Motorway: What are the alternatives for car sellers?
Selling your car through Motorway means accepting a third-party dealer's bid, not a guaranteed sale. That bid still has to be confirmed in person, and the dealer could revise or walk away at that point.
Unlike private selling, where a member of the public usually turns up at your door, with Motorway it's a professional dealer. That has pros and cons: you may feel more comfortable dealing with them, but they're likely negotiating over cars every day, so you may have to work a little harder to get the price you want.
If you want an alternative, you can sell your car to webuyanycar directly: one company, one appointment, one answer. Your price is confirmed when the buyer finishes, with no later inspection to reopen it, no listing to create, and no dealer to negotiate with.
Get a free car valuation and book an appointment at any of our 550 UK branches. Our selling process takes less than an hour from quote to sale.
Other options include selling privately, at a dealership, or through a rival platform like Carwow, each with trade-offs around price, speed, and certainty.
Please note: Platform features, fees, and partner names referenced in this guide were verified at the time of publication (13 October 2026) and are subject to change. Check current terms directly with the provider before making a decision.
Get a free valuation
What's the best way to sell your car?
Selling a car is personal, and different people value different things. With over 20 years in the industry and more than 5 million customers served, we've found five things matter most to sellers: speed, ease, certainty, security, and price.
We examined how different selling options compare for each factor:
| Factor | webuyanycar | Motorway | Private sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | |||
| Ease | |||
| Certainty | |||
| Security | |||
| Price |
Please note: These ratings are our own assessment, conducted on 13 October 2026.
Rationale
- Speed: Our appointments average under 25 minutes, against 2 to 7 days plus 7 to 10 working days to collection for Motorway, and about two weeks for a private sale.
- Ease: Rather than spending hours on listings, photos, and messages, or waiting on bids and inspections, you can skip the stress and get it all done with one company and a fixed appointment.
- Certainty: Our price is confirmed at your appointment, but a Motorway bid is still subject to the dealer's inspection, and a private sale doesn't guarantee a buyer or a final price.
What's right for you?
This depends on your priorities:
- Speed and convenience matter most: webuyanycar is probably the best fit.
- Price matters above all: Selling privately could be the right choice.
- Motorway lands in the middle but leans closer to private selling. If you like selling direct to dealers rather than the general public, and you're happy to trade some convenience, security, and certainty for a chance of a little extra cash, it could suit you.
Motorway or webuyanycar?
How it works
Motorway:
Get an estimate. Enter your registration for an estimate based on live market data. It's a guide, not a locked price.
Building a car profile.
- Photos: Take 16 live photographs in the Motorway app, covering the exterior, interior, wheels, tyre treads, and any imperfections. You can't upload photos from your camera roll, and the app checks each one against Motorway's requirements, so you may need to retake some.
- Questions: Answer questions about your car's condition, service history, and damage.
- Live chat: A Motorway agent may go through the details with you over live chat.
- Time: We recommend setting aside at least an hour to ensure you get this right. The process may take longer if your car has significant damage or missing paperwork.
Guide price. Once your profile's reviewed, Motorway sets a guide price. The timeframe from estimate to accepted offer is generally 2 to 7 days, depending on how long you take to profile.
Daily auction. Third-party dealers bid for your car. The highest bid, which may differ from your original estimate, is sent to you to accept or decline.
Collection and payment. The winning dealer arranges collection and pays, typically on collection day. Collection generally happens within 7 to 10 working days of accepting, so it usually takes around this long to get paid.
Once you accept, you'll need to upload your documents. Motorway takes about a day to review them, though it can take longer if any need resubmitting, and collection shouldn't take place until they've been reviewed.
Motorway states that a full service history is worth more than a partial one, and its own example is a service three months late being recorded as 'partial'. It also asks you to declare any wear and tear, however minor, because dealers base their offers on your profile.
webuyanycar:
- We're the buyer. No dealers involved.
- Enter your reg and mileage: Get a quote in under 30 seconds, no profile required.
- Choose a date, time, and branch that suit you.
- One appointment: The buyer inspects your car and makes a final offer.
- Quick and easy process: Takes less than an hour from quote to sale.
Please note: We don't offer a collection service, so you'll need to bring your car to the branch. Can't drive to your appointment? A local vehicle collection service can help.
What it costs
Motorway: Free to list, with a fee only if your car sells.
| Sale price | Service fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £1,000 | Free |
| £1,000 to £4,999 | £29.99 |
| £5,000 to £9,999 | £49.99 |
| £10,000 to £19,999 | £79.99 |
| £20,000 and over | £99.99 |
Fees correct as of 13 October 2026, verified on Motorway's help centre.
webuyanycar: A transaction fee, based on your car's value, may apply. We periodically trial different fees, and the fee is shown on your invoice before you sign.
| Car value | Transaction fee |
|---|---|
| Below £149.99 (minimum valuation £100) | None |
| £150 to £3,999.99 | £49.99 |
| £4,000 to £6,999.99 | £74.99 |
| £7,000 to £9,999.99 | £84.99 |
| £10,000 to £19,999.99 | £99.99 |
| £20,000 and over | £124.99 |
- Payment takes 4 working days as standard at no charge.
- Next-day payment is £24.75, and Immediate Payment (selected customers, typically 15 minutes) is £29.75.
- Neither fast payment option costs extra on cars valued under £500.
See our FAQs for more information.
Which cars are accepted?
