Carwow Review—Is It Worth It?

Overview

Carwow was founded in 2009 in the UK as a car review aggregator. Since its purchase of used car marketplace Wizzle in 2021, it allows users to sell used cars on the platform. It boasts 12+ million users and a network of 4,500+ dealer partners.

Carwow finds buyers for your car for free after collecting essential details such as vehicle registration and mileage. The company holds auctions daily from Monday to Saturday, and you need only review and accept your top offer. The Carwow website and mobile are very intuitive and quick to use, making the selling process straightforward even for tech newbies.

Carwow Visit site 

Carwow Pricing (Selling Fees, Price Negotiation)

Selling on Carwow is 100% free. This includes getting a quote, listing your car for auctions, accepting offers, arranging a collection, and getting customer support. This is a sweet deal, considering some used car marketplaces, such as AutoTrader, charge for ad listings.

However, the dealerships bidding on Carwow pay a buyer’s fee and do expect to profit from reselling your vehicle. Considering these extra markups, the payment you get via Carwow could be lower than when selling directly to private buyers. 

How To Sell a Car With Carwow

Getting your car listing ready on Carwow is quick and simple. Here are the steps.

Get a valuation

Click “Sell my car” on the Carwow homepage, enter your vehicle registration, then click “Get my car valuation”. Confirm the platform has identified your vehicle, then add its mileage. Next, enter your email, full name, mobile number, and postcode, and click “Show me my valuation”. 

Next, you’ll see your instant valuation, plus a minimum-to-maximum range. This estimate is based on your car’s make, model, and mileage, plus past purchases of similar used cars. Dealers may bid above or below this number, though.

Add car details and photos

Optionally, add extra car details to attract bidders, such as

• Special features, like a satnav or cruise control

• Full, partial, or no service history

• When your car was last serviced

Vehicle quality details, such as aesthetic defects or mechanical problems, are a must.

Next, use Carwow’s in-app photo assistant to capture appealing shots that could get you more bids. Alternatively, upload your existing car photos.

You then have a chat by email or phone with a Carwow rep and set a reserve price (the lowest price you’re willing to accept) before the bidding begins.

Accept your offer

Carwow facilitates daily online auctions from Monday to Saturday and sends you the winning bid’s details via email and to your account. You can approve or reject it. After you accept an offer, you submit a few documents via Carwow, including the service record history and V5C log book. Finally, you arrange for the dealer to inspect and collect your car, and get paid that same day.

Carwow Visit site 

Deal Exclusions

Carwow excludes cars that

• Aren’t registered in the UK or were used outside the UK pre-registration

• Have major mechanical faults

• Were previously salvaged

• Were involved in an accident that resulted in total insurance loss

• You either don’t own legally or don’t have authority to sell on behalf of the owner

Is Carwow Legit? 

Carwow is a legitimate car marketplace registered as a private limited company in the UK. It also has glowing Trustpilot reviews, averaging 4.6 stars from 50,000+ user reviews.

In addition, Carwow treats both sellers and buyers fairly. For example, it doesn’t allow dealers to bid below the reserve price, and only finalises transactions if the vehicle matches the description upon inspection.

What’s Unique About Carwow?

Carwow stands out for letting you prepare your car for auction in just a few clicks. It can take as little as five to 10 minutes to add car details and photos, and Carwow takes care of the rest. Plus, its intuitive in-app framing tool helps you capture flattering car photos stress-free.

Help and Support

You can contact Carwow via an online form and will usually hear back within a few hours. Plus, you can call from 9am to 6pm on Monday-Friday, and from 9am to 5:30pm on Saturdays. The call waiting time is under a minute. 

Carwow’s website also has plenty of detailed FAQs and an up-to-date editorial section with topics including car financing, car buying guides, and UK-based motorist news.

What About the Carwow App?

The Carwow app is fully functional on both Android and iOS. You can value your car, add photos and car details, receive bidding updates and offers, and chat with dealers.

The app is highly rated by users, scoring an average of 4.8 stars on the App Store and 4.7 on the Play Store from thousands of reviewers.

Bottom Line

Carwow offers an efficient way to sell your car. Simply add a few details, like registration and mileage, snap a few photos (using the app’s photo assistant), and your car’s ready for auction. You can set a minimum price and select your favourite dealership offer. The whole service is free, including collection, and you don’t even have to leave your home. Carwow is definitely worth it.

FAQs

Is it free to sell your car on Carwow?

It’s completely free to sell your car on Carwow. The marketplace only charges fees from dealerships that buy cars. 

Is Carwow any good?

Carwow has overwhelmingly positive user reviews on Trustpilot and mobile app stores. Happy customers usually mention the effective customer service, ease of listing, and speed of collection and payment.

Does Carwow settle finance?

Carwow does not settle car sellers’ finance. The company recommends that you pay your outstanding finance before you sell your car. Alternatively, it specifies that some dealers might be willing to settle sellers’ finance—but Carwow isn’t involved in this process.