Buying and selling a car has never been easier, thanks to the internet. Today you can research a range of makes and models, compare prices and even purchase a car from the comfort of your home. The marketplace you choose for your online car buying and selling will, undoubtedly, color your experience. We’ve rounded up the top online car marketplaces to help you decide where to buy (or sell) your next set of wheels.

One Woman Owner female focused online car marketplace

One of the newest platforms in the online car buying space, One Woman Owner is the UK’s first female focused marketplace.

Website: www.onewomanowner.com

Number of used cars: 25,000 and counting

Unique selling point: Female focused plus all marketplace advertisers are background checked

Buyers and Sellers ID verification: Yes

User-friendly rating: *****

Browsing cars is easy on the website and when you find your ideal car, you can reserve it and even elect to have it delivered by a dealer. The key difference is the safety and confidence buyers and sellers are given. Advertisers are background checked and IDs are verified, so you know who you’re buying from. Dealership cars only come from 5-star rated dealers on Trustpilot and Google, so shady dealers are filtered out.

Pros: Buyers know who they are buying from and sellers are protected with ID verification. The website also offers tonnes of advice about buying and selling to help you get a great deal on the best pre-loved cars.

Cons: As a newer entrant to the online car buying space, the majority of the stock comes from professional dealers and there are few private sellers. But expect this to change soon, as the Brand gains more traction and visibility over the coming months.

Auto Trader new and used cars online

Undisputedly the largest online car marketplace the UK has to offer. Auto Trader has the usual tools to help you find and purchase the best car for you.

Website: www.autotrader.co.uk

Number of used cars: Over 460,000

Unique selling point: Largest selection of new and used cars available online

Seller ID verification: No

User-friendly rating: ****

Auto Trader has the biggest online selection of new and used cars in the UK. Their online car buying marketplace has dominated in the UK for aeons. Auto Trader started out as a classifieds magazine in the late 70s and they moved partly online in 1996. The magazine stopped its circulation in 2013 and all efforts focused online. This is a similar set-up to One Woman Owner – they provide the platform for dealers and private owners to sell from.

Pros: Their website has a vast array of resources. Help for buyers includes data insights, car valuations, price indicators and history checks.

Cons: Around 90% of the vehicles found on Auto Trader’s online car buying website are sourced from professional dealers across the UK. There are no ID verification protocols in place so it can be difficult to ascertain the true titleholder of cars and know what’s under the hood unless you check a car in person before buying.

Motors.co.uk online car buying site

The second-largest online car buying website in the UK, motors.co.uk have been gaining traction in the online car buying space in recent years.

Website: www.motors.co.uk

Number of used cars: Over 275,000

Unique selling point: User-friendly online car comparison and purchase options

Seller ID verification: No

User-friendly rating: *****

The user-friendliness of this online car buying marketplace is what really makes it stand out. Easy to understand graphics and well-arranged vehicle criteria are just the beginning. There’s also a wide range of filters that allows buyers to search by budget, road tax, additional comfort features and practicality to make finding a car simple.

Pros: The range of search filters is clever and helpful.

Cons: Most of the stock comes from professional car dealers, private used car sellers are in the extreme minority. Car reviews can be misleading with newer images of cars paired with details for an older model.

Cazoo end to end online car buying

It’s hard to have missed Cazoo in recent years with their wide TV advertising campaign. This online car buying website boasts they’re the best way you can buy a car entirely online from the comfort of your sofa.

Website: www.cazoo.co.uk

Number of used cars: Over 7,000

Unique selling point: Seamless end to end online car buying experience

Seller ID verification: No

User-friendly rating: ***

The wide range of cars available through their website makes finding a car that suits you relatively easy. Cazoo buy the cars and inspect and recondition them before making them available for sale. Buyers get a 7-day test drive period in which they can return the vehicle if they’re not impressed, quibble-free.

Pros: Their 4.8 star ranking with Trustpilot, means excellent customer service and complaint management.

Cons: The 7-day trial period for Cazoo cars comes at the price of 6 months’ worth of car tax and their 90-day warranty is less than the average dealer’s warranty.

CarGurus used car platform

CarGurus started out in the US and Canada before recently landing on UK shores. Their reputation as a bargain-hunters paradise precedes them.

Website: www.cargurus.co.uk

Number of used cars: Over 180,000

Unique selling point: Excellent price comparison and transparency tools

Seller ID verification: No

User-friendly rating: ****

CarGurus combines data analytics, bespoke technology and search algorithms to create a transparent marketplace that gives unbiased insights into car pricing, dealer reputations and vehicle histories. The online car buying marketplace shows price changes and rates cars deals by ‘Fair’, ‘Good’ and ‘Great’ rankings which make it simple to see if you’re getting a good deal in terms of market pricing.

Pros: Cars are listed in order of accuracy for market pricing and dealer reputation.

Cons: All cars are from dealers, there aren’t any private sellers and listings aren’t always accurate. Communication with sellers can be patchy at times and some vehicles are double advertised on the site.

Cinch ‘cars without the faff’

Just like Cazoo, Cinch owns the cars they sell. They also have a robust part-exchange element for the used cars available on their website. It’s partly how they guarantee the ‘no faff’ part of their tagline.

Website: www.cinch.co.uk

Number of used cars: over 10,000

Unique selling point: Used cars are sold without any faff, buyers can find and purchase completely online

Seller ID verification: No

User-friendly rating: ****

Cinch has a good selection that is set to get even better with the recent opening of a new facility in Corby. All cars go through a 225 point check and a 14-day money-back guarantee. There’s also a handy car-matching tool on the website if you’re not too sure which is the best car for you. As all of the cars are theirs, and they’re part of the Constellation Automotive Group which also own WeBuyAnyCar and British Car Auctions (BCA), they’re a little more invested in the stock on their website than some other marketplaces.

Pros: It’s a straightforward and convenient way of buying a car without checking it over yourself or haggling on price.

Cons: Part-exchange offers can be well under market value.