Cars24 vs Spinny vs CarDekho vs CarWale: What Fees Will I Pay, and How Do I Transfer the RC?

A valuation or listing is free on all four, but the charges that follow differ in kind. Cars24 and Spinny each state a service charge or fee without publishing an amount, and each ties money or protection to the RC transfer. 

On both, you sign the transfer forms at handover and the platform files them after the car is resold, so your liability can last sometime, though Cars24’s Seