How to write a vehicle listing that buyers trust
Put the exact year, make, model and badge in the title, then cover service history, ownership, condition, faults and what is included, in that order. Specific and honest beats enthusiastic every time.
Short answer
Write the title as year, make, model and badge. In the description, state the kilometres, service history, number of owners, registration expiry, condition, known faults and what comes with the vehicle. Use plain facts, mention the faults, and leave out sales language.
A buyer scanning search results gives each listing a few seconds. The listings that get enquiries answer the buyer's first questions without making them ask. The ones that get ignored say "great car, must sell".
The title
Use the vehicle's proper name, the way it appears on the registration papers:
- Good: 2019 Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hatch
- Good: 2021 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 Dual Cab
- Weak: Toyota for sale, great condition
- Weak: BARGAIN!!! Must sell this week
The year, make, model and badge are how buyers search and how they compare. Capitals, exclamation marks and words like "bargain" add nothing a buyer can check, and they make a listing look like every low-effort ad the buyer has already skipped.
The facts buyers look for first
Open the description with the facts, in roughly this order:
- Kilometres, as shown on the odometer today.
- Service history: full logbook, partial, or none, and when and where it was last serviced.
- Owners: how many, and how long you have had it.
- Registration: the month and year it expires.
- Transmission, fuel type and body style, if not already clear from the title.
- Roadworthy or safety certificate, if your state requires one for a sale and you have it.
Describe the condition honestly
Describe what a buyer would see standing next to the vehicle, good and bad.
- Say what is good in specific terms: "new front tyres in March", "timing belt replaced at 150,000 km with receipt", "always garaged".
- Say what is wrong in specific terms: "scratch on the rear bumper, shown in photo 12", "air conditioning needs a regas", "small crack in the windscreen, passenger side".
- If it has been in an accident and repaired, say so.
Mentioning faults does not lose you buyers worth having. It filters out the ones who would have walked away at the inspection, and it removes the buyer's best argument for a late discount, because the fault was in the price from the start.
Warning
Do not describe a vehicle as something it is not. Stating the wrong kilometres, hiding accident damage or claiming a service history that does not exist is misleading, and it exposes you to a dispute after the sale.
Say what comes with it
List what the buyer gets: the second key, the logbook and receipts, roof racks, tow bar, floor mats, a dash camera, the remaining registration. If you are keeping something currently fitted, such as personalised plates, say that too.
Say why you are selling
One honest sentence is enough: "upgrading to a seven-seater", "moving overseas", "company car now provided". Buyers ask this question to work out whether there is a problem with the vehicle. Answering it in the listing saves you both a message.
Words to leave out
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| "Great condition" | What is good about it, specifically |
| "First to see will buy" | Nothing. It tells the buyer nothing. |
| "No time wasters" | Nothing. It puts off genuine buyers too. |
| "Needs nothing" | When it was last serviced and what was done |
| "Price is firm" in capitals | "Price is firm" once, calmly, if it is |
A simple structure to copy
- Kilometres, service history, owners, registration.
- Two or three sentences on condition, including faults.
- What is included.
- Why you are selling.
- How and when you can be contacted for an inspection.
Keep paragraphs short. On Australia Motors the description can be up to 5,000 characters, which is far more than most listings need; a clear 150 to 300 words does the job.
Before you publish
- Read it once as a buyer. Is there a question you would still need to ask?
- Check that the photos show what the text describes. See how to photograph a car for sale.
- Check the price against similar listings one more time.
Then list your vehicle. It is free. You can edit the listing later; an edited listing is reviewed again before it goes back online.