Advice
What can you do if your car is not selling?
If your car isn’t generating as much interest as you would like, there are two things that it’s really easy to change – and they’re almost certainly the two things that buyers look at first in any advert.
Words by: Andrew Woodhouse
Last updated on 5 October 2023 | 0 min read
There are many things to consider when selling your car, including the asking price, how your advert looks, and how your car’s price compares to other similar cars in the market.
If you’ve been stuck without any interest in your car for a while, here are some tips that can help improve your advert and generate leads:
If you’ve been stuck without any interest in your car for a while, here are some tips that can help improve your advert and generate leads:
Adjust the car’s price
If your car isn’t selling, take another look at the price it’s listed at.
You can get a free valuation on Auto Trader. Our tool is powered by data from millions of vehicles each day, giving a live view of exactly what your car is worth right now. We know your car is not just nuts and bolts to you, and we care about the all the little details that make your cars yours – so we’ll get you a fair and accurate price that is driven by data. It may be that your car is listed at a higher price when compared to similar cars in the market. To know how to correctly price your car, head to Auto Trader’s car search and filter it by the same make and model to see how your car’s price compares to the others. It’s possible that the other cars are priced lower because they’re older, have had more number of owners or they’re damaged, so you don’t necessarily need to lower your car’s price to the match the other cars, but it’s good to know the average price.
You can get a free valuation on Auto Trader. Our tool is powered by data from millions of vehicles each day, giving a live view of exactly what your car is worth right now. We know your car is not just nuts and bolts to you, and we care about the all the little details that make your cars yours – so we’ll get you a fair and accurate price that is driven by data. It may be that your car is listed at a higher price when compared to similar cars in the market. To know how to correctly price your car, head to Auto Trader’s car search and filter it by the same make and model to see how your car’s price compares to the others. It’s possible that the other cars are priced lower because they’re older, have had more number of owners or they’re damaged, so you don’t necessarily need to lower your car’s price to the match the other cars, but it’s good to know the average price.
Improve the car advert by adding better images and an improved description
You can get creative when advertising your car on Auto Trader – you can photograph your car from different angles and add them to the advert.
You can also add a description of your car to tell your car’s story and all the features it has. The key is to make sure your advert stands out from all the other adverts on the page, which will almost certainly include several cars that are very similar to yours. We know that, when buyers are searching for a while, they tend to remember pictures they’ve seen, so as a first option you can try switching the order of your existing photos. However, a better option is to get a new set of photos. When you do that, make sure your car is clean and tidy, and follow the golden rules once it’s ready to be photographed: make sure your car is clean and tidy inside and out, and take your photos in bright light (but not direct sunlight) against a plain background, without any distractions, like rubbish, behind the car. Also, remember that it’s best to shoot the photographs from the same height as someone would normally look at it. So, avoid taking any photographs from too high or too low. Take particular care to choose a strong main image. We reckon a photo of the whole car, taken from the front corner is best. Related: How to create an advert on Auto Trader
You can also add a description of your car to tell your car’s story and all the features it has. The key is to make sure your advert stands out from all the other adverts on the page, which will almost certainly include several cars that are very similar to yours. We know that, when buyers are searching for a while, they tend to remember pictures they’ve seen, so as a first option you can try switching the order of your existing photos. However, a better option is to get a new set of photos. When you do that, make sure your car is clean and tidy, and follow the golden rules once it’s ready to be photographed: make sure your car is clean and tidy inside and out, and take your photos in bright light (but not direct sunlight) against a plain background, without any distractions, like rubbish, behind the car. Also, remember that it’s best to shoot the photographs from the same height as someone would normally look at it. So, avoid taking any photographs from too high or too low. Take particular care to choose a strong main image. We reckon a photo of the whole car, taken from the front corner is best. Related: How to create an advert on Auto Trader
Look at other options for selling your car
If advertising online and talking to potential buyers is too time-consuming or not the way for you to sell your car, you may want to consider other options of selling.
If you’re after a quick and easy way to sell, then you may want to consider using Auto Trader’s Instant Offer. Instant Offer evaluates your old car’s price and provides you with a cash offer in minutes. Once you decide to go ahead with the deal, we even arrange the collection of your car from the comfort of your home. It’s one of the quickest and easiest ways to sell a car. You could also consider part-exchange or one of the many other ways of selling your car. Learn more about other ways of selling your car Related: Sell your car with Auto Trader.
If you’re after a quick and easy way to sell, then you may want to consider using Auto Trader’s Instant Offer. Instant Offer evaluates your old car’s price and provides you with a cash offer in minutes. Once you decide to go ahead with the deal, we even arrange the collection of your car from the comfort of your home. It’s one of the quickest and easiest ways to sell a car. You could also consider part-exchange or one of the many other ways of selling your car. Learn more about other ways of selling your car Related: Sell your car with Auto Trader.