Sell your car

Sell your car quickly and easily online with Motorway[1]

Couple driving in a land rover with their dog

Why should I sell my car online?

Selling your car can be a real hassle. Showing it to potential purchasers is time-consuming. Then there are the no-shows, buyers backing out at the last minute and all that awkward hassle to contend with.

For a fast and fuss-free alternative, you can get Motorway to do all the legwork for you.

You just need to enter a few details and they'll find the car dealer that can pay the most for your car. 

Why sell with Motorway?

Motorway guide you through creating a top-notch profile of your vehicle, set a reserve price, and find the dealer who’ll pay you the best price. No hassle and no time-wasters.

  • Easy and fast
    Enter your reg for an instant valuation and complete your sale in as little as 24 hours.
  • 100% free
    Dealers pay a fee to buy your car, so it’s completely free for you, with free collection and fast payment.
  • Completely online
    No meeting potential buyers or travel to drop off your car.

How do I sell my car online?

You can have your car sold in just a few simple steps:

  1. Build your car’s profile

    Enter your car’s reg and mileage and get an instant valuation based on the latest sales data. Easily create a car profile with photos right from your phone. Your car can be up for sale the very next day.

  2. Dealers make the offer on your car

    Motorway alerts their network of 5,000+ verified, reputable car dealers about your vehicle, and invites them to make their best offer in a daily online sale.

  3. Accept the best offer for you

    The best offer from the sale will be sent to you for your approval. Once accepted, the dealer, or their driver, will come to your home or workplace to inspect and collect the vehicle at a date and time that’s convenient to you.

  4. Sale completed

    You’re paid by secure bank transfer on the day of collection, with the money usually received into your account in 24 hours.

What details do I need to sell my car?

For a swift and stress-free handover and to complete the transfer of ownership, you’ll need the following to hand on the day your car’s collected:

  • V5C vehicle registration document (your logbook)
  • MOT certificate (if your car is three or more years old)
  • All keys for the car
  • Official photo ID (driving licence or passport)
  • Proof of address such as a bank statement or utility bill (these must match the address on the V5C)
  • Car extras such as the service record, handbook, locking wheel nuts and the radio and key codes
  • If you have leftover finance on the car, you’ll need a letter of authority from the finance company confirming the final settlement figure
  • The UK bank details of the registered keeper of the car
  • Enough fuel in the car for the car dealer, ideally so that the fuel light isn’t on

What can impact the valuation and price? 

Check your car carefully to make sure you’re being completely honest about the condition. Otherwise you could be offered a lower valuation:

Mileage – Cars with lower mileage generally fetch better prices. Used less, a car’s engine – as well as the interior and exterior of the vehicle – are likely to be in better nick than a car with high mileage.

Condition – Stone chips, dents and scratches happen to even the most carefully-driven of cars. Be up-front about the condition of your car so you can avoid any disputes over price further down the line. Motorway’s easy to use photo app helps you accurately capture the condition of your car and you can tell them about any imperfections in a quick online questionnaire too.

Service history – A full and up to date service history – proving you’ve kept your car checked and maintained at the required manufacturer service intervals – will help fetch a higher price than the same car with a partial or missing service history.

MOT – All cars must have a valid MOT. A recent MOT will give dealers more confidence to place a good offer. 

Number of previous owners – Typically, the less owners a car has had, the better the valuation. But Motorway secures offers on cars irrespective of the number of previous owners. Your car’s logbook V5C can tell you how many owners your car has had.

Colour – Neutral or standard colours such as blue, grey, or black are popular and can push up the price of your car. Pink or orange cars? Not so desirable, so this may affect their value the other way.

Location – Vehicles in remote locations are more costly for the dealer to collect so this factor could affect your offers.

Insurance write-offs – If your car is classed as a write-off it may be worth more as parts or by selling it for scrap metal. Motorway can recommend an online buyer who will buy written-off cars.


Get your car ready to sell

These top tips will help maximise your chance of high buyer offers:

  • Good photos can be key to getting the highest price for your car. Motorway’s easy-to-use photo app will guide you through taking great quality photos and the specific shots dealers like to see.
  • Take out all clutter from your car - including car seats, shopping bags and, of course, passengers!
  • Clean your car inside and out. Use a professional car wash if you can.
  • Pick a dry day to take photos  – preferably slightly overcast, to minimise glare and reflections.
  • Park somewhere with plenty of space to walk around so you can photograph your car from different angles. You may want to park up in a quiet car park to frame your shots well. 

Are you ready to sell your car?

You only need your car registration number and mileage

Sell your car now

Frequently asked questions

The valuation is the indication you’re given at the start of the process.

After you share further details – service history, condition, and any damage –  Motorway will agree a realistic reserve price with you. This can be higher or lower than the initial valuation.

Once this reserve price is set, your car will be shared in a daily sale to thousands of verified dealers nationwide. Motorway then lets you know the best offer received.

You can choose to accept – or decline – the highest offer received. If you accept, this becomes your final sale price.

In some cases, the best offer will be higher than the reserve price you agreed to. But the final sale price offered will depend on dealer demand on the day of sale.

Motorway says that, on average, sellers have achieved £1,125 more with them than their part exchange or initial dealer quote. 

Motorway works with a scrap partner who may offer a price for unroadworthy cars and arrange to collect. But an MOT-failed car won’t be entered into a sale for dealers to make offers on.

No, you don’t have to part with a penny to sell your car with Motorway. They charge dealers a commission fee instead.

Be sure to mention this when you build your car profile, so dealers are aware. If you want to keep your number plate to use later, or to have it assigned to another vehicle, contact the DVLA. The vehicle’s original registration number is usually reassigned to it automatically when you take off a private number.

Yes, you don’t have to drop your car off anywhere. The dealer, or their driver, will come to your home or workplace, anywhere in the UK, to collect the car for free.

They’ll inspect your vehicle to make sure its condition matches the profile before making final payment and taking it away.

Yes. Motorway's dealers are experienced in buying cars that are on finance.

You will need to get a 'finance settlement letter’ from your finance company which shows what you still owe on the car. On the day your car’s collected, the dealer will settle the outstanding finance directly with your finance company, and the remaining amount for the sale of your car will be paid to you via bank transfer.

If the amount you owe exceeds your offer from the dealer, you can either pay the difference to the finance company yourself, or pay the dealer to write off the sum in one go. 

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[1]Gocompare.com introduces customers to www.motorway.co.uk, a website operated by Motorway Online Ltd. Gocompare.com's relationship with Motorway Online Ltd is limited to that of a business partnership, no common ownership or control rights exist between us. Please note, we cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites and by using the links stated to access these separate websites you will be subject to the terms of use applying to those sites.