Carwow Alternatives
If you’re thinking of selling your car, you’ll likely already know about Carwow. Founded in 2011, Carwow is an online car buying and selling platform that also covers car reviews, videos and editorial, offering a wide range of services for motorists.
In fact, Carwow has the biggest automotive YouTube channel in the world, with over 11 million subscribers.* As an all-purpose platform, Carwow offers plenty of services to let you sell and buy a car with confidence.
In 2021, the brand launched its car buying service, letting customers sell their car to a network of 5,500+ dealers. Simply enter your car reg for a free valuation, then build a profile to list your car in the daily auction.
Sound familiar? It’s a similar set-up to us here at Motorway, meaning easy, convenient selling right from the comfort of your own home.
Online buying services, including Carwow and Motorway, offer a quick and easy way to sell your car. But how do they compare with the other selling options available? If you’re after the most money possible, selling privately will usually result in a higher selling price, but the process comes with lots more admin and effort.
If you’re buying another car at the same time, it might make sense to part exchange your car at a local dealership. Or, if your car is in bad condition, you could sell to an instant car buying service to guarantee a quick sale. Read on for more detail about each service.
- Selling with an online car buying service
- Selling privately
- Selling by part exchange
- Selling by auction
- Frequently asked questions
Selling with Carwow (or another online car buying service)
Carwow works similarly to Motorway. Simply enter your vehicle registration and get a free valuation of how much your car is worth. Then create a full profile, upload some photos and your car will be added to the online auction in front of over 5,500 dealers to bid on. When it sells, just arrange a collection at a time that suits you, and the rest is all taken care of.
It’s totally free to sell and your car can be sold in as little as 24 hours. With Carwow, you can sell all kinds of cars and vans, as long as they have a valid MOT and aren’t an insurance write-off. You can also sell a car with an existing finance agreement – all you need is a settlement letter from your finance company.
Carwow alternatives
Of course, there’s Motorway. Motorway is a UK-based online car buying service with over 80,000 ‘Excellent’ reviews on Trustpilot and over 7,500 dealers in our network, meaning we’re a great place to start. Simply enter your reg for a free, instant valuation, then snap a few photos using our easy-to-use app. We’ll help finalise the price and get your car listed in our daily auction, getting bids from over 7,500 verified dealers. Best of all, it’s 100% free to sell your car.
Another option is the instant car buying service, webuyanycar, also known as We Buy Any Car or just WBAC. Established in 2006, it has grown to become the UK’s largest instant car buyer, with over 4m vehicles sold through its 500+ branches nationwide. The process is straightforward – simply enter your registration number online for an instant valuation, then book an appointment at your nearest branch. At the appointment, the team will inspect your vehicle, although be aware they are known for making heavy price adjustments at this stage. If you’re happy with the revised offer, webuyanycar can purchase your car on the spot, with funds transferred to your bank account within a few days – or quicker if you pay an additional fee.
Unlike Carwow or Motorway, webuyanycar doesn’t offer home collection, so you’ll need to drive or arrange transport to the branch and make your own way back. However, it does stand out for buying cars that other services may reject, including vehicles without an MOT, cars with significant damage, or even non-runners, as long as you can get the car to them. The trade-off is that offer prices are lower compared to online car marketplaces like Motorway.
Pros of selling with an online buying service
- Totally free to sell, with easy collection at a time that suits you
- Sell your car even if there is an outstanding finance agreement
- On average, most sellers get more for their car than by part-exchange
Cons of selling with an online buying service
- You could get more money if you sold privately
- Your car must be in good condition with a valid MOT
- Carwow only has around 5,500 dealers in its network – Motorway has over 7,500
Selling privately
If you’ve really got your eyes on the prize, then selling privately is the best way to get the most money for your used car. There are multiple platforms that you can sell your car on, including Autotrader and Facebook Marketplace, where you upload high-quality images and write a description about your car – the more detailed the better. However, by selling privately, you have to organise all the viewings, paperwork and final payment yourself, so it can be much more time consuming.
You also won’t be able to sell your car privately if there is an existing finance agreement on it – the car is legally owned by the finance company until the loan is fully repaid, so selling it privately could be considered fraud.
