The bottom line: Selling your used car yourself online usually gets you more than a dealer pays. You do the work: you answer the messages and show the car until someone buys it.
A dealer makes about $1,409 on each used car it sells, before its running costs, The Presidio Group reports. When you sell the car yourself, some of that money stays with you.
The best sites to sell it yourself are Facebook Marketplace, for a local private sale, and Cars.com, for a listing that costs nothing, even when the car sells. Autotrader charges for the ad and takes a fee on the sale, but checks each buyer’s identity for you.
If you’d rather not sell it yourself, Carvana buys newer cars online and Peddle buys older ones.
Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool gets you several instant offers at once.
Convenience for newer cars
Instant offer, drop-off or pickup
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Offer amount 35% 5/5
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Process ease 20% 5/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 4/5
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Payment speed 15% 4/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Offer online, then drop the car off or book a pickup
- Offer holds seven days
- Pays off your loan out of the offer
Cost to you
- A pickup can carry a fee, shown before you book
Watch out for
- A lapsed offer can come back lower
- No pickup in some areas, so check before you accept
Older cars, any condition
Instant offer, free towing
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Offer online for any car, with no inspection first
- Up to seven days to accept the offer
- Company check at pickup, or a bank transfer
Cost to you
- Free, with towing included
Watch out for
- Price cuts at pickup are the top complaint
- Charge the battery and film the car starting
Junk and damaged cars
Online offer, free towing
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Get an offer online or by phone
- Free pickup at a time that suits you
- Paid by check or cash when the car is picked up
Cost to you
- Free to use, with no fees
- Free towing wherever the car is
Watch out for
- Offer can change at pickup if the car doesn't match
- Even a small windshield crack counts as not intact
Free private listings
Private listing
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Buyer reach 25% 4/5
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Safety features 25% 4/5
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Listing cost 20% 5/5
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Time to sell 15% 3/5
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Ease of listing 15% 4/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- You list the car and deal with buyers yourself
- Optional checkout does the paperwork and DMV filing
Cost to you
- Free to list and free when it sells
- Checkout costs $95 with a loan, a title not in your name, or a price under $1,000
Watch out for
- Without the checkout, the paperwork and payment are yours
Local private sales
Private listing, local buyers
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Buyer reach 25% 5/5
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Safety features 25% 3/5
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Listing cost 20% 5/5
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Time to sell 15% 4/5
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Ease of listing 15% 5/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- You list it and meet local buyers
- Messages, test drives and paperwork are yours
Cost to you
- Your time: the messages, the payment and the paperwork
Watch out for
- Meet in a public place
- Take the money at your bank
A cheap local listing
Private listing, local buyers
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Buyer reach 25% 5/5
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Safety features 25% 1/5
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Listing cost 20% 5/5
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Time to sell 15% 3/5
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Ease of listing 15% 3/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- You post the ad and answer buyers yourself
- Ad stays up for 30 days
- Meet local buyers in person to get paid
Cost to you
- Costs $5 to list a car you own
- Each repost costs another $5
Watch out for
- Scams like fake cashier's checks and overpayment
- You meet strangers, so pick a public place
A checked buyer for a pricier car
Private listing, buyers checked
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Buyer reach 25% 4/5
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Safety features 25% 5/5
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Listing cost 20% 2/5
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Time to sell 15% 3/5
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Ease of listing 15% 3/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- You list the car, and Autotrader checks each buyer's identity
- The buyer pays through its checkout, Private Seller Exchange
Cost to you
- An ad at $9, $29 or $49, set by your asking price
- Plus 0.99% of the sale, $99 at the least
Watch out for
- You pay twice: for the ad and on the sale
- Never take a check or cash from a stranger
An online offer on a newer car
Online offer, picks up
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Offer amount 35% 5/5
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Process ease 20% 3/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 5/5
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Payment speed 15% 5/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Offer online, valid for 7 days
- Picks the car up from you, in every state
- Paid by bank transfer after pickup
Cost to you
- Driveway can lower the offer after you send its inspection photos
Watch out for
- May turn down a car over 20 years old or with high miles
- Keep another offer open until it collects the car
An offer from a local dealer
Dealer offer
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Offer amount 35% 3/5
