6 popular places to sell a car in Ottawa

You can sell your car in Ottawa either online or in person, depending on your preferences. Choose from a range of options including online dealers, car bidding sites, automotive brokers or private marketplaces. Use this post to compare the features of some of the most popular places to sell a car in Ottawa, and choose the best fit for you.

• How we selected popular places to sell a car in Ottawa

  We prioritized automotive places in Ottawa that have an established, positive online presence and offer an easy car-selling process (i.e. hassle-free and fair pricing).

1. Clutch

Clutch is an online dealer that lets you sell a car in Ottawa hassle-free, with instant offers for eligible vehicles.

• Location in Ottawa: You can arrange for your car to be picked up from home (if your car is worth over $10,000), or you can drop it off at a nearby Clutch reconditioning centre in Ottawa if it’s worth less than this.
• How the selling process works: Click “Sell or trade” on the Clutch website. Fill in your VIN and car details, and send in your proof of ownership. Wait for an offer if you qualify and then arrange for delivery/pick-up and online payment.
• Required documents: You’ll need your driver’s licence, a signed bill of sale, the completed application of transfer, a void cheque or direct deposit form to facilitate payment and a loan payout statement if your vehicle is financed.
• Cars they accept: The car must be 2000 or newer with Any or less and in good to excellent condition.
• Accepts cars with a loan on it: Yes, as long as the offer you get is worth more than the loan.
• Turnaround time: Turnaround time depends on when you submit your proof of ownership and organize a delivery/pick-up date for your car (usually within two to three days).
• Funding methods: Payments are made via electronic funds transfer (EFT). Money will show up in your bank account one to three business days after the transaction is complete.
• What sellers have to say about Clutch: Sellers praised Clutch for offering high prices to sell a car in Ottawa compared to in-person dealers. However, some people complained that the prices they were quoted weren’t honoured when it came time for Clutch to collect their car.

See your offer from Clutch

2. Canada Drives

Canada Drives is an online dealer that lets you sell your car in Ottawa quickly and easily by giving you an instant offer and arranging for at-home pick-up.

• Location in Ottawa: You can arrange for your car to be picked up from home, or you can drop it off at a nearby Canada Drives service location in Ottawa.
• How the selling process works: Click “Sell/trade” on the Canada Drives website. Fill in an application with your vehicle details and wait for Canada Drives to make you an offer. Agree to your offer, arrange for car pick-up/delivery and wait for your online payment.
• Required documents: You’ll need your driver’s licence, a signed bill of sale, the completed application of transfer and a void cheque or direct deposit form. The person who picks up your car will bring the bill of sale, transfer papers and the EFT form to you.
• Cars they accept: The car must be 2013 or newer with 160,000km or less and in good to excellent condition. Rebuilds are not accepted.
• Accepts cars with a loan on it: Yes, as long as the offer you get is worth more than the loan.
• Turnaround time: Delivery or pick-up of your car can be as soon as the next day.
• Funding methods: Payments are made by automatic deposit into your bank account via EFT. Money will usually show up in one business day after you sell your car in Ottawa.
• What sellers have to say about Canada Drives: Sellers indicate that Canada Drives offers fair pricing and a smooth buying process. Some reviewers expressed concern about having to hand over keys without immediate payment but most confirmed they were paid within a few hours to one day.

3. Carity

Carity is an online bidding site that helps you sell a used car in Ottawa by listing your car on its website and soliciting bids from interested buyers.

• Location in Ottawa: You can arrange for your car to be picked up from home. or you can drop it off at a local dealer location.
• How the selling process works: Visit the Carity website and click “Sell” to get started. Input the vehicle details and post your car. Get offers from dealerships in your area and pick the best one. Arrange for car pick-up and online payment.
• Required documents: You’ll need your driver’s licence, a signed bill of sale, the completed application of transfer and a void cheque/direct deposit form if you want payment deposited into your account.
• Cars they accept: This is not disclosed on the website. You will get a final quote after an in-person inspection.
• Accepts cars with a loan on it: Yes.
• Turnaround time: Apply in under five minutes and get offers in under 24 hours. Schedule a vehicle inspection and pick-up as soon as you accept an offer.
• Funding methods: You can get your money through a bank draft or automatic deposit.
• What sellers have to say about Carity: Sellers indicate that it was a seamless process to sell a used car in Ottawa through Carity and that they received a fair price. The inspection was fast and easy, and payment was received on schedule. Some complained that their final offer was lower than the initial offer or that they were lowballed after the inspection.

4. AutoTrader

AutoTrader is an online automotive marketplace that lets you post an ad to sell privately or sell to a dealership through its “Instant Cash Offer” service.

