Carvana and CarMax are the two names most people type first when they decide to sell a car online, and on paper they look almost identical: an online offer in minutes, a number that holds for 7 days, and payment on the spot at a hand-over appointment. The differences are in how the car gets to them, what that costs, and what the offer is conditional on. Everything below comes from each company's own sell page as we verified it on 2026-10-06.
| Carvana (Sell/Trade) | CarMax (Online Instant Offer) | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting the offer | Online instant offer in 2 minutes | Real offer in minutes, by license plate or VIN |
| Offer window | Valid 7 days | Valid 7 days |
| Fee to get an offer | Free (no fee stated) | No fee stated |
| Drop-off | At Carvana hubs and vending machines, 'always free' | In-store appointment |
| Home pickup | 'For an additional service charge, for customers in specific locations' | Not all locations; 'Distance restrictions and fee may apply' |
| Payment | On the spot at the appointment, by check or ACH | On the spot |
| Tracking the value while you wait | Value Tracker | Offer Watch |
| What the offer depends on | An inspection at the appointment confirming the car matches the appraisal info | Accurate info and in-person verification: 'Most qualify. Some we'll ask to verify in-person' |
Where they match: the window, the speed and the moment you get paid
Both quote in minutes, both hold the number for 7 days, and both pay at the appointment rather than before it. Neither charges to get the offer. Carvana names its payment methods, check or ACH; CarMax says on the spot without naming a method on the page we verified, so if you need the money a specific way, ask CarMax before you book. Both also let you wait without re-quoting: Carvana's Value Tracker and CarMax's Offer Watch each monitor your car's value over time.
Where they split: getting the car to them
Carvana's drop-off is the cleanest free path in this pair. You take the car to a Carvana hub or vending machine, and the site calls that 'always free'. Its home pickup is where the caveats live: it is offered 'for an additional service charge, for customers in specific locations'. CarMax leans the other way. The store appointment is the default, and home pickup exists but not in all locations, with 'distance restrictions and fee may apply' attached. Read together: if you can drive the car to a Carvana location, Carvana is the one hand-over in this pair that is explicitly free with no distance caveat. If you want the car collected, both may charge, and neither sell page we checked states the amount.
The inspection clause, read side by side
Neither offer is final until someone has looked at the car. Carvana's final payment happens only at the appointment, after an inspection confirms the car matches the appraisal information you gave online. CarMax states the offer is contingent on accurate info and in-person verification: 'Most qualify. Some we'll ask to verify in-person.' The practical reading is the same for both. The quote is a number for the car you described, and what protects it is the honesty of your online answers, not the brand. CarMax's start-by-plate option is a small edge here, since pulling the car's identity from a plate or VIN leaves fewer fields for you to get wrong.
The third name that prices itself against both
GiveMeTheVin makes Carvana and CarMax the benchmark: it advertises a beat-CarMax/Carvana guarantee, 'or we'll mail you a $100 check — guaranteed', with an offer in 60 seconds, free pick-up or drop-off, and payment by check or direct deposit, often the same day. The trade is the window. GiveMeTheVin says 'our bids are good for 12 hours', against 7 days from either of the two it measures itself against, and the vehicle is re-inspected by an affiliate dealer on arrival. So collect the Carvana and CarMax offers first, since both hold for a week, and request GiveMeTheVin's bid last, when you are ready to act inside its 12 hours.
Which one to start with
- You can drive the car to a Carvana hub: Carvana, because its drop-off is the only hand-over in this pair stated as always free.
- You want the car collected: either may charge, and neither page states the amount, so ask both for the pickup price first.
- You want a quote without typing the car's details: CarMax, which starts from a license plate or VIN.
- You want to hold a number while you decide: both give 7 days, and Value Tracker or Offer Watch covers the time beyond that.
- You already have both offers: run GiveMeTheVin's beat-both guarantee last, inside its 12-hour bid.