're looking to get top dollar for your used vehicle, it's definitely a good idea to check CarMax out. The company has an A+ rating from the BBB and has been in business since 1993.

How Selling a Car to CarMax Works

CarMax works a bit differently from other car-selling websites. In reality, you can't fully sell your car online. You can get an instant cash offer for your vehicle, but you have to go to a CarMax location to finalize the deal. Offers are valid for seven days.

The offer is contingent on an inspection. In our experience, this inspection is fairly quick and won't bring any surprises if you answered the questionnaire truthfully.

You can sell your car to CarMax or trade it in for another vehicle the dealer has in stock. CarMax can buy your car if you have an auto loan, but you'll need to bring payoff information from your lender.

The following places don't have CarMax locations:

• Alaska
• Arkansas
• Hawaii
• Montana
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Vermont
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

Read More: CarMax Review

#5 Copart: Quick Payments

Services offered: Car buying and selling
2007 Toyota Camry offer: $846.55

Copart is another option for selling an older car that may or may not run. The company holds auctions for the auto industry and buys older cars directly from consumers across the country. It's a good pick if you want to scrap a car for cash. Copart owns CashForCars.com, which also buys cars from consumers.

How Selling a Car to Copart Works

You can get an instant cash offer from Copart using its online form. Start by entering your VIN or the year, make and model of your vehicle. The online calculator works for most vehicles, but some situations might require a representative to review your information.

Copart's cash offer for a 2007 Toyota Camry was $26.55 more than Peddle's offer for the same vehicle. Considering the offers were so close, both are solid choices if you're looking to sell an older vehicle.

If you accept the offer, Copart will send a tow truck to pick your car up from your home. The driver will do a quick inspection to make sure the car matches the description. You'll get less money if something's missing, like the catalytic converter or a door panel.

#6 CarGurus: Easy-To-Use Platform

Services offered: Car selling, buying and financing
2016 Chevy Equinox offer: $11,123

CarGurus is next on our list of the best websites to sell your car online. You can sell your car to CarGurus or list it on the company's marketplace for a $4.95 fee. We received a great offer of $11,123 for a 2016 Chevy Equinox from the online dealer, which was the second highest offer after CarMax.

How Selling a Car to CarGurus Works

The CarGurus platform is simple and easy to use. It took our team about five minutes to get an instant offer. Unlike some other sites, it requires you to provide your VIN or license plate number to give you an offer — you can't just select your car's make and model.

Offers from CarGurus are valid for seven days or until you drive an additional 250 miles, whichever comes first. If you like the offer, you can schedule a pickup date for CarGurus to retrieve your vehicle. While CarGurus works with a network of dealers, it's nice to not have to leave your home to sell your car with the company.

The instant offer option isn't available in the following states:

• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

You can also list your car privately on CarGurus to try to get a better price. The platform makes it easy to create a listing and upload photos to attract buyers. The listing fee to sell a car on the site is $4.95.

#7 Vroom: Simple Process

Services offered: Car selling, buying, financing and warranties
2016 Chevy Equinox offer: $9,970

Our final recommendation for the best car-selling online platform is Vroom. The online dealer has been in business since 2013. You can buy a new car, sell your car or trade your car in with Vroom. You can sell your car online to Vroom in any state or visit one of its physical locations in Texas.

How Selling a Car to Vroom Works

To sell your car to Vroom, start by entering your car's VIN or its plate number and your state in the online form. Once you provide your information and details about your car's condition, you'll get an instant offer.

Vroom's offer is good for seven days or 250 additional miles, whichever comes first. To move forward, you'll upload photos of your ID and registration. Your ID must be valid for at least 14 days after you receive and sign the contract.

If everything looks good, Vroom will schedule a free vehicle pickup at your location. After your car is picked up, you can choose whether to be paid through direct deposit in a bank account or a check sent via overnight mail.

Vroom doesn't purchase vehicles in these states:

• ​​Alaska
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Montana
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Wyoming