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Process ease 20% 2/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 1/5
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Payment speed 15% 3/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Offer online from a local dealer that takes part
- Good for 7 days at those dealers
- The dealer inspects the car before buying it
Cost to you
- The dealer can lower the offer after its inspection
Watch out for
- Kelley Blue Book doesn't buy the car itself
- The offer can be less than its own trade-in value
Offers from local dealers
Dealer offers
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Offer amount 35% 4/5
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Process ease 20% 3/5
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Offer validity 15% 3/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 4/5
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Payment speed 15% 4/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Local dealers bid on your car
- Drive it to the dealer whose offer you take
Cost to you
- Your drive to the dealer you choose
Watch out for
- The offer ends after 7 days or 250 more miles
- It's final only after the dealer's inspection
Enthusiast and collector cars
Auction
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Audience match 30% 5/5
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Sale price potential 25% 4/5
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Listing cost / fees 20% 5/5
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Process transparency 15% 5/5
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Time to sell 10% 4/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Auctions cars that car fans want, from the 1980s on
- Its team writes your listing
- SafePay can hold the buyer's money until the sale is done
Cost to you
- Free to list, and the buyer pays the 5% fee
- Optional photos by its team, $199 to $329
- SafePay costs $198, or $297 with a loan
Watch out for
- It turns some cars down
Collector and enthusiast cars
Auction
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Audience match 30% 5/5
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Sale price potential 25% 5/5
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Listing cost / fees 20% 3/5
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Process transparency 15% 4/5
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Time to sell 10% 3/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Submit your car, and BaT picks which cars it lists
- A specialist writes the listing for a 7-day auction
- You and the winner arrange payment, usually by wire
Cost to you
- A $99 listing fee, only if your car is accepted
- The buyer pays a 5% fee on top, at least $250
Watch out for
- Bids may not reach your lowest price
- No cancelling, and no other ads, once it's live
A firm offer online
Online offer, store or pickup
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Offer amount 35% 3/5
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Process ease 20% 3/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 4/5
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Payment speed 15% 2/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Firm offer online in minutes, good for 7 days
- Take it to any store, or book a home pickup
- Paid the same day by bank draft, a check you deposit
Cost to you
- A home pickup can carry a fee
Watch out for
- The offer can drop if the car doesn't match your answers
- Usually you report the sale to the DMV yourself
Auction or fixed price
Listing, buyers nationwide
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Buyer reach 25% 3/5
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Safety features 25% 4/5
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Listing cost 20% 3/5
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Time to sell 15% 4/5
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Ease of listing 15% 3/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Auction or fixed price, open to buyers nationwide
- Eligible sales use eBay's checkout, which holds the buyer's money
- Paid to your bank after the title or car is handed over
Cost to you
- Lists for $34, or $79 over $15,000
- A 2.8% fee on the buyer's deposit when it sells
Watch out for
- Winning bids aren't binding, so a buyer can walk away
- The listing fee is kept if the car doesn't sell
Paid on the spot at a branch
Valuation online, offer at a branch
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Offer amount 35% 4/5
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Process ease 20% 3/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 3/5
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Payment speed 15% 4/5
How it works and what it costs
How you sell
- Online valuation, then an inspection at a branch
- A home visit instead of a branch in some areas
- Paid the same day by check, Zelle or bank transfer
Cost to you
- A paperwork fee, such as titling, can apply
- A small fee for an electronic transfer
Watch out for
- The offer can change after the in-person inspection
- Only 86 branches, all in 12 states
Automated assistant: general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
Compare Instant Offers
How Does Selling a Car Online Actually Work?
You either list the car and sell it privately on a listing site, where buyers find the car, or take an instant offer from a company that buys it.
Selling privately means you set the price, answer the messages, show the car and do the paperwork. An instant offer is a price online in minutes, and the company collects the car or has you drop it off.
In a Cox Automotive survey, three in four used-car buyers shopped on a third-party listing site, against about a quarter on social media.
Where used-car buyers look 770 used-car buyers surveyedShow the numbers
Channel Share of used buyers Third-party sites 77% Dealership sites 60% Search engines 41% Online used retailers 34% Social media 26% Automaker sites 22% AI tools 11% 
List on a listing site as well as Facebook Marketplace, not on Facebook Marketplace alone.
