Taking photos that sell cars

Great photos sell cars, so it's important to get some good shots of your car looking its best. We show you how.

The first step is to clean your car thoroughly, in most cases a wash and a vacuum is all you need. An easy and convenient way is a visit to your local self carwash.

The camera

It used to be the case that you needed a really good digital camera to take quality photos of you car but these days your smartphone like an iPhone or Android phone will take excellent photos of your car for sale.

Where?

• Park your car somewhere bright and spacious if possible - a clean driveway or parked on your favorite street
• Leave plenty of room for you to walk around the vehicle and take pictures from different angles
• Remove any distractions such as luggage and rubbish
• Make sure the car is well lit but not too bright

What to Avoid:

• Parking with an unsightly background
• Cars belong on the street so try not to park your car on grass unless it's a 4x4.
• Taking photographs in dull, overcast weather or at night
• Taking pictures from above or too low down
• Artificial light and direct sunlight
• Cutting part of the car off, unless you're photographing details

What to photograph?

• Front corner
• Rear corner
• Front straight-on
• Back straight-on
• Side profile
• Close-up of a wheel, especially if they are alloys
• The dashboard
• Front and rear seats
• Inside the boot
• The engine bay
• Any damage to your car
• If your car's a convertible, take a picture with the roof down and another with the roof up

Remember to take more than one picture of each area to give you choice later on. Try to keep the whole car in the image.

Uploading your photos

On MotorFind you can upload as many photos as you like but choose about 10 of your best photos and decide on the main image - an image of the whole car taken from the left or right front corner is best.

Last updated: 15-12-2023