Carvana vs PrivateAuto
Quick summary
Verified pricing differs — Carvana: Free offer · PrivateAuto: $29 listing + $150 closing.
Verdict
Which one should you pick?
Choose Carvana when you want fast online offers with home pickup — verified pricing: Free offer.
Worth knowing: Pickup can carry an additional service charge and is only for customers in specific locations; final payment happens only at the appointment after an inspection confirms the car matches the appraisal info
Choose PrivateAuto when you want safer private-party sales — verified pricing: $29 listing + $150 closing.
Worth knowing: Not an instant-offer buyer — seller must find their own buyer and pay listing + closing fees; 'does not hold funds in the manner of an escrow service' and title transfer must happen in person
No universal winner — both entries are human-verified (dates in the Verification row below); weigh the limitations against your own setup.
Field by field
The verified fields
What it is
Carvana
PrivateAuto
Pricing
Carvana
Free offer
- Free to get an offer (no fee stated)
- Drop-off at Carvana hubs/vending machines 'always free'
- Pickup 'for an additional service charge, for customers in specific locations'
PrivateAuto
$29 listing + $150 closing
- $29 per listing (one-time)
- $150 per deal closing fee (or $75 each if split with buyer)
Free access
Carvana
PrivateAuto
Platforms
Carvana
PrivateAuto
Standout feature
Carvana
Real offer in 2 minutes, valid for 7 days, and you're paid on the spot at the appointment by check or ACH; Value Tracker monitors your car's value over time
PrivateAuto
Facial-recognition identity verification plus 'Verified Funds' confirmation before meeting, built to kill common private-sale scams; buyers use it free
Limitations
Carvana
Pickup can carry an additional service charge and is only for customers in specific locations; final payment happens only at the appointment after an inspection confirms the car matches the appraisal info
PrivateAuto
Not an instant-offer buyer — seller must find their own buyer and pay listing + closing fees; 'does not hold funds in the manner of an escrow service' and title transfer must happen in person
Verification
Carvana
PrivateAuto
“—” means the official site does not state it — we leave it blank instead of guessing.
Straight answers
Common questions
Do Carvana or PrivateAuto have a free tier?
we could not verify a free tier for Carvana, and PrivateAuto does not. A free tier can mean the whole product or a heavily capped version, so check the pricing detail on each card rather than the yes or no alone.
How much does Carvana cost?
Free offer, as listed on Carvana's own pricing page on the verification date shown above. We record the tiers a site publishes and leave anything it does not publish blank.
How much does PrivateAuto cost?
$29 listing + $150 closing, as listed on PrivateAuto's own pricing page on the verification date shown above. We record the tiers a site publishes and leave anything it does not publish blank.
What does Carvana support?
Carvana's own site lists Web, US, Home pickup (location-dependent), Drop-off at Carvana locations. We only record platforms a site names explicitly — a generic "100+ games" claim is not counted as support for any particular title.
What does PrivateAuto support?
PrivateAuto's own site lists Web, iOS, Android, US nationwide private listings. We only record platforms a site names explicitly — a generic "100+ games" claim is not counted as support for any particular title.
What are the drawbacks of Carvana and PrivateAuto?
Carvana — Pickup can carry an additional service charge and is only for customers in specific locations; final payment happens only at the appointment after an inspection confirms the car matches the appraisal info. PrivateAuto — Not an instant-offer buyer — seller must find their own buyer and pay listing + closing fees; 'does not hold funds in the manner of an escrow service' and title transfer must happen in person. These are the limitations each product's own materials made plain, not a verdict on quality.
Is Carvana or PrivateAuto better?
Neither is better in the abstract, and this page does not name a winner. They differ on the verified fields above — price, free tier, platform support and stated limitations — and which of those matters is a question about your setup, not about the products.
