Which is Better for Selling the Car?
Between CarGurus and TrueCar, CarGurus is the better choice for selling your car. The company offers you two options: by claiming their instant offer or listing your vehicle on their platform. This allows you to choose how to get more cash for your car.
Suppose you go CarGurus instant cash route. Their offer is valid for 7 days or 250 additional miles, which is better than TrueCar’s 3-day validity. Once you accept their offer, you don’t need to bring your car anywhere since they provide free pick-up service.
As for receiving payments, TrueCar only pays in check, whereas CarGurus has two payment methods: check and bank transfer. Even if Cargurus’ payment processing can take up to 3 business days, the overall turnaround time is still the same as TrueCar.
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
CarGurus vs. TrueCar Comparison
| Company | CarGurus | TrueCar |
|---|---|---|
| Logo | 
| 
|
| Cars accepted | Any cars, subject to restriction | Cars in most types of conditions |
| Fees | $0 for instant offers, $4.95 listing fees | $0 |
| Requesting quotes | Online application | Online application |
| Offer validity | 7 days or an additional 250 miles | 3 days |
| Payments offered | Cash via bank transfer or check | Cash or trade-in value |
| Payout | Within 2 business days | Same day |
| Car pick-up | Free pickup | Drop off |
| Physical locations | None | Over 10,000 certified dealers |
| Turnaround time | Up to 3 business days | 48 to 72 hours |
| Customer service | Chat, phone, and social media | Phone, email, and social media channels |
| Reviews | 2.4 | 4.0 |
Cars Accepted
CarGurus accepts vehicles in most conditions, but with consideration to their age and aftermarket customizations. To confirm whether the company can purchase your vehicle, you’ll need a valid Vehicle Identification Number or a license plate number.
Suppose your car is ineligible for their instant offers. You can still sell it on CarGurus by listing it on their website. Or, you can sell it to TrueCar as it buys vehicles in most conditions, including wrecked, damaged, or junk cars.
Fees
CarGurus doesn’t charge any fees when you use its website to get an instant offer for your car. If you claim the offer and have it picked up by their representative, you won’t have to pay anything, either.
But if you’re using its website to sell your car to private buyers, CarGurus will charge you a $4.95 listing fee. Your listing will be active on the website for 30 days.
Like CarGurus, you can use TrueCar’s website to get an instant offer for free. Their certified dealerships won’t charge if you bring your vehicle in for inspection and claim their instant offer.
Requesting Quotes
With CarGurus, you can request a quote by going to their website and finding the option to sell your car. Once there, you’ll see the section where you can enter the VIN or the license plate number and state registration.
Either way, the website will take you to another page where you can describe your vehicle in terms of its mileage, trim, transmission, condition, and history. Finally, you will need to provide an active email so CarGurus can contact you with an instant offer.
Requesting a quote with TrueCar is quite similar to CarGurus’ quick and easy process. On their Sell Your Car webpage, enter your car’s VIN or license plate number and state of registration. If you don’t have any of these, you can enter the following instead:
- Make, model and year
- Trim
- Style
From there, you’ll need to provide additional information in the succeeding pages to help TrueCar calculate the best offer for your car. Some of the details that can affect the pricing are mileage, zip code, optional features, and conditions.
Once the website generates an offer, you can claim it at their certified dealers. Note that the offer might change after the certified dealer inspects your vehicle.
Offer Validity
CarGurus offers are valid for 7 days or additional 250 miles, whichever comes first. Meanwhile, TrueCar offers are valid for 3 days only.
Payments Offered
After accepting their offer, CarGurus will pay you cash through a check or bank transfer. TrueCar offers payments through checks, but you can also use your car’s trade-in value to purchase a new vehicle at the certified dealership.
Payout
CarGurus normally takes 2 to 3 business days to process payments once you accept their offer and finalize the sale. TrueCar, on the other hand, will hand your check payment the same day you accept the offer.
Car Pick-up
CarGurus advertises allowing car sellers to do everything online, thus offering free pick-up service. With this, you won’t have to drive your car anywhere and just schedule for their representative to pick it up.
Physical Locations
To claim a TrueCar offer, you’ll need to bring your vehicle to their certified dealer and have it inspected for the final price. Currently, the company works with over 10,000 certified dealers across the country.
Turnaround Time
Selling your vehicle to CarGurus or TrueCar can take up to 3 days or 72 hours. The entire process already includes getting an instant offer through their online application, having your car picked up, or with TrueCar, bringing it to a certified dealership.
Once their representatives inspect your car, the rest of the transaction can take up to an hour, assuming you have all the necessary paperwork ready. These include the vehicle registration, title, and your driver’s license or ID.
Customer Service
CarGurus has a chat option on their website that you can use to contact their customer service team. Just click on the blue chat bubble at the bottom right of the window.
Besides that, the company hotline 877-492-4737 accepts queries from potential customers. If you’re on Twitter or Facebook, you can also send them a message there.
TrueCar also offers customer support through:
- Phone: 1-888-878-3227
- Email: feedback@truecar.com.
You can also connect with them on social media through their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts.
Reviews
| Company | CarGurus | TrueCar |
|---|---|---|
| Logo |
|
|
| Trustpilot | 2.4 | 4.0 |
| Better Business Bureau | 1.46 | 2.89 |
| Consumer Affairs | 3.7 | 4.1 |
Looking over review sites like Trustpilot, BBB, and Consumer Affairs, customers liked that CarGurus
- Provides a convenient option to sell their vehicles
- Has a straightforward and hassle-free online process
- Has no charges when claiming instant offers
However, others didn’t like that the company charged $4.95 in listing fees, and some claimed they couldn’t sell their cars at all despite paying for this.
TrueCar, on the other hand, received impressive ratings at these legit review sites. Customers liked their optimized car-selling process and that their website was easy to use.
Some customers, however, disliked that car dealerships started contacting them after applying for TrueCar’s instant cash offer.