Ask “will Carvana buy my car?” and its help center answers with three tests: the car must be newer than 1992, its odometer must work, and Carvana must be able to safely drive it. It also needs the title in your name, and it buys a leased car only through the leasing companies it lists.
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The rule sits in a Carvana help article about trade-in requirements, and it covers a straight sale too: Carvana’s own Value Tracker article links to it with the words “the requirements for selling your vehicle.” As read on October 25, 2026, the requirements article says Carvana will accept your vehicle if:
The same article accepts cars with expired registration “(except for California)” and asks every owner on the title to attend the appointment.
Carvana checks the car twice. First, your answers to its online questions about condition, mileage and features set the offer. Then the appointment, its sell page says, includes “a simple diagnostic check” and a check that the car is “in safe driving condition.” Above all of it sits a line in the User Agreement: Carvana “reserves the right to not provide a vehicle purchase offer to any user for any reason.” How the rest of the sale runs, from the offer to the payment, is in our guide to selling your car to Carvana.
Sell My Car Hub is not affiliated with Carvana, and every rule on this page is quoted from Carvana’s own pages as they read on October 25, 2026.
A car that doesn’t run. The drive test settles it. A car that won’t start fails, and so does one that starts but isn’t safe to drive. Carvana’s selling pages never mention junk cars or failed transmissions, so the same test decides those; will Carvana buy a car that doesn’t run works through each case.
An older or high-mileage car. The cutoff is the model year, not the odometer reading. Its selling pages set no mileage limit, but they list mileage among the factors behind the offer, and an odometer that has stopped working fails the second test. Does Carvana buy older cars has the details.
A leased car. Carvana pays off a lease only with 12 leasing companies it names, and only with more than 30 days left on the lease. With any other company, you buy the car out and get it titled in your name first. Carvana and leased cars lists the companies.
A salvage, rebuilt or damaged car. Here Carvana’s selling pages say nothing: no help article, sell page or terms clause we read mentions title brands. Damage still runs into the drive test and the appointment check, and Carvana lists accident history among the things it weighs. Does Carvana buy salvage title cars covers what that silence means.
Not if you own it outright and the title is missing. Carvana’s title article says that with no loan or lease, “you'll need to provide your most recent title at your appointment,” and its documents article adds that it doesn’t accept “noncertified copies.” When a lender holds the title, Carvana’s loan article says it pays off the loan after the sale.
Three narrower limits come from the same help center:
If the title is lost, our guide to selling without a title shows how to replace it in each state, and junking a car without a title covers the scrap route. Some buyers don’t wait for the paper. “We have many buyers that buy cars without a title,” reads our buying partner’s help page, so you can get a second offer with the title marked missing.
First make sure it was a no. Carvana’s offer-status article says a “You stumped us” page means “we need additional information to appraise your vehicle,” and gives a number to text for an offer. That is a request for details, not a refusal.
If the car failed one of the three tests, the next step depends on which one:
If the number dropped at the appointment, Carvana’s offer article explains why: it checks your description with automated checks, photo reviews and a final confirmation, and “If we identify a mismatch, we’ll work with you to generate an updated offer.” Its terms let it adjust or rescind an offer when the car is materially different from what you described, and its help center says it does not negotiate offers. You can still walk away: an offer in your account “doesn't mean you've accepted or are obligated to sell in any way,” and the terms make a sale final only once Carvana takes possession. Can you negotiate with Carvana covers what does move its number.
When your car passes every test and is in clean shape, Carvana’s offer may well be the better deal, so get it before you settle for less. When it fails, or the number fell, compare an offer from our buying partner, which makes offers on running and non-running cars, damaged ones and cars with title problems.
Yes. Its help center says you can sell to Carvana even if you’re not purchasing a vehicle. The same three tests apply: newer than 1992, a working odometer, and a car Carvana can safely drive.
Going by its own pages: a 1992 or older model, a car with a broken odometer, one it can’t safely drive, a lease held by a company outside its list of 12, a car whose title isn’t in your name, and any car a dealership is selling. Its terms also let it decline any offer for any reason.
Yes, outside California. Its requirements article accepts expired registration except in California, and its documents article says the registration only needs to be current there, or if you plan to transfer your plates to another car.
Yes, when the car doesn’t match what you entered. An accurate description keeps the offer unchanged for its 7 days; a mismatch brings an updated offer, and the terms let Carvana adjust or rescind. Nothing is final until Carvana takes possession of the car.