Which is Better for Selling the Car?
Carvana is a better company to sell your car to compare to Autotrader. First, it’s completely free to sell your car to Carvana, while it may cost you $49 to list it on the Autotrader platform.
Next, Carvana’s offer is valid for seven days or an additional 1,000 miles. It also offers more payout options – check and direct deposit. Carvana also offers free pickups while Autotrader doesn’t. Alternatively, you can drop off your car at Carvana’s vending machine.
However, if you don’t mind selling your car privately, you should choose Autotrader. Since it lets you sell your car privately through its platform, you can expect to get a higher value for your used car. Note that this option entails a $49 listing fee though.
Best for Older & Damaged Cars
Buys used, damaged or junk cars
Free tow and no hidden fees
Pays by ACH trasfer or check
Top Pick for Junk Cars
Free, no-obligation cash offers
Offers free paperwork service
Pays on the spot upon pick up
Highly Rated by Customers
Excellent customer service ratings
Honors guaranteed offer for 7 days
Can pick up a car within 48 hours
Great for Low-Mileage Cars
Gives a real offer in 2 minutes
100% hassle-free online process
Free car’s Value Tracker available
Autotrader vs. Carvana Comparison
| Autotrader | Carvana | |
|---|---|---|
| Cars accepted | New and used cars | In good condition, 1992+ |
| Fees | $0 for instant cash offer, $49 for listing fee | $0 |
| Requesting quotes | Online application | Online application |
| Offer validity | 7 days or an additional 50 miles | 7 days or an additional 1,000 miles |
| Payments offered | Cash or trade-in value | Cash or trade-in value |
| Payout | Check | Check, direct deposit |
| Car pick-up | Drop-off | Free pickup or dropoff |
| Physical locations | Participating dealers across the US | 33 Car Vending Machines |
| Turnaround time | Up to 48 hours | Up to 72 hours |
| Customer service | Phone, email | Phone, email, online form |
| Reviews | 1.6 | 2.7 |
Cars Accepted
Autotrader accepts used and new cars as long as it meets their eligibility conditions. On the other hand, cars are considered ineligible due to the following reasons:
- Title issues, such as salvage, gray market, taxis, and limousines
- Lack of market data
- Unresolved recalls
- Vehicle modifications
- Market volatility
- The vehicle was in an auction within the last 45 days
As for Carvana, your vehicle must meet the following requirements before you can sell or trade it in:
- Newer than 1992
- Have a working odometer
- Can safely perform as a test drive
Fees
Both Autotrader and Carvana charge zero fees for instant quotes and selling your car. However, Autotrader offers another option: listing your car on their website. This option charges a $49 listing fee, but it also gives you free ad renewals until your car sells.
Requesting Quotes
Both Autotrader and Carvana allow you to sell your car through an online process. With Autotrader, you’ll need to go through their website first and click on the Instant Cash Offer option.
From there, you’ll need to provide your vehicle’s VIN or license plate number. It allows the website to know the make, model, and year of your car. After that, you only need to provide details on the following:
- Color
- Features and equipment
- Whether you have 2 or more keys
- Any vehicle modification
The website will generate an instant quote based on the valuation of the Kelley Blue book or KBB.
Quite similar to Autotrader, Carvana lets you initiate the selling process by requesting an offer through their website. You’ll also need to provide the following details:
- License plate number or VIN
- Zip code
- Make and Model
- Mileage
- Color
- General condition
- Mechanical issues
- Accident history
- Premium features
Offer Validity
For both companies, you have 7 days to claim the instant offer. Once you do, they’ll need to inspect your car to confirm the information you provided on the online application.
Note that these offers are also dependent on the additional readings. For Autotrader, you can claim the instant offer for up to 50 additional miles. Meanwhile, Carvana still allows you to claim the offer even after an additional 1,000 miles.
Payments Offered
Whether you choose to sell with Autotrader or Carvana, you’ll have the option to get cash or trade in the value for your next car. Suppose you prefer to get cash, both companies pay a check within the same day of inspecting your vehicle.
Payout
Besides check payments, Carvana also pays out through direct deposit and direct debit. Unlike with check payment, this depends on your bank’s processing time, which can take up to 5 business days.
Autotrader, meanwhile, doesn’t have this option. It only pays through a check which you can get within the same day of accepting their offer.
Car Pick-up
To claim the instant offer, you can drop off your car at any Autotrader participating dealer. You don’t need to worry about locating one near you since they’ll provide you a list after completing the instant quote process online.
Carvana, on the other hand, offers a free pickup option. This means you need not drive anywhere to sell your car. You can just schedule a time for them to pick it up.
Quote: You’ll also get the payment in check if you prefer before their team takes your car.
Besides the free pick-up, you can also drop off your car at a nearby car vending machine. This option might be preferable if you can’t set up a schedule to have them pick up your vehicle.
Physical Locations
Both Carvana and Autotrader have physical locations for you to bring your car. You can check our Carvana’s list of 33 vending machines nationwide to locate the ones near you.
Autotrader, in contrast, has a long selection of dealers nationwide. You can search the ones near you through their all dealers pages. Just enter your zip code and filter based on distance.
Turnaround Time
Selling with Autotrader can take only 48 hours from the time you request an instant offer online to receiving your check. Of course, this depends on how soon you can drop your car off at their partner dealership for inspection.
Carvana, in contrast, can take up to 72 hours. This is due to the availability of their team that will pick up your car.
Customer Service
Autotrader offers two ways to contact their support team. For general inquiries, you can call them at 1-866-288-6872 (1-866-AUTOTRADER).
If you have questions about instant offers, you can also contact Kelley Blue Book at 866-559-5268. This line is available Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM and Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM.
You can also send them an email at instantcashoffer@kbb.com.
Carvana, meanwhile, offers customer support through their hotline at 1-800-333-4554.
Reviews
Autotrader has a 1.6 rating on Trustpilot, while Carvana has a 2.7 rating. On the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Autotrader received a 1.25 rating, while Carvana has no ratings. As shown on the website, the latter’s information is being updated.
| Autotrader | Carvana | |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 1.6 | 2.7 |
| BBB | 1.25 | – |
| Consumer Affairs | 3.3 | 2.6 |
Looking over the positive reviews on these websites, Autotrader customers liked that they received better prices for their cars. Others also complimented the quick selling process, with one customer mentioning they were able to sell their car within 24 hours.
Carvana also received praise from its customers, particularly for the offers it received. Some also complimented the seamless process of car selling.
As for complaints, both had their fair share from sellers. At Autotraders, sellers complained about not getting connected to customer service when they needed them.
Some Carvana customers had issues with the low instant offers they received. Although, noticeably, the customer service team replied to some of the one-star ratings at Trustpilot.