How to Photograph a Car for Sale: A Dealer's Shot List

To photograph a car for sale, park it in even light with nothing else in the shot, hold the phone sideways at the normal 1x lens, and walk around the car stopping eight times at the same height and distance. Then shoot the details: VIN label, odometer with the car on, dashboard, seats, trunk, engine, each wheel and any damage up close.

That's the whole method. The rest of this post explains each step, why it matters, and the mistakes that make good cars look bad online. If you want it on paper for the lot, the same list is on our free printable car photo shot list.

Why do car listing photos matter so much?

A shopper can't kick the tires on a search results page. The photos are the first look at the car, and they often decide whether the listing gets a click at all.

The marketplaces say as much in their own guidance. Google's vehicle ads image guidelines recommend a main image taken from a front-to-side angle (about 45 degrees), warn against cluttered backgrounds, and disapprove images that show only part of the car or aren't the actual car. eBay Motors' photo guide recommends at least 12 photos, all four sides of the car plus the interior, engine and odometer, and a neutral background so the vehicle is easy to see.

Notice what those rules have in common: the whole car, the real car, and nothing competing with it. A consistent shot list gets you there on every car without thinking about it.

Where should you park the car for photos?

Pick an open spot with even light and nothing else in the frame: no people, no other cars, no hose on the ground. Straighten the wheels before you start.

Even light means shade or an overcast day. Hard midday sun throws dark shadows under the car and bright hot spots on the paint and glass. eBay Motors' guide makes the same point, noting that shadows and poor lighting make photos hard to see online and that early morning or late afternoon light is generally best.

A few practical choices for a small lot:

• The shady side of your building. It gives soft, even light for most of the day.
• An overcast day. Clouds work like a giant diffuser. It's the easiest light there is for car photos.
• One consistent corner of the lot. If every car is shot in the same spot, your inventory looks like it came from one dealership, not a dozen different driveways.

Wash the car first. Dust and water spots show up more in photos than they do in person.

How far away should you stand, and at what height?

Stand about 15 feet from the car for most vehicles, with the camera at headlight height. Keep the whole car in the frame with a little space around it.

Two rules make the rest work:

1. Hold the phone sideways (landscape). Cars are long and low, so a sideways frame fits them. A phone held upright leaves the car small in a tall frame.
2. Use the normal 1x lens. No zoom, no wide angle, no filters. The wide lens up close stretches the car and makes the front look huge. Zooming in crops off part of the car.

Then keep the same distance and the same height at every stop. That's the detail most people skip, and it's what makes a set of photos look professional. When the camera height and distance change from shot to shot, the car appears to grow and shrink as the shopper clicks through the gallery.

What order should you take car listing photos in?

Start at the driver-side front corner, then walk around the car with the car on your right. You'll stop eight times:

Shooting in the same order every time has a side benefit: the photos come off the phone already in listing order, and anyone on your team can pick up the job and get the same result.

For a smoother result in a 360 view, add a stop between each of the eight (16 photos in all), keeping the same height and distance.

If your listings lead with the passenger side, start the walk at the passenger-side front corner instead and keep everything else the same.

Which detail shots should you take?

After the walk around, shoot the details in this order:

1. VIN label. On the door jamb or at the windshield, sharp enough to read.
2. Odometer, with the car on. The mileage has to show, so the car needs to be running or at least switched on.
3. Dashboard. From the driver's seat.
4. Front seats. Through the open driver's door.
5. Rear seats. Through an open rear door.
6. Trunk or cargo area. Empty, with the lid or hatch open.
7. Engine. Hood up, the whole bay in the frame.
8. Each wheel. Every wheel and tire, close up.
9. Any damage, up close. One photo per spot, close enough to see it clearly.

These are the shots shoppers ask about when they call. Answer them in the gallery and the calls you do get are from people further along.

Should you photograph damage on a car you're selling?

Yes. Photograph every dent, scratch, chip, tear and worn spot, one photo per spot, close enough to see.

