Selling your car to Carwow: tips, how to list and valuation process explained

Is Carwow a good place to sell your used car? We look at how the valuation process works and provide tips for getting a better price when selling online.

Selling your car online: your options

So you’ve decided to sell your car.

You have a few different options here.

For example, you could attempt to sell it yourself, listing it ‒ whether online or in your local newspaper ‒ and then going through the negotiation process with any interested buyers.

It can prove lucrative adopting this route, but equally, there is likely to be plenty of work involved.

A useful alternative is to make use of one of the many websites that allow you to sell your car swiftly to dealerships. One option here is to head over to Carwow.

While Carwow is perhaps best known as a useful place to buy a new car, it also offers a car selling service, allowing you to shift your old motor easily.

So let’s take a look at how selling your car on Carwow works.

But before you make any decision, be sure to read our reviews on webuyanycar, Auto Trader, Motorway and Gumtree to help you decide which is the best option for you. 

Selling to Carwow: how it works

Carwow promises to connect you with its network of over 3,000 carbuyers.

That’s a lot of dealerships who may be willing to cough up some decent cash for your car.

You start by uploading details about your car, like the registration plate and the mileage.

You’ll also need to confirm things like whether it has a sunroof, how satnav, the material of the interior, that sort of thing, as well as whether it has a full service history from a major dealer.

Next, there will be questions about the condition of the windscreen, the bonnet and the alloys, as well as the various sides of the car and the interior, while you will also be asked to upload some photos of your motor.

At this point, your car will be advertised to the various buyers who work with Carwow.

How the Carwow valuation works

Carwow itself doesn’t actually provide you with a valuation.

Instead, your listing will be sent out to the thousands of dealerships using the service.

It’s then up to you to sift through those offers and find the best deal.

Dealerships are well placed to have a good idea of what they could fetch by selling your car on, so obviously, you’ll never get the absolute most for your motor that you might if you got lucky selling it yourself.

However, as the dealerships know that they are competing with each other and want to nab your vehicle, it at least means you should enjoy some decent offers.

Once you select the offer you want to go with, the dealer will get in touch with you and arrange an appointment to come and inspect the vehicle.

Importantly, all of the negotiations are handled online ‒ they won’t try to haggle you down on price when they inspect the vehicle.

Getting a higher price for your car

The time of year that you’re selling your car will have an impact on the offers you receive.

There’s plenty of competition in September and March since that’s when the new licence plates arrive, meaning more people are selling off their old motors.

Think about the season as well: during the warmer months, more drivers are likely to be keen to snap up a convertible than during the winter when it’s chucking down every day, and so you could get a better price then.

But there are plenty of factors about the car itself that play a big part in the offers you get.

Carwow points out that age is a big one ‒ the older car, the lower the offer you’re likely to get.

If your car is approaching the five-year mark, consider selling it before its birthday: The Money Advice Service has previously pointed out that there’s a perception that cars are not as reliable after five years or 60,000 miles.

The condition of the car is really important too.

Remember, the dealers who may buy your car through Carwow want to sell it on themselves, so any flaws with the motor ‒ like cracks in the windshield, scratches and dents ‒ will have to be rectified before they can do that.

As a result, you may end up getting a better price by getting it fixed yourself before trying to sell it on through Carwow.

And of course, having a full service history always helps. Making sure your car is up to date, and has all of the relevant documentation, will ensure you get the best possible price.

Before you commit to selling, be sure to get a few quotes from a couple of Carwow's rivals so you can see how competitive the offer is. 

Follow one of these links to get a valuation from webuyanycar.com or Evans Halshaw, or enter your reg below to get one from Motorway (we may receive a small commission if you do sell through them, but this won't affect your quoted price).

Does Carwow charge any fees?

Thankfully, it won’t cost you a penny to sell your car with Carwow. Your listing is created absolutely free of charge.

Instead, it’s the dealer who buys your car through the platform that has to pay a fixed fee to Carwow.

Notify DVLA of the sale

It’s really important to notify the DVLA once you sell the car. You can do this by tearing off the bottom section of your V5C document and sending it to the DVLA, saying you’ve sold the car. You can also notify the DVLA online.

There are a couple of different reasons why it’s so crucial to do this.

First and foremost, it means that you may be able to get a refund on the car tax you’ve already paid for the year, and you can then devote that money towards taxing your new vehicle.

However, it also means that you won’t be held responsible for any future penalties incurred by the car ‒ you don’t want to be the one sent a speeding fine if the new owner has been snapped by speed cameras putting their feet down too much.

As well as the DVLA, you need to inform your car insurer that you’ve sold the car as well.

Still not sure what to do? Head this way for detailed reviews on selling a used car on webuyanycar, Auto Trader, Motorway and Gumtree.