Selling your car: Better pictures can get you a better price

October 25, 2021 by

Are you looking to buy a new car? If so, you’re probably looking to sell your existing car before you can get your hands on a new set of wheels.

Well, now you can do this with carwow — and all without having to leave your home. All you have to do is input a couple of details, upload some photos and select the offer that’s best for you. Then you can sit back & wait for the dealer to come and collect the car from you.

It’s important to take good-quality photos of your car so it attracts the best offers from dealers.

With that in mind, the brains behind carwow’s social media team have put together a list of tips and tricks to help you take great photos. These should help you get the best possible offer for your car, or just brush up your skills if you’re taking pictures for fun!

What Photos Should You Take?

  1. Front interior shot, ideally from outside the car, shot across the dash.
  2. Instrument binnacle/dials with the car switched on to show the mileage and any possible warning lights.
  3. Alloy wheels (and any scratches/scuffs/dents).
  4. Front ¾ of the car at an angle.
  5. Front of the car, dead on.
  6. Photo of the tyres to show what condition they’re in / how much tread is left.
  7. Nearside front of the car, at an angle.
  8. Side-on shot of the car.
  9. Nearside rear of the car, at an angle.
  10. The rear of the car, dead on.
  11. Boot, with the door open & showing the parcel shelf.
  12. Offside rear of the car, at an angle.
  13. Back seats.
  14. Service schedule document showing latest service.
  15. Close-up of any damage, both interior & exterior.

Tips for Taking Photographs

1. Clean your car

A clean car won’t just catch eyes, but it’ll let buyers know there aren’t hidden marks under dirt

Before taking your first picture you need to make sure your car is looking spotless. A dirty car could give off the impression you’re hiding marks, and may not bring its paint quality into its best light.

The inside is just as important – a few minutes with a vacuum cleaner can make all the difference

Give it a good clean inside too, as a cleaner interior looks much better looked after.

2. Remove your stuff from it

No-one wants to see your car packed with luggage – take it out before you get snapping

Remove any bags, rubbish or other items from your car to help potential buyers see all details of the interior. Remember that buyers are interested in the car — not what’s in it.

3. Pick the right location

Open spaces with plain backgrounds make great photo locations

Ensure you park up in a good location before taking your photos. Empty areas of a car park or a quiet countryside location would be our recommendation. This will then off you enough room to take photos of the car from all angles.

4. Make sure you’re using the right equipment

Most of us have seriously powerful cameras right in our pockets such is the way of modern smartphones now. If yours isn’t up to the task though, it might be worth borrowing one with a better camera. Even better, use a proper DSLR digital camera if you have access to one.

5. Set your phone or camera to landscape

Don’t forget about the back seats

Ensure you tilt your phone sideways and take all photos in landscape mode. This allows you to easily fit your car, or parts of your car, into the frame without having lots of dead space around it.

6. Ensure the lighting is good — don’t use flash!

Take your photos during the day when there is natural light available. Taking a picture in low light or at night time using flash will obscure parts of your car and will likely be less appealing to prospective dealers who may want to buy your car as a result

Just fitted new tyres? Why not show them off?

What next?

Taken all the photos you need? Head over to the sell your car page, and get it listed!

If you’re not sure how much money your car should be worth. why not try out carwow’s free valuation tool by clicking the green button below?