‘Should I sell my car to Exchange My Car?’ Our review has all the info you need

Guide to selling your motor through Exchange My Car: review, tips and how to get the best price

Thinking of selling your car through Exchange My Car but unsure if it’s the best place to do so?

Our independent Exchange My Car review takes you through everything you need to know about how it works and how to get the best price.

Sell my car to Exchange My Car: how it works

Exchange My Car is a ‘comparison platform’ with a panel of car buyers competing to offer you the best price for your car.

It works by ‘filtering’ potential buyers, so you should only see offers from buyers who are interested in your specific type of car and who can offer the best price.

This means for example if a vehicle is a non-runner, it will only be matched with buyers who want non-runners.

How the sales process works

It’s easy to get a free selling price with Exchange My Car.

All you do is go on the Exchange My Car website and type your vehicle registration and mileage into the yellow and white boxes on screen.

Then click the ‘get my offers’ button.

At this point, you will be asked about damage or issues with your vehicle.

Click ‘no’ and you can carry on with the quote process.

Click ‘yes’ and you will be asked for more details before being offered prices.

Before you get on-screen prices for your vehicle, you’ll need to provide your contact details including email address, postcode and phone number.

Note: if you’re just shopping around for quotes and don’t want to be contacted, you don’t have to give your actual details at this point.

Valuation offers are typically valid for seven days, although this may vary depending on the car buyer.

If you’re happy with an offer, you click to ‘accept’ or can contact the buyer directly on the phone number given.

Arranging a home appointment is between you and the car buyer, and times and availability may vary between buyers, although I found next-day appointments available when reviewing the site.

Before the buyer arrives, it’s your responsibility to get your paperwork together.

Once they arrive, at the agreed time, they’ll complete the sale paperwork and you’ll get paid, by bank transfer, direct to your bank account.

All buyers offer free home collection or, if you prefer, collection from your workplace.

What will I need in order to sell my car to Exchange My Car?

In order to sell your vehicle, you need the following:

• V5 logbook, (vehicle registration certificate), which must be in your name along with your current address;
• A copy of a recent utility bill, (within the past three months), also in your name;
• If you have details of the vehicle’s service history, receipts for any work carried out or a handbook, these should also be handed over;
• At least one key for the vehicle.

Will Exchange My Car buy my car? What cars do they want?

Exchange My Car say it will buy ‘any car’ within the UK regardless of its make, model, year, mileage or condition.

The company will also buy non-runners, insurance write-offs, vehicles for scrap, imported vehicles.

If your car has outstanding finance, you’ll need to let your buyer know how much is outstanding, along with a settlement figure from your finance company.

On the day of your appointment, your car buyer then settles the finance, before paying you the remaining balance, direct to your bank account.

How accurate is the Exchange My Car valuation?

On the topic of valuations, it’s important to understand that the accuracy of your quote will depend on the business model of any site you go to.

For example, a company like Motorway will offer you a guide price when you enter your details. They will then have dealers bid on your car and the best offer will then be sent on to you.

With this model, there is obviously a chance that the price you’re offered will be lower even before your car is inspected.

Other car-buying sites – like Exchange My Car and Webuyanycar – have a more direct model where this middle step is removed and the quote you get upfront won’t change (prior to inspection).

So it’s worth keeping this in mind when comparing quotes.

I thought I’d conduct a quick comparison to see how Exchange My Car’s offer stacked up.

I ran a valuation for my old 2010 Peugeot 207 CC 1.6 GT Convertible through Exchange My Car and the best offer I received was £1,102 from Money4YourMotors.

I also grabbed a quote from Webuyanycar for the same vehicle and was offered £1,000 and then one from Motorway, which came in at £1,305.

Motorway was the clear the winner from my (very) limited search, but it’s worth remembering the caveat we mentioned earlier about Motorway’s final price.

Will I get the best price if I sell my car to Exchange My Car offer?

The short answer here is that no site can offer the best price for every car.

That’s why our golden rule here at Sell My Car Guide is to always take the time to shop around for a few rival quotes and proceed from there.

It only takes a few minutes and could end up netting you hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds extra for your old motor.

How do I ensure my offer price isn’t knocked down at inspection?

Being as honest as possible throughout the process should ensure the best price.

You will get a firm offer prior to your appointment.

However, if on the day, there is an issue with missing paperwork or more damage than previously declared, any offer may be revised or withdrawn.

Exchange My Car do say offers may also be increased if for example your car is found to be in great condition or have extras, that were not previously mentioned.

The price may also increase after the buyer gets pictures or speaks to the customer on the phone.

Will I have to pay any fees if I sell my car to Exchange My Car?

There are no fees to sell your car with Exchange My Car. Home collection is also free.

During the sales process, if you change your mind and decide not to sell, at any stage, even on the day of your home appointment, there are no charges.

The below table shows how Exchange My Car stacks up against rivals in terms of fees.

Alternatives: can I get a better price elsewhere?

Here’s a rundown of your other options when it comes to selling your car.

I want to sell my car quickly online

Read our Motorway review or head this way to get a Motorway quote now.

Read our Webuyanycar review or head this way to get a Webuyanycar quote.

Read our Cazoo review or head this way to get a Cazoo quote.

Read out Wewantanycar review or head this way to get a Wewantanycar quote.

Read our Carwow review or head this way to get a Carwow quote.

Read our Arnold Clark review or head this way to get an Arnold Clark quote.

Read our Evans Halshaw review or get an Evans Halshaw quote.

Read our Money4yourmotorws review or head this way to get your Webuyurcar quote.

I want to sell my car myself to get the best price

AutoTrader (be sure to read our Autotrader review first)

eBay

Facebook Marketplace

Gumtree

Exchange My Car Trustpilot rating – 4.6*

Trustpilot is an independent customer review site and Exchange My Car has a 4.6-star rating, (out of five stars), however, this is based on just 33 reviews, at the time of writing.

83% of customers gave Exchange My Car a five-star rating, and 14% of reviewers gave it the lowest one-star rating.

All the negative ‘one-star’ reviews I found were over a year old, with several of these being complaints regarding a £50 collection fee.

On checking with Exchange My Car, it confirmed its service is now completely free.

By comparison around 30% of the five-star reviews had been left within the past month.

Should I sell my car to Exchange My Car? Verdict

The fact that it’s fee-free is a big plus. Some rivals like Webuyanycar (up to £99.99) and Wewantanycar (£125) will charge you an arm and a leg just for the privilege of using their service.

The site is easy to use and offers collection from your door can save a lot of time and hassle.

However, I didn’t find this site quoted the best price for my vehicle as I was offered more selling through the Motorway site.

Pros

• Sellers can get multiple cash offers from prospective buyers.
• Easy way to shift a car you’re struggling to sell as you can sell any car, regardless of age, condition including scrap, non-runners or insurance write-offs.
• Saves time and hassle during the selling process, as your chosen buyer comes direct to your door, at no extra charge.

Cons

• Depending on your vehicle, you may not get a wide range of offers.