How to part exchange your car on Auto Trader

Part-exchange is an easy way of getting rid of your old car when buying a new car from a dealer.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of advertising and selling your old car, then Part-Exchange is a quick and easy answer. Find a participating dealer, then trade your old car in and exchange it for a new one. Simple. Let’s look at what part exchange is, who it’s right for, and how it works on Auto Trader. Related: What is part-exchange?

To start your part-ex journey on Auto Trader, you should first get a valuation for your old car. This will tell you how much it’s worth.
To get a guide price on Auto Trader, all you need is your car’s vehicle’s registration number (VRM), which can be found on its number plate and your car’s mileage. You don’t need any other documents. Once you know how much your car is worth, you can start talking to dealers offering part exchange with confidence.

With these four simple steps, you can part-exchange your old car for a new one on Auto Trader:

Step 1: Search for your next car

In a part exchange, you’ll trade your existing car in against a new one. When you’re looking for your next car on Auto Trader, look for adverts highlighting the dealer is using Auto Trader's guide valuation – this will show you adverts that offer a part-exchange and allow you to send an enquiry for the deal directly to the dealers. You can view these adverts by ticking ‘Part-exchange guide’ under ‘More options’ in the filters on the left-hand side.

Step 2: Use our part exchange tool

Once you’ve found a car you like, use the part exchange tool on the advert itself. You’ll see a ‘+’ sign on the right-hand side under ‘Buy this car’ and next to ‘Part-exchange your vehicle’.

Once you click on the ‘+’ sign, you’ll be asked to enter your car’s registration number and mileage.

Step 3: Know your car’s trade-in value

Once you’ve entered your vehicle details, we’ll provide you with the guide price based on our accurate industry data. With an accurate guide price to hand, you can negotiate with dealerships in confidence and make sure you’re getting a good part-ex price for your car. You may find that the part-ex valuation is slightly lower than the valuation you’d get for selling your car privately. This is because dealers need to resell the cars they buy through part-ex, and there are costs associated with repairing and advertising the car to resell it. If you’re looking to make the most money, consider a private sale. Some dealers may be willing to offer you a higher trade-in value for your car, and haggling can also help you make a few extra bucks. Related: How can I be sure I’m getting the right price for my part exchange?

Step 4: Finalise the trade-in price for your car

The final step is starting a conversation with the dealer. Now you know how much your car can fetch in the current market, you can use our guide price as a fair bottom line for your car and negotiate with the car dealer accordingly. There’s always room to haggle, so you can start by asking for a price higher than our guide valuation. The dealer will inspect your car and may offer you a higher or even lower price than the guide price – depending on your car’s condition and how much they think it’s worth. Once the part-ex deal has been finalised between the car dealer and you, you can hand in your car and its paperwork to the seller and drive home your new car in return. Related: Documents required to sell a used car

1. Choose from thousands of dealers and car options
With over 40 years of experience in the automotive marketplace, we’ve built a large network of dealers offering their vehicles through a part-exchange deal. You can browse through thousands of options and find the car of your dream on Auto Trader. 2. Get an accurate valuation to haggle in confidence Auto Trader’s valuation tool is completely data-driven and updated daily to provide you with an accurate price aligned with the current market for your car. Our price data comes from over 500,000 adverts and information gathered from major auction houses. The data is accurate, so you can negotiate with the dealer in confidence by helping you know what’s a fair asking price for your car. Our valuation tool is easy-to-use and reflects the market conditions as closely as possible. It’ll give you a sense of how much cars of the same make and model are being sold for in the market so you can use a similar asking price when talking to the dealer. 3. Part-exchange your car free of charge Our part-exchange services are absolutely free, including getting a guide valuation price for your car. You’re also not bound to go through the part exchange if you decide to abandon the deal. 4. Part-exchange in a few easy steps It only takes four steps to complete your part-ex journey on Auto Trader. We’ve made it even easier for you to spot a part exchange deal – all you have to do is select part-exchange guide under ‘more options’ in the filters on the left-hand side, and it’ll filter down the search results to show you deals from dealers who are offering part-ex. Then, just go from there.

Part-exchanging your old vehicle for a new car is quick and easy. However, it’s not the only route to selling your car. You could also consider selling your car privately or getting an instant cash offer.
The benefit of selling privately is that you may get a higher price for your vehicle than a part exchange. Selling on Auto Trader is easy – you can place your advert in three easy steps and reach millions of potential buyers. If you want to sell your car quickly and get the cash directly into your bank account, Instant Offer might be right for you. You can get a quote in minutes and arrange to sell your car in days – it’s the fastest way of selling your car for cash. It’s also ideal for those who are looking for greater convenience. With Instant Offer, we offer free home collection, so no more hassle of dropping your car at a car park and figuring out your way back home without a vehicle of your own. Related: Why sell your car with Auto Trader Ready to part exchange? Browse through thousands of deals offering a part-ex for your car.