Every car-buying site promises an instant offer. Most also put a number on it, somewhere between 20 seconds and a few minutes, and the differences say a lot about how each service works. A site that quotes in under a minute with no personal information is pricing off a database. A site that wants your plate and state before the number appears is already qualifying you as a seller. Here is what each site's own page says about how long the quote takes and what it needs from you first.
Quote times, as each site states them
| Service | Time to an offer (as stated) | What you enter or need |
|---|---|---|
| CarBuyerUSA | 20 seconds or less | No personal information required |
| Dealr | About 30 seconds to a value | Web; sale typically completes in under 2 weeks |
| GiveMeTheVin | 60 seconds | License plate or VIN |
| CarBrain | 90-second form | Instant for some vehicles; others get a guaranteed offer by follow-up |
| DamagedCars.com | 90 seconds | Web |
| Cash Auto Salvage | About 90 seconds | Web |
| Carvana | 2 minutes | Web; valid 7 days |
| CarMax | Minutes | Plate or VIN; valid 7 days |
| Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer | Minutes | Web; redeemed at a participating dealer |
| EchoPark | Minutes | Web; valid 7 days or 500 miles |
| Cash for Junk Cars Online | Minutes | Web or phone |
| WhipFlip | Under 5 minutes from offer to booked appointment | Smartphone required |
| Peddle | Instant, no time stated | No account required |
| Driveway | Instant, no time stated | Plate number plus registered state |
| Wheelzy | Instant, no time stated | Web or phone |
| CashForCars.com (Copart) | Instant, no time stated | Web |
| Cars.com Sell & Trade | Instant, no time stated | Web; dealer offer valid 3 business days |
| webuyanycar.com | Instant valuation, no time stated | Web; in-branch inspection before payment |
| AutoNation | Online appraisal, no time stated | Web; valid 7 days or 500 miles |
| PrivateAuto | No instant offer | You list the car and find the buyer |
Instant is not always instant
Three of the fastest quotes come with a condition printed on the same page. CarBuyerUSA claims to be the only site that spits out a price in 20 seconds with no personal information, but its own page says the instant onscreen offer appears only 94% of the time, and payment waits on an inspection that can take up to 48 hours. CarBrain's 90-second form produces an instant offer only for some vehicles; the rest get a guaranteed offer shortly after through follow-up contact. Dealr, which PickMerit's team also operates, values the car in about 30 seconds, but that figure opens a negotiation across hundreds of buyers rather than a cash offer, and a typical sale completes in under two weeks. If you want money this week, speed of quote is the wrong measure.
PrivateAuto is the one service in the table with no instant number at all. It is a self-service platform for private sales, so the price is whatever you and a buyer agree, and it charges $29 per listing plus a $150 closing fee for the paperwork and payment transfer.
What you have to hand over to get the number
The sites split on how much they want before they show you anything. CarBuyerUSA asks for no personal information and Peddle requires no account. CarMax and GiveMeTheVin start from a license plate or VIN, which identifies the car without typing out the trim. Driveway will not begin the offer flow without a plate number and the state it is registered in. WhipFlip is the odd one out: its reps come to you, and its full offer requires a smartphone. If you just want a ballpark before deciding whether to sell at all, the low-friction end of the table is where to start.
The 60-second number is not the handover number
A fast quote is an estimate of what the site expects to pay once it sees the car. CarMax says most sellers qualify but some will be asked to verify in person. webuyanycar.com states that valuations may be adjusted at its discretion at any time, including during the in-branch inspection. GiveMeTheVin's 60-second bid is based on your description, is good for only 12 hours, and the car is re-inspected by the affiliate dealer on arrival. Carvana pays only at the appointment after an inspection confirms the car matches what you entered. The junk-car specialists are the exception: Wheelzy says your offer is always guaranteed and will not decrease at pickup, and Cash Auto Salvage says the number you see in the offer is what it pays. Speed and firmness are different features.
- Whether the quote is a cash offer or a valuation. Dealr's 30-second figure and webuyanycar.com's instant valuation are starting points, not what gets paid.
- How long you have once it appears. GiveMeTheVin gives 12 hours, Cars.com 3 business days, and Carvana, CarMax, EchoPark and AutoNation 7 days.
- What the site needs before it shows a number. Plate and state for Driveway, a smartphone for WhipFlip, nothing personal for CarBuyerUSA.
- Whether the offer can change at pickup. Only Wheelzy and Cash Auto Salvage state on their pages that it cannot.