First impressions sell cars. A spotless, well-presented car photographs better online, builds instant trust with buyers, and consistently sells faster and for more money. Here's how to get yours ready.

1. Deep clean the interior first

Buyers sit in the car before they fall in love with it. A full vacuum, steam clean, stain extraction and a proper wipe-down of every surface makes the cabin feel cared-for. Don't forget the boot — it's the first thing many buyers open.

2. Get the paint looking its best

A safe hand wash, decontamination and a machine polish brings back gloss and removes the dullness that makes a car look tired in photos. Even a single-stage polish can transform how "loved" a car appears.

3. Fix the small things that signal neglect

Foggy headlights — a quick headlight restoration makes the front end look years younger
Dirty wheels and dull tyres — clean wheels and dressed tyres photograph beautifully
A grimy engine bay — a clean engine bay tells buyers the whole car was maintained

4. Photograph it properly

Once it's detailed, shoot it in soft, even light (early morning or late afternoon), in a tidy location, from multiple angles. Clean paint reflects light and pops in photos — that's what stops the scroll on Marketplace and Carsales.

A pre-sale detail typically costs a couple of hundred dollars and routinely adds far more than that to the sale price — while helping the car sell faster.

The easy option

Our pre-sale detail package covers all of the above in one go, so your car is listing-ready and looking its absolute best. Many of our customers tell us their car sold the same week — and above asking.