Car buying sites
Complete guide to buying or selling a used car
Over the last ten years, we have dealt with most of the well-known car-buying websites in the UK.
In this guide, you’ll learn which car-buying services are trustworthy for selling your car.
Selling a car
Selling my car with a car-buying service
Why use a car-buying site? Selling your car on the internet is the new norm as our buying habits continue to move online.
Selling a car privately continues to shrink in popularity.
Selling at auction has never been much of a hit as it’s confusing, and auction fees are hefty.
Which is the best car-buying website to sell my car?
We have reviewed the well-known car buying comparison websites below based on car valuations, Trustpilot reviews and potential hidden fees. You can get a free online car valuation with any of these providers, but you need to give over your email address and/or phone number. You can unsubscribe right after the instant online value. To compare online valuations, we ran the same vehicle through the leading providers:
- Ford Focus TDCI Titanium Estate
- Year: 2016
- Mileage: 63,000
- Colour: White
- Fuel type: Diesel
Read below to see which service offered us the most. Or read our complete guide on selling a vehicle.
Motorway
This provider differs from the other four reviewed below.
Rather than entering your car into auction, Motorway sells your car directly to one of 5,000+ verified dealers.
Motorway shows you the dealer who is offering the most for your car. Almost all makes and models are sold regardless of mileage.
The transaction usually completes the same day with a home collection.
Motorway.co.uk website is simple to use.
Enter your car’s registration number and up-to-date mileage, and you’ll see how much your car is worth.
You are given the highest valuation by a group of dealers that want to buy your car.
From our tests, Motorway offered the most for our Ford Focus Estate:
- Motorway online offer: £8.239
- Fees: None
- Verdict: Valuation is higher than all the others
- Trustpilot reviews: 41,000 | Trustscore 4.6 out of 5.0
Our rating
8.5 Out of 10
We Buy Any Car
Well-known car-buying sites like We Buy Any Car have over 500 national branches where you can sell a car.
Unlike Motorway, they don’t offer home collection, but can settle any outstanding finance and pay you the difference.
It takes up to 4 days to get your money into your account from the sale.
They offer a next-day payment service costing £24.75 and same-day for £29.95 (unless the value of your car is less than £500).
Enter a vehicle registration number, mileage and postcode to get an online valuation.
- We Buy Any Car online offer: £8,180
- Fees: £29.95
- Final online offer after fees: £8,150.05
- Verdict: Lower online valuation than Motorway, delayed payment and mandatory fees
- Trustpilot reviews: 156,000 | Trustscore 4.7 out of 5.0
Our rating
6.5 Out of 10
We Want Any Car
This cash-for-cars website buys all types of vehicles, including those with MOT failures, accident damage or mechanical issues.
The site is easy to use, but you must give your postcode, email address and phone number to get an online valuation.
Our Ford Focus estate’s online valuation offer was over £200 less than the best we found.
- We Want Any Car online offer: £8,022
- Fees: £99 for vehicles sold over £100
- Final online offer: £7,923
- Verdict: Including their hidden administration charge, the final valuation was only £7,923
- Trustpilot reviews: 4,115 | Trustscore: 3.9 out of 5.0
Our rating
5.5 Out of 10
Jam Jar
The website is super simple to use. Refreshingly, we didn’t give over any personal information to get an online valuation.
Jam Jar like further vehicle details like MOT status, service history, confirming car colour and car mileage.
- Jam Jar offer: £8,091
- Fees: None
- Verdict: Our online offer came third overall and £200 less than Motorway.
- Trustpilot reviews: We couldn’t find Jam Jar on Trustpilot
Our rating
7.0 Out of 10
The Car Buying Group
Car Buying Group is the least known of our five car buying comparison site reviews.
The website is dated but easy to use. You’ll need a vehicle reg, email, and phone number to get an online valuation.
They will collect your car from home, and there are no hidden fees.
But their online valuation was dismal at just £7,469!
- The Car Buying Group offer: £7,469
- Fees: None
- Verdict: £760 less than our best online offer!
- Trustpilot reviews: 3,015 | Trustscore 4.6 out of 5.0
Our rating
4.5 Out of 10
Buying a car
Best used car websites to buy online
Buying a vehicle online without a test drive and negotiations seems risky. And you’d be right to think twice before buying outright. But you can put down a deposit before viewing and testing the car in person.
This section of our car-buying website reviews several leading car websites and marketplaces to find your next set of wheels.
We look at reviews, prices, and warranties to help you determine if buying a car online is suited to your personal needs.
Autotrader
Since the days of offline magazine publications, Autotrader has dominated the car buying space.
All well-known car dealers advertise their stock on Autotrader.co.uk, and their catalogue of vehicles extends to drivers who want to sell a car privately via classified ads.
Autotrader is popular with car buyers because its brand is well-known and trusted by millions of UK motorists.
Search filters allow you to customise your car search by make, model, price, age, mileage, fuel type, economy, and location.
Autotrader recently added car finance and extended warranties to its portfolio of car-buying tools.
Trustpilot reviews: 77,335 | Trustscore: 4.7 out of 5.0
Cazoo (yeah, you can!)
You get excellent benefits from buying a car with an online platform like Cazoo.
Although they falsely claim to offer the best prices (certainly not). We have found many comparative cars advertised for much less than Cazoo prices.
But you’ll get peace of mind with a 7-day money-back guarantee with the assurance that cars have no outstanding finance, theft markers, write-off status or mileage problems.
But a decent vehicle history check from CarVeto’s database is recommended before you buy your next car online.
All their cars are mechanically inspected, and they offer a collection service for a nominal fee.
Trustpilot reviews: 29,847 | Trustscore: 4.7 out of 5.0
Cinch
Key benefits of buying a car online with Cinch:
- 14 Day money-back guarantee
- 90-Day warranty
- Roadside assistance
- 225-Point car check
- Cinch sells cars up to 7 years old and under 70,000 miles on the clock.
They claim to take the fluff out of buying a used car online.
Trustpilot reviews: 20,552 | Trustscore: 4.7 out of 5.0
Motorpoint
They’ve been around since 1998, when they opened their first dealership in Derby. Motorpoint boasts great Trustpilot reviews making it obvious they want to look after their customers.
Motorpoint sells mainly nearly new vehicles with a promise that they won’t be beaten on price. They offer a range of makes and models, and all cars have a good warranty and mechanical checks.
Trustpilot reviews: 10,219 | Trustscore 4.7 out of 5.0
Gumtree and eBay
These car-selling platforms favour cheaper cars under the £3,000 bracket.
eBay, in particular, is suitable for buying bangers and non-runners. If you buy a car on eBay, read seller reviews, as it’s easy to get scammed. Avoid paying for a car online and always use PayPal via the eBay cart buying system, as it offers a layer of protection if you run into problems.
Gumtree is a great place to buy a car locally. Rather than buy online, you can view classified listings and call the seller for more information and arrange a viewing.
Use CarVeto to check your next used car before you buy
With a registration check, run a vehicle through the CarVeto database and check car history. Be on the lookout for outstanding finance, car write off, theft, mileage issues and number plate changes.
Composed by Marcus Rockey
Marcus has authored across the automotive sector for more than 30-years – with a focus on private motorists buying or selling a used car.