How To Sell Your Car with CarGurus

by Matt Smith

Selling your car 100% online with CarGurus is easy, and it'll often net you more money than a typical dealership trade-in price.

Fast Facts

  • Selling with CarGurus 100% online is a fast and low-stress way to sell your car.
  • If you're interested in researching options in addition to what CarGurus offers, read our guide to the Best Ways to Sell Your Car.

How to Sell Your Car with CarGurus

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Sell Your Car 100% Online

The Internet allows us all to cast a much wider net for prospective car buyers. We’re no longer limited by word of mouth, newspaper classifieds, or the local dealership’s trade-in offer. With online car sales, you can more accurately gauge the value of your vehicle, find a motivated buyer, and complete the transaction in days, rather than weeks.

CarGurus partners with CarOffer to provide an instant cash offer for your vehicle. Enter a few details, such as your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or license plate number, and your vehicle’s mileage, and we’ll provide an offer sourced from our dealership network in under two minutes.

Once you’ve received an offer for your car, you can schedule a time to have your vehicle picked up. Make sure to track down your vehicle’s title or lien information, grab your government-issued ID (like a driver’s license), and snap a photo of the vehicle’s odometer. Once we’ve come for the vehicle, you’ll sign a couple documents and then be paid either via check or direct deposit. It’s as easy as that: Get an offer, have your car picked up, get paid.

Ford F-150 Overview image

Selling a Car You Still Owe Money On

If you still owe money on your car, you can still sell it 100% online via CarGurus. If you’ve accepted a 100% online offer and the offer is greater than the amount you owe on your car loan, CarGurus will pay off your loan and send you the difference. If your offer is less than the amount you owe, you'll need to either pay off your loan before CarGurus can pay you, or pay CarGurus the difference before it can pay your lender.

For more information on this topic, read our guide to how to sell a car you haven't paid off yet.

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When it comes to cars, Matt's curiosity extends well beyond the powertrain. From Ford to Porsche, he's as interested in the history behind the machine as he is in the view behind the wheel. Matt has been working on the journalism side of the auto industry since 2014. As CarGurus’ Deputy Editor, he creates and oversees the site’s written and video content.

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