How to Write a Car Description That Really Sells

Motiiv BDC

Every year, people and dealerships sell 78 million cars around the globe. For someone looking to buy a new or used vehicle, there are countless options out there. 

So, how do you make your car stand out amongst all the others? There are tricks you can implement to drive more buyers to look at your used car. The most important is knowing how to write a car description that sells. 

Getting someone out to look at your car is one of the hardest parts of selling. The best way to get a buyer’s interest is in writing descriptions that sell. 

Take a look at these car description examples and tips. Afterward, you will have all the tools you need to sell a car successfully.

What Are Vehicle Description Pages? 

Creating a dealership vehicle description page (VDP) is a great way to get customers interested in a specific vehicle. A VDP is a webpage highlighting a car you have for sale.

The customer can click on it and read more details about that car in particular. For this reason, VDP’s are an essential feature to include on your dealership website. 

Create a vehicle description page for each car you want to sell. On the VDP, include a photo of the vehicle. That way, the customer knows the information matches with the chosen car.

From there, you should talk about pricing. List any deals you are offering or discounts that the customer can receive upon purchase. Next, list any pertinent details that you know the consumer will want to read.

Talk about how many miles are on the vehicle, warranties, upgrades, and how it runs. Another important thing to mention is if the car has any safety features. People want to know if the model they are looking at will keep them safe in the event of a car accident.

If the car doesn’t have safety features built into it, talk about how safe the model is in general. A VDP is essential to your website because the customers who click on those pages are more liable to make a purchase.

Usually, people who are just looking won’t be interested in a vehicle description page. However, if a customer is willing to seal the deal, they will want a VDP to clarify everything they need to know before purchasing a vehicle.

How to Write Car Descriptions That Make Customers Want to Buy

VDPs work well for giving efficient overviews of cars, but if you are listing a vehicle on your own, that won’t be enough. Whether you are a dealership or a private seller, you will need to create a car description that goes into more detail and speaks a bit more plainly to potential buyers.

If you are a private seller, car descriptions work wonders when selling a used car on websites like Craigslist, Facebook Market, or eBay. Since you aren’t a dealership, you will have to market yourself as professionally as possible via your car description page. 

Know Your Market 

Think about what those customers will be looking for in a car. What would features matter to them the most?

Take into consideration who your target market will likely be for the car you are selling. Stay realistic, and write a description that speaks to the audience who will be most liable to look at your page.

Use The Proper Lingo

Use car lingo that highlights your knowledge of the vehicle for sale. Customers want to know they are buying from someone who understands the ins and outs of the car.

If you don’t sound like you know what you’re talking about, it could scare off potential buyers. They will assume the car details are unreliable. 

Talk About Key Details 

Talk about the vehicle’s best features because this is what the customer will want to look at first. Include things like: 

  • Make/model 
  • Year 
  • Exterior Color 
  • Interior color/detailing
  • Mileage 
  • Seating 
  • Transmission
  • Engine details

You can also take time to discuss the car’s history. Explain to the customer who the previous owners were, where the vehicle has been, where it came from, and why you are selling it.

Be perfectly truthful when describing the history of the vehicle. People will often check to see if the car has been salvaged or recalled. There is no getting around this, either.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau has a webpage where you can enter the car’s VIN number. If you aren’t sure about the car, yourself, you can enter the VIN and double-check what has happened to the car before you owned it.  

Talk About How It Runs

Does the car run smoothly, or is it a bit on the rougher side? You will have to be 100% honest in this area because there is no hiding how the car runs once the other person takes it for a test drive. 

Talk About Any Upgrades

If the car has any extra features, those are worth noting in your car description. Mention upgrades like:

  • A new radio
  • New A/C system
  • New tires
  • New seats
  • Bluetooth features

Some extra features added to the car make it more desirable to prospective consumers. These could be big selling points for someone on the fence about purchasing a vehicle. 

Make Your Description Easy to Read

Make sure you don’t use hard-to-read words. Avoid jargon that is too long or too specific to those within the car industry.

Assume that your buyer knows little to nothing about cars. If the description doesn’t make sense to someone, they will pass and move on. To accomplish this, pretend as though you are pitching the car to a real-life person.

You can act as though you are a seller at a dealership, and you are trying to sell the car on its best qualities. Read the post out loud, too.

By verbally speaking the words, you can tell if it sounds natural. If you are stumbling over sentences, chances are your description is clunky. 

Example of How to Write a Car Description

You can read about how to write car descriptions all day long, but that won’t help you without physically seeing some car description examples. Here is a short overview of how a proper car description should look. 

Car Features: 

  • Ford Ranger 
  • Year: 2008
  • Exterior Color: Gold/tan
  • Interior color: Black seats, tan dashboard 
  • Odometer: 50,000
  • Engine: 4 cylinder 
  • Seating: Seats two people 
  • Transmission: 5-speed automatic 

Key Features: 

  • Built-in stereo 
  • Brand new Air conditioning 
  • Leather upholstery 
  • Front beverage holders
  • Manual windows 
  • Auto-dimming rearview mirrors 
  • Driver vanity mirror 
  • New speakers
  • Analog display 
  • Rear window defroster 

Safety Features:

  • Driver’s side airbags
  • Dual front impact airbags 
  • Dual front side impact airbags 
  • Traction control 

Dealer/Seller Notes: 

Only one owner. This truck has recently been deep-cleaned and is free of any paint chips, dents, interior tears, or staining. Plus, we just had brand new tires installed! 

The truck also comes with built-in Bluetooth features, a new car radio, and newly upholstered seats. This truck is comfortable to sit in, drives smoothly, and only has 50,000 miles on the odometer. 

Get More Help 

At MOTiiV, we understand the importance of how to write a car description. A proper VDP or description page can make or break you as a car seller. That’s why we want to help you drive your sales up with our expert customer service and managerial skills.

MOTiiV offers professional help with our automotive sales managers. They will help you create an effective strategy for selling vehicles and other items in your inventory. 

If you need help marketing your automotive business, MOTiiV urges you to work with us. We want nothing more than to help your business thrive!

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