The most common platform for selling privately is the website and app for Autotrader. Autotrader is the UK’s largest marketplace for private car sales, with an average of 449,000 cars listed per month this year.* It’s a well developed platform, with over 81m cross-platform visits per month,* and features such as a finance calculator, listing optimisation, market valuation and in-app messaging system. However, it does come with premium listing fees, starting from £9.95 for low-value cars.
Facebook Marketplace is another popular option for selling used cars privately, especially because it’s completely free to list. Over 16% of all Facebook users regularly use Marketplace,* meaning lots of potential eyes on your car. It also works well at getting a quick, local sale, thanks to its regional focus. However, potential buyers are known for strong haggling on this platform, so you might not get the most money for your car. You’ll also need to organise the viewings and payment yourself, and deal with the influx of timewasters, as with other private selling platforms.
Pros of selling privately
- Best way to get the most money for your car
- Full control over when you sell and who you sell to
- Range of platforms offering high tech or cheap listings
Cons of selling privately
- You have to manage the viewing and selling process yourself
- You can’t sell a car with an existing finance plan
- Some marketplaces have high fees to place an advert
Selling by part exchange
If you’re in the market for another car, you could get a good deal by part exchanging your old car at the same time. This is where a dealership buys your existing car, then uses the money as a deposit towards your new car you buy from them, so you just pay the difference. All the paperwork is taken care of at the same time, and most dealers will let you part-ex a car with an existing finance plan, too.
Dealerships might not offer the highest price for your car as they’ll incorporate costs, such as stocking, preparing and reselling, into their offer. However, if you’ve already got your eye on your next set of wheels, it’s a smooth and easy process to get rid of your old car.
Pros of part exchange
- Easy process to sell your old car when buying a new one
- Dealership takes care of all the paperwork
- Can part exchange your car even with an existing finance plan
Cons of part exchange
- Might not get the highest price due to dealership profits
- May be hidden charges such as admin fees
- Limited to buying a car that’s available at the dealership
Selling at auction
Auctions can be a fast-paced way to sell your car and put it in front of a large audience of potential buyers at the same time. The catch is that vehicles usually sell at market value without room for negotiation, and bidders won’t be able to take your car for a test drive. If your vehicle doesn’t look in the best condition, that could put you at a disadvantage.
Most auctions let you set a reserve price, which protects you from selling below your minimum acceptable amount. However, the overall process – from the auction itself to receiving payment – can take time depending on the auction schedule. It’s also important to remember that auction houses charge seller fees, which will eat into your final profit.
Pros of selling your car at auction
- Access to a room full of keen buyers at the same time
- No need to arrange private viewings or deal with enquiries yourself
- Auction house handles the sales process on your behalf
Cons of selling your car at auction
- Seller fees reduce your overall profit
- Car won’t sell if bidding doesn’t reach your reserve price
- Research needed to find a reputable and relevant auction house
FAQs
How is Motorway different from Carwow?
Motorway and Carwow are both popular platforms for selling your car online, letting you list your car to a network of dealers completely free of charge. Motorway has over 7,500 verified dealers that bid through our daily online auction, getting you the best price in as little as 24 hours. Carwow also offers this service, letting you list your car to its network of around 5,500 dealers. Additionally, Carwow has a stronger focus on new car sales and car reviews, with a lot of content for motorists, including video reviews and a podcast. Here at Motorway, we’re fully dedicated to the used car selling process.
Can I use multiple services at once?
You’re free to compare prices and see what different platforms might offer for your car, but once you list it in an auction with either Motorway or Carwow, you’re generally committed to completing the sale through that service. The good news is both platforms provide a free, instant valuation so you can decide which one suits you best before listing. If you choose to sell privately, you can advertise your car across multiple sites, but you’ll need to manage the enquiries and admin across multiple channels.
Is it better to sell privately or to a dealer?
This depends on your priorities – selling privately often gets you the highest price, but it takes more time and effort to organise viewings and payments. Selling to a dealer or an online car buying service is much quicker and more convenient, with an instant offer and less admin, but you’ll usually receive less money for your car compared to a private sale.
Are there any hidden fees with these services?
Selling your car with Motorway or Carwow is completely free, from the initial listing through to collection and payment, with the money transferred straight into your bank account. Webuyanycar does charge an admin fee based on your car’s final valuation, although these costs are clearly outlined on their website, so you can check these in advance. If you choose to sell privately, you may need to pay a listing fee depending on the platform, while part exchanging at a dealership can also involve admin charges, which the dealer should make clear during the process.