CarLinks connects people selling a car with dealerships we work with, most of them in California. You tell us about your car once, a CarLinks agent becomes your point of contact, and the agent handles the conversation with any dealership that’s interested.

This guide explains how the process works, what CarLinks does and doesn’t do, and what you’ll need. Whichever way you sell, our California selling checklist covers the paperwork.

There are five steps. The first one is yours, and the last one belongs to the dealership.

  1. Tell us about your car. Fill in the Sell my car form with the VIN or the year, make and model, the mileage, a few photos if you have them, and whether there’s a loan or a lease on the car.
  2. A CarLinks agent contacts you. Your agent reaches out by phone or email to talk about the car.
  3. We share it with dealerships we work with. Your agent shares your car’s details with dealerships we work with.
  4. If a dealership is interested, your agent handles the conversation. That includes the price conversation with the dealership and arranging a visit.
  5. The dealership inspects the car and decides whether to buy. You decide whether its price works for you.

Nothing in those steps commits you to selling. You can stop at any point, including after a dealership has inspected the car.

It helps to be clear about who does what, because CarLinks isn’t the buyer.

  • CarLinks doesn’t buy cars. We don’t make offers and we don’t set prices. The buyer, if there is one, is a dealership we work with, and it decides for itself after inspecting the car.
  • Your agent is your point of contact. From the first call or email until a visit is arranged, you deal with your agent rather than with several buyers at once.
  • Interest isn’t promised. We can’t tell you in advance whether a dealership will want your car, what it might pay or how long it might take. CarLinks doesn’t promise a sale, a price or a timeline.
  • Your car’s details go to dealerships we work with. We use your details to contact you about this car, and we share the car’s details with dealerships we work with. Photos are stored privately, and our privacy policy explains the rest.
  • The final say is yours. There’s no obligation to sell. If the price a dealership names doesn’t work for you, you can say no.

What’s the best way to sell a car in California?

There isn’t one answer. It depends on how much of the sale you want to handle yourself. Here’s how a private sale and a sale through CarLinks compare on the parts that take a seller’s time.

Selling privately

You write the listing and take the photos. You answer questions from people you don’t know, arrange for them to see the car and negotiate the price yourself. When you agree a sale, you and the buyer sort out the paperwork between you.

  • No listing to manage. You tell us about your car once, through the form. There’s no listing for you to write, keep up to date or take down.
  • One point of contact. Your agent is the person you talk to, and the one who handles the price conversation with the dealership.
  • A dealership, not strangers. If a dealership is interested, the visit is with that dealership, not with a stream of people replying to an ad.
  • No obligation. Sending your car’s details doesn’t commit you to anything.

What doesn’t go away is your own part of the paperwork, which we cover below. Some sellers will still prefer a private sale, and that’s a reasonable choice. This route is for people who would rather have someone else handle the conversation with a dealership.

What do I need to sell my car to a dealership?

For the form, have these ready:

  • The VIN, or the year, make and model. You can type the VIN or scan its barcode. No VIN handy? Enter the year, make and model yourself.
  • The mileage.
  • Your ZIP code and city.
  • Photos, if you have them. They’re optional, and you can add up to 10.
  • How the car is doing. The form asks you to rate the exterior, interior, tires and mechanical condition, from Excellent to Needs work, with room for a short note on each.
  • Its history, if you know it. You can choose from a clean title to an accident reported, or pick “I’m not sure”.
  • Your title status. Whether there’s a loan or a lease on the car, or it’s paid off and the title is in your hands.
  • The price you’d like to ask. An estimate is fine.

If you still owe money on the car, your lender is part of the sale, so read selling a car you still owe money on before you start. If the car is leased, your leasing company sets the payoff and buyout steps, so start there; see selling a leased car in California.

For the sale itself, ask the dealership which documents it needs you to bring. Our selling checklist lists what California asks of a seller, from signing the title to telling the DMV.

After the sale: tell the DMV

One step after the sale is yours. The DMV describes the release of liability as the seller’s duty. California law requires the seller to notify the DMV within 5 calendar days of selling or transferring a vehicle. You do it with a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, or NRL (DMV NRL page).

To file online, the DMV asks for the new owner’s name and address, your license plate number and the last five digits of the VIN, and the odometer reading at the time of sale. The DMV says to save the NRL confirmation for your records.

Telling us about your car

Most of the dealerships we work with are in California, which is why the form and our guides focus on the state. If you live somewhere else, why CarLinks focuses on California explains what to expect.

If you’d like an agent to handle the conversation with a dealership for you, send your car’s details through the Sell my car page. Your agent will get in touch by phone or email, and the decision to sell stays with you throughout.

Sources

Checked October 2026.