What Are the Best Sites to Sell a Used Car Online?
Best for Convenience: Carvana
Carvana buys newer running cars, with pickup in some areas
- Offer holds seven days
- Pays off your loan out of the offer
- Check, direct deposit or credit toward your next car
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Offer amount 35% 5/5
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Process ease 20% 5/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 4/5
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Payment speed 15% 4/5
Carvana makes its offer online, and you drop the car off or book a pickup where it offers one. A pickup can carry a fee, which you see before you book.
Some sellers whose offer ran out got a lower one when they asked again. Others found out only when booking that Carvana doesn’t pick up where they live, so check that before you accept. Our Carvana review has the detail.
Best for Older Vehicles: Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Buys cars without a title
- Company check at pickup, or a bank transfer
- Tow company contacts you within 1 business day
- Free towing
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
Peddle quotes any car, in any condition, with no inspection before the offer. You have up to seven days to accept it.
Price cuts at pickup were the most common complaint about Peddle with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), most often over a car that wouldn’t start or a mileage display that wouldn’t light up. Charge the battery, photograph the lit mileage display and film the car starting before the truck comes. Our Peddle review goes through those complaints.
Best Free Listing Site: Cars.com
List your car free on Cars.com or get an instant offer from a dealer
- Free to list and free when it sells
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Buyer reach 25% 4/5
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Safety features 25% 4/5
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Listing cost 20% 5/5
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Time to sell 15% 3/5
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Ease of listing 15% 4/5
On Cars.com you sell the car yourself. Its optional checkout, run by a company called Caramel, does the paperwork and the DMV filing. It’s free to most sellers, but costs $95 if there’s a loan on the car, the title isn’t in your name, or the price is under $1,000.
Without the checkout, the paperwork and the payment are yours to handle.
Best for Local Private Sales: Facebook Marketplace
With Facebook Marketplace you sell your car directly to local buyers
- Sell directly to local buyers
- Buyers message you on Marketplace first
- Post in local buy/sell groups
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Buyer reach 25% 5/5
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Safety features 25% 3/5
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Listing cost 20% 5/5
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Time to sell 15% 4/5
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Ease of listing 15% 5/5
On Facebook Marketplace every message, test drive, payment and piece of paperwork is yours. Meet in a public place, and take the money at your bank.
Best for Safe Private Sales: Autotrader
Autotrader's exchange takes the buyer's payment and does the title paperwork
- Every buyer's identity checked
- Listed on Kelley Blue Book too
- Free AutoCheck history report
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Buyer reach 25% 4/5
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Safety features 25% 5/5
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Listing cost 20% 2/5
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Time to sell 15% 3/5
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Ease of listing 15% 3/5
Autotrader charges you twice: $9, $29 or $49 for the ad, set by your asking price, and a fee of 0.99% of the sale, $99 at the least, which pays for the buyer check and the checkout. On a $20,000 car that fee is $198.
Have the buyer pay through Autotrader’s own checkout, Private Seller Exchange, so you never take a check or cash from a stranger.
Best for an Online Offer on a Newer Car: Driveway
Driveway buys cars online, collects them and pays into your bank
- Offer valid for 7 days
- Picks the car up from you
- Paid by bank transfer after pickup
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Offer amount 35% 5/5
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Process ease 20% 3/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 5/5
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Payment speed 15% 5/5
Driveway makes an offer online and buys in every state, Alaska and Hawaii included. It may turn down a car over 20 years old, one with high mileage, or one with major damage or a title problem.
Some sellers say Driveway turned the car down after they had accepted its offer. Others say it lowered the offer at pickup. Keep another offer open until Driveway collects the car. Our Driveway review has the detail.
Best for an Offer From a Local Dealer: Kelley Blue Book
Kelley Blue Book has guided car values since 1926
- Offer good for 7 days at dealers that take part
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Offer amount 35% 3/5
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Process ease 20% 2/5
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Offer validity 15% 4/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 1/5
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Payment speed 15% 3/5
Kelley Blue Book doesn’t buy the car itself: a dealer that pays to take part in its program does. The dealer inspects the car first, and can lower the offer if the car doesn’t match what you entered.
