How to photograph a car for sale

Short answer

Wash the car, park it somewhere open and uncluttered, and photograph it in daylight with your phone held sideways. Take every side, both three-quarter angles, the dashboard with the odometer visible, the seats, the boot, the engine bay, the tyres and the service book, plus a clear photo of any damage.

Buyers decide whether to enquire from the photos, and they read a thin set of photos as something being hidden. You do not need a camera or any skill, only a clean car, decent light and a complete set.

Prepare the car first

Wash and dry it, including the wheels and the glass.
Vacuum the interior and wipe the dashboard.
Empty it: no bags, child seats, phone holders, rubbish or air fresheners.
Remove anything personal from view, such as mail or documents with your address.

Choose the place and the light

Park somewhere with room to walk all the way around the car and a plain background: an empty car park, a quiet street, a driveway with the garage door closed. Avoid other cars, bins and washing lines in the frame.

Light matters more than the camera. A bright overcast day is ideal, because clouds soften shadows and reflections. In full sun, shoot early or late in the day and keep the sun behind you. Avoid midday sun, which blows out pale paint and hides dark interiors, and never shoot at night or in a garage.

Set up the phone

Hold it sideways (landscape). Listing photos are shown wide, and a tall photo wastes most of the frame.
Wipe the lens.
Stand back and keep the whole car in the frame with a little space around it.
Hold the phone at about door-handle height for exterior shots, not at eye level looking down.
Do not use filters, and do not use the widest lens: it distorts the car's shape.

The shot list

Outside

Front three-quarter view, from the driver's side. This is usually the best cover photo.
Rear three-quarter view, from the opposite corner.
Straight on from the front, and straight on from the back.
Both sides, square on.
Each wheel and tyre, close enough to see the tread.
The roof, if the car is tall or has racks.

Inside

The dashboard and steering wheel from the driver's door.
The instrument cluster with the ignition on, so the odometer reading and any warning lights are visible.
The front seats.
The rear seats.
The boot or tray, empty, and the spare wheel if there is one.
The infotainment screen switched on.

The details buyers ask about

The engine bay.
The service book, open at the most recent stamps, and any receipts.
Both keys, if you have two.
Extras that add value: tow bar, roof racks, tonneau cover, a recent set of tyres.

Photograph the damage

Take a clear, close photo of every scratch, dent, chip, kerbed wheel and worn seat bolster, and one wider photo that shows where it is on the car. This feels like it works against you. It does the opposite. A buyer who has seen the damage in the listing has already accepted it in the price. A buyer who finds it at the inspection feels misled and either walks away or asks for a larger discount than the damage is worth.

Tip

Put the best exterior shot first. On Australia Motors the first photo becomes the cover image buyers see in search results, and you can change which one is the cover after uploading.

What to keep out of the photos

Your home address, on a letterbox, a document or a registration label.
Other people, especially children.
Anything that shows where the car is kept overnight more precisely than the suburb in your listing.

Showing the number plate is a personal choice. Buyers can use it for a registration check, which serious buyers will want to do. Some sellers prefer to cover it and provide it on request.

How many photos

Upload as many as the listing allows that show something different. On Australia Motors you can add up to 20 photos, in JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB each. Fifteen to twenty photos that cover the list above is about right; five is too few for a buyer to judge the car.

When the photos are done, write the listing to match what they show.