Selling a car: where to sell my carSelling a car to a dealer

Dealerships are probably your simplest option for selling a car, but it won't get you the best price. Being a relatively hassle-free way of selling a car, it's a reasonable compromise as long as you haggle over the price the dealer offers for your car.

Dealers rarely give cash with no strings attached

Most dealers will take the old car you're selling if you're buying another that’s newer and more expensive, and it’s a simple and quick process. Values are usually taken from one of the trade-only guides (CAP or Glass’s) but you can haggle over the price. Usually, you'll be allowed to keep your old car until you take delivery of the new one.

Dealers rarely purchase outright for cash with no strings attached, but they may do if you're selling a new-ish car for which there’s big demand. You can also swap an expensive car for something older and cheaper, but in such cases you'll usually only receive a low offer.

This method of selling a car is:

Good for: Newer, well-kept cars with service records that are easy to part-exchange for a fair price. Promises to be a quick, simple and hassle-free way of selling a car.

Bad for: If you order a new car and it takes months longer than expected to arrive, dealers may reduce what they'll give for your old car. Dealers also dislike older cars, scruffy vehicles or any with over 100,000 miles on the clock. They'll offer less than you'd get by selling a car privately or may even refuse to take them.

Always remember - If you approach the dealer with a firm value in mind for your old car – and evidence to prove your case, such as from the or other ads – you'll get a better price. To see how much you should get when selling your car, visit the Which? Car Buying Guide.

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