The offer can be less than Kelley Blue Book’s own trade-in value for the car. Our Kelley Blue Book review has the detail.
Best for Multiple Competing Offers: CarGurus
CarGurus compares instant offers from local dealers side by side
- Several dealer offers at once
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Offer amount 35% 4/5
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Process ease 20% 3/5
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Offer validity 15% 3/5
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Pickup / drop-off 15% 4/5
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Payment speed 15% 4/5
CarGurus doesn’t buy the car. Local dealers bid, and you drive it to the one whose offer you take, where they inspect it before the offer is final.
The offer runs out after seven days or 250 more miles, whichever comes first, so don’t put miles on the car while you decide.
Best for Enthusiast and Collector Cars: Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids auctions cool modern and late-model enthusiast cars
- Free to list
- Buyer pays the 5% fee
- Its team writes your listing
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Audience match 30% 5/5
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Sale price potential 25% 4/5
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Listing cost / fees 20% 5/5
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Process transparency 15% 5/5
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Time to sell 10% 4/5
Cars & Bids auctions cars that car fans want, from the 1980s on. It turns some cars down.
Its team can photograph the car for $199 to $329, if you want. If you use its SafePay service, it holds the buyer’s money until the sale is done. It costs $198, or $297 with a loan, and you and the buyer agree who pays.
Can You Sell a Car on More Than One Site at Once?
Yes. Get an instant offer first, then list the car on Cars.com and Facebook Marketplace for more than that offer. Remove every ad the day you sell.
Before you list, have the title, the maintenance records and a value from a free car value tool ready, and write a description that names the faults.
If you can choose when to sell, read the best time to sell a car first.
After the sale, file your state’s release of liability, the form that tells the state the car is no longer yours. Our guides cover the paperwork for a private sale, sales tax and selling to a buyer in another state.
How Do You Sell a Car Online Safely?
Take the money through the site’s own checkout where it has one, or at your bank. Meet in a public place in daylight, and bring a friend to the test drive.
Walk away from a buyer who:
- Wants to buy without seeing the car
- Offers more than you asked
- Insists on a wire transfer or a money order
- Won’t show ID before a test drive
- Pushes you to decide fast
Walk away from a buying site that:
- Asks you to pay a fee up front, before it buys your car
- Has no phone number or business address
- Has few reviews, or mostly bad ones
Which Site to Sell a Used Car Online Is Right for You?
- The most money: list it yourself on Cars.com or Facebook Marketplace
- Dealer offers: CarGurus, or Kelley Blue Book’s offer from a local dealer
- Selling 100% online: Carvana or Driveway
- An older car: Peddle
- Damage or a broken engine: Wheelzy or Peddle
- Enthusiast car: Cars & Bids or Bring a Trailer
- A checked buyer for a pricier car: Autotrader
- Junk or wrecked: see the best online junk car buyers
On a cheaper car, a free local listing makes most sense, because a listing fee takes a bigger share of the price. On a pricier car, Autotrader’s identity check and payment handling are worth its fee.
Which Sites to Sell a Used Car Online Are Free?
Peddle and Wheelzy charge you nothing to sell. WeBuyAnyCar can charge a paperwork fee, and at Carvana and CarMax a pickup can cost extra.
Cars.com and Cars & Bids are free to list on. Craigslist charges $5 to list a car you own. Bring a Trailer charges $99 if it accepts your car. Autotrader and eBay Motors charge for the ad, and Autotrader also takes 0.99% of the sale.
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell a car online if I still owe money on it?
Yes, but the lender holds the title, so the loan has to be paid off before the title can go to the buyer. If a buyer pays your lender for you, keep making your own payments until the lender confirms the loan is paid off. Carvana paying a lender late, or paying the wrong one, is one of the problems its sellers report most.
In a private sale the buyer has to trust that the lender will release the title after the buyer pays you, so if your lender has a branch, do the handover there.
Article Update History
Each site's fees, payment and pickup checked against its own pages, and seller reports read on the BBB, Trustpilot and Google.
Each platform's process, fees and accepted cars checked and brought up to date.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"$1,409, dealer gross on a used car" Accessed Sep. 11, 2026
"Where used-car buyers look" Accessed Sep. 11, 2026
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