Motorway lets you sell most cars, with these exceptions: classic cars, imported cars, category write-offs, taxis and ex-taxis, emergency vehicles, and driving tuition cars.
Webuyanycar buys any car: the high performance import you shipped over. The classic that's been sat on your drive since 2009. The one without an MOT that won't start. We even buy taxis and ex-ambulances. We mean it.
Valuation
- This works a little differently. Our process is built around convenience and certainty: we actually buy cars, we don't 'set up potential deals'.
- Your valuation is locked in for four days, and a trained buyer confirms it in person against a clear and consistent grading system, with no pushy sales tactics.
- If you adjust our assumptions upfront, we'd expect your final offer to be more reflective of your initial quote.
- Our quotes and selling process should also be more predictable: one familiar business assesses your car from valuation to appointment, rather than an independent dealer.
- By comparison, Motorway's final figure is whatever the winning dealer bids, which could be lower or higher than the initial estimate.
How long does it take to sell your car?
- Average appointment
under 25 minutes - £ Immediate Payment
typically within 15 minutes of agreeing to sell (fee applies, selected customers) - £ Standard payment in 4 working days
Motorway
Our estimate from Motorway’s timings
to an accepted offer
- 1 Offer accepted
- 2 Collection
generally within 7 to 10 working days - £ Payment on collection
Private Sale
Measured from advertising
from advertising to completion
- 1 in 5 3 days or less
- 8% Over a month
Days from valuation
*Usually, from quote to sale. Our own summary of published timings, correct as of 13 October 2026. Based on average online quote in under 30 seconds, average drive time to branch (11 mins), average appointment time (under 25 mins), and Immediate Payment (within 15 mins). The webuyanycar timeline assumes you book straight after your valuation. Motorway’s timings are its own; the combined range is our estimate. Private sale: Tempcover survey of 1,700 UK drivers who had sold privately (OnePoll, February 2026), reported by PetrolPrices, 18 March 2026. Self-reported; starting points differ by route, so treat this as a guide.
The uncertainty of a two-stage sale
Motorway is well reviewed (rated 4.4 on Trustpilot from over 110,000 reviews), and many sellers report a smooth experience. However, a two-stage sale still brings about some uncertainty: the dealer, or someone acting for them, does the inspecting, any price discussion, and the collection. So, neither party is fully responsible for the process, and it's hard to know what you'll get until the dealer has seen your car.
Motorway says dealers may revise an offer if something differs from what you disclosed, but seller reviews suggest price changes at collection are a recurring theme. Motorway says it is remote from the inspection, so it can be hard to get a clear answer on why.
If a sale is cancelled, Motorway's support team can help. Reviews of that support are mixed: some praise quick phone help, while others say it took repeated calls to get a resolution.
The stakes rise with the price
Any time you hand over a car and expect money in return, security matters: who you're dealing with, and how certain the price is. That matters more as the value climbs.
On a £2,000 car, some sellers might let a reduction slide, but on a £70,000 example, few would want to leave it to chance, particularly when the inspection, and any change to the offer, happens at your door.
Motorway vets its dealers, but they're independent businesses, and it's the dealer's on-the-day judgement that decides whether the price holds. The approach may differ from one dealer to the next, so what you get can come down to who wins your car. As there's no standardised process, this can make selling less certain. What's more, if you have a deposit deadline on your new car, a collection up to 10 working days away can compound the stress, and might be tricky to fit around other commitments.
How webuyanycar is different
At webuyanycar, we're the buyer, not a go-between. So, if you want to sell your car, you choose the date, time, and branch, and we can get it done in under an hour, providing the paperwork is in order.
It's a simple three-step process with one familiar business from start to finish. Unlike professional dealers, who may try to chip you down, our buyers are service professionals who follow a standardised process.
The price still depends on an accurate description, but you'll know where you stand throughout, with no photos to upload, no auction to wait on, and no visitors at your home.
Other ways to sell your car
Sell privately. This sometimes offers a higher return than other routes but can take up more of your time. There are usually adverts, viewings, and test drives to contend with, and no guarantee your car will sell.
Sell to a dealership. This is usually a part-exchange, which can often net you less than selling separately, as the dealer needs to resell your car at a profit, so the gap often depends on how easily they can do that.
You can drive away in a new car in one transaction, but you're tied to that forecourt. Sell to webuyanycar first and you'll walk away with cash to buy from wherever you like, which can also put you in a stronger position to negotiate a better price.
Sell through another dealer-auction platform. Carwow works in a similar manner: dealers bid, and the winning bid still depends on a later inspection, with the same risk of falling through.
With webuyanycar, it's one appointment, one buyer, and your price confirmed there and then.
Frequently asked questions
Motorway is well reviewed overall. However, reviews also show a recurring theme of dealers trying to lower the price at collection, so it suits sellers comfortable with some uncertainty for a chance of a higher price.
Motorway charges sellers a service fee once the sale completes, and also charges dealers a fee when they buy a car through the platform. Listing is free, and sellers pay nothing if the car doesn't sell.
Allow up to around three weeks from valuation to money in your bank. Motorway says it generally takes two to seven days from valuation to an accepted offer, then collection within 7 to 10 working days of accepting, with payment on collection.
It can happen. Motorway says it should only happen in circumstances such as undisclosed damage or finance, but some Trustpilot reviews describe price reductions at collection, so sellers can't rule it out.