• Location in Ottawa: You can arrange for your car to be picked up from home or you can drop it off at a local dealer location.
• How the selling process works: Open the AutoTrader site and post a free ad to sell to a private buyer or choose to get an instant offer from a dealership. If you choose a dealer, you can drop your car off with them on the same day and collect a cheque.
• Required documents: You’ll need your driver’s licence, a signed bill of sale, the completed application of transfer and a void cheque/direct deposit form if you want payment deposited into your account. To sell privately, you’ll also need to complete a used vehicle information package (UVIP).
• Cars they accept: There are no eligibility criteria to post ads. You may only get dealership offers on newer vehicles in good condition.
• Accepts cars with a loan on it: Yes, if you’re selling to a dealer.
• Turnaround time: Create an ad and post your car for sale. Schedule a vehicle inspection and drop off as soon as you accept an offer.
• Funding methods: Dealers can give an offer within a few hours. You can arrange to deliver the car on the same day.
• What sellers have to say about AutoTrader: Some customers indicate it is a simple site to use, with decent customer service. However, a large majority of sellers indicate that they were unhappy that they had to pay a fee for a priority listing to get visibility for their ad, and many were only contacted by scammers and dealers with lowball offers.

5. Ottawa Auto Sales

Ottawa Auto Sales is a local dealer that lets you sell your car in Ottawa, often with same-day appraisal and payment.

• Location in Ottawa: 1375 Johnston Road.
• How the selling process works: Bring your car into Ottawa Auto Sales and you will be given an offer. If you accept, drop your car off, hand over the keys and get payment the same day.
• Required documents: You’ll need your driver’s licence, a signed bill of sale, the completed application of transfer and a void cheque/direct deposit form if you want payment deposited into your account.
• Cars they accept: This is not disclosed on the website.
• Accepts cars with a loan on it: Yes.
• Turnaround time: Bring your car in and get a same-day offer.
• Funding methods: This is not disclosed on the website.
• What sellers have to say about Ottawa Auto Sales: Sellers indicated that the owner is professional and trustworthy and that they felt they received a fair price for their vehicle. There were no negative reviews posted by sellers online.

6. MyCar.ca

MyCar is a local dealer that lets you sell a used car in Ottawa directly to them in return for a fast cash offer and a bonus gift certificate to a local business of your choice.

• Location in Ottawa: 6104 Perth Street.
• How the selling process works: Bring your car into MyCar and it will give you an offer based on the worth of your vehicle in your CARFAX report. You’ll also get a $250 gift certificate to the local business of your choice when you sell a used car in Ottawa.
• Required documents: You’ll need your driver’s licence, a signed bill of sale, the completed application of transfer and a void cheque/direct deposit form if you want payment deposited into your account.
• Cars they accept: This is not disclosed on the website.
• Accepts cars with a loan on it: Yes.
• Turnaround time: Bring your car in and get a same-day offer.
• Funding methods: This is not disclosed on the website.
• What sellers have to say about MyCar.ca: Customers indicated that the service is professional and transparent, and it offers reasonable prices. There were no negative reviews posted by sellers online.

Should I sell a used car in Ottawa to a dealer or privately?

Use the following information when deciding if you should sell a used car in Ottawa to a dealer or a private buyer.

When to sell privately

You may want to sell your car in Ottawa privately if you’re looking to get a higher price and you don’t mind taking extra time to make a sale. You may also need to sell it privately if it’s older than 2012 or has more than 150,000km on it.

Selling a car privately can involve meeting prospective buyers in person and organizing test drives. It can also involve people no-showing, rescheduling appointments or lowballing. You’ll need to complete all the paperwork to sell the car yourself and you have a higher chance of running into scammers when collecting payment.

When to sell to a dealer

You may want to sell your car in Ottawa to a dealer if you’re short on time and want to make a quick sale. Selling to a dealer also makes sense if you want to sell a car that you still owe money on or you want to trade your car in for a new dealership vehicle.

Most dealers will give you an instant offer for your car and some will even pick the car up from your home. Most will also deal with all of the paperwork, and you can feel safer with the payment aspect if you’re working with a reputable company. The main downside is that some dealers will try to lowball you and you may get less for the car than it’s worth.
How to sell a car in Ontario

Popular general marketplaces to privately sell a used car in Ottawa

If you don’t want to use an online service or in-person dealer to sell your car in Ottawa, you can use general marketplaces such as Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace. Just make sure you always receive payment before you hand over your keys and transfer documents.

• Kijiji. Create a listing by clicking “Post ad” in the top right-hand corner. Provide your VIN to populate your ad with year, make, model, trim and other features automatically. Post your ad and communicate with prospective buyers to organize test drives, arrange payment and finalize the deal.
• Facebook Marketplace. Open Facebook Marketplace and tap “Sell” at the top. Input a title and price, and select the “vehicles” category. Add photos and a description of your car, and click “publish” to make your listing go live. Once you get a few offers, book time for test drives and organize payment and transfer if someone wants to buy the car.

Frequently asked questions

• Where can I sell a junk car in Ottawa?

  You can sell a junk car to various junk and salvage yards in Ottawa. A few examples include Scrap My Car Ottawa, Scrap Car Pickup for Cash Ottawa and Junk Car Removal Ottawa. All you need to do is schedule a pick-up, and some scrap yards may even pay cash for your junk car.

• How do sellers determine how much my car is worth?

  Sellers may look at car price valuation databases such as Canadian Red Book, Canadian Black Book or Kelley Blue Book to determine your car's worth. They may also consult your CARFAX report and do a physical inspection before deciding on your final price.

• Where can I sell my car in Ottawa?

  You can sell your car to an online dealer or through an automotive bidding site if you'd like a quick offer and a virtual sale. For in-person sales, you can go through a local dealer, an automotive marketplace (like AutoTrader) or a general marketplace.