It feels backwards, but it helps. A shopper who has already seen the scuffed bumper in the photos doesn't walk away when they see it in person. eBay Motors' guide tells sellers to photograph dents, rust, interior damage, rips, tears, paint fade and scratches, and notes that some sellers put blue masking tape next to damage because it can be hard to see in a digital picture.

There's also a compliance side. For used cars, the FTC says in its automobile industry pricing transparency FAQs that because used cars differ in condition, shoppers can reasonably expect the photo to show the exact car offered for sale. Photos of the actual car, flaws included, keep you on the right side of that.

What are the most common car photo mistakes?

These are the ones we see most, and each one has a simple fix:

• Zoomed in. Part of the car is missing. Step back to about 15 feet and use 1x.
• Wide lens up close. The car looks stretched. Switch to 1x and step back.
• Phone held upright. The car ends up small in a tall frame. Turn the phone sideways.
• Bumper cut off. Leave a little space around the whole car. Google's guidelines disapprove images that show an incomplete vehicle.
• People or other cars in the shot. Wait for the lot to clear, or move the car.
• Different distances and heights. The car seems to jump in size across the gallery. Pick a spot, keep your height, repeat.
• Harsh midday sun. Move to shade or wait for cloud.
• Skipping the odometer or the VIN. Shoppers want both, and they're quick shots.
• Hiding the damage. It surfaces at the test drive anyway, usually at the worst moment.
• Text, borders or watermarks on the photo. Marketplaces don't like them. eBay's picture policy prohibits added borders, added text or marketing material, and watermarks of any type, and Google's vehicle ads guidelines list overlaid watermarks and superimposed logos or text as reasons for disapproval.

How AutoDealer.io helps with car photos

The walk above is the same photo guide built into AutoDealer.io, so it's what the app asks for too. On a phone, Shoot a car walks you through it one photo at a time: the VIN label first (read at once, so the app knows which car it is), then the dash with the engine running, the eight stops with two lines on screen to fit the car between so every stop is the same distance, then the interior, cargo, engine and all four wheels, with a Damage button at any step. The step-by-step version is in the docs at shoot a car for the 360.

When the photos are in, the app sorts them into listing order by angle, and once all eight outside angles are public it can build a 360 view for your website from your own shots. The car photo editor page covers the rest, including the studio backgrounds, which only ever touch outside photos of the car and never damage or interior shots. There's no watermark on anything.

You don't need any of that to use the shot list. Print the car photo shot list, hand it to whoever does photos, and shoot every car the same way.

Frequently asked questions

How many photos should a used car listing have?

Enough to cover the car completely. The shot list above comes to 17 or more: eight outside stops, then the VIN label, odometer, dashboard, front seats, rear seats, trunk, engine, the wheels and any damage. eBay Motors recommends at least 12 photos, so a full set clears that easily.

What is the best angle for the first photo?

The front corner, usually on the driver side, taken at headlight height with the whole car in the frame. Google's vehicle ads guidelines recommend a main image taken from a front-to-side angle of about 45 degrees and advise against using a rear angle as the main image.

Can I take car listing photos with a phone?

Yes. A current phone is plenty. Hold it sideways, use the normal 1x lens with no zoom, wide angle or filters, and keep it at headlight height about 15 feet from the car.

What time of day is best for car photos?

Any time the light is even. Shade or an overcast day works at any hour. In direct sun, early morning or late afternoon is softer than midday, which eBay Motors' guide also recommends.

Should I blur or hide damage in listing photos?

No. Photograph damage clearly, one close-up per spot. The FTC's guidance for dealers says shoppers can reasonably expect a used car's photo to show the exact car for sale, and a damage photo also saves a wasted trip for a buyer who would have walked away at the lot.

Sources

• Google Merchant Center Help: Vehicle ads image guidelines
• eBay Motors: How to sell a vehicle, take photographs
• eBay: Picture policy
• FTC: Automobile industry pricing transparency FAQs