How to take photos that sell your car faster (for private sellers)
A simple, no-kit guide for private sellers: how to prepare the car, pick the light and the spot, take the right photos on a phone and write a listing that gets serious messages.
Clean it properly, inside and out
A clean car looks cared for, and care is what a buyer is paying for. Wash and dry it, clean the wheels and glass, vacuum the carpets and wipe the dashboard. Take your things out of the car, including the air freshener, phone mounts and the clutter in the door pockets.
Choose a plain, empty spot
Pick somewhere with nothing behind the car: an empty car park, a quiet road, a wall. Avoid the front of your house, where the bins, the neighbour's car and the washing line all end up in the shot. If you can, ask a friend to stand behind you to keep people out of the frame.
Use soft daylight, not midday sun
Early morning or an hour before sunset is best. On an overcast day you can shoot nearly any time. Avoid direct sun in the middle of the day: it makes harsh glare and deep shadows, and paint looks worse than it is.
Hold the phone sideways and keep it level
Landscape photos fit almost every advert. Hold the phone at about the height of the headlights, stand back a few steps and zoom in slightly rather than standing close with a wide lens. Check that the car is not tilted and that no part is cut off.
Take the main exterior angles
Front three-quarter first, because it will be the main picture in the advert. Then the side, the rear three-quarter, the front and the rear. Our shot list has the full order and what each photo should show.
Do the interior in good light
Open the doors for light, switch the ignition on so the screens are lit, and shoot the dashboard, the front seats, the back seats and the boot. Take a clear photo of the mileage. Tidy first, because every bit of clutter looks worse on camera.
Show the flaws honestly
Take a close-up of any scratch, dent or worn spot and mention it in the advert. People who see the marks in advance and still turn up will not haggle over them, and it saves you time with people who would have walked away. Our piece on honest photos explains why this works.
Think about the number plate
Many private sellers blur the plate. Check the rules of the site you are using, then do it the same way on every photo. A soft blur looks tidy; a black bar looks suspicious. See our note on blurring number plates.
Fix a cluttered background after the fact
If the only place you can park is a messy driveway or a busy street, you can still get a clean photo. Services like Carzbooth put the car into a studio booth after you have taken the picture, leaving every mark on the car exactly where it is. You get the studio look without moving the car.
If you are selling your own car, the photos are the most important part of the advert. You do not need a camera, a studio or any editing skill. You need an hour on a dry day and a plan. Here is the plan, in the order to do it.
Clean car, plain spot, soft light, phone sideways, the standard angles and the flaws shown honestly. Do that and your advert will look better than most on the page. Write the description with the same care, and you will get fewer time-wasters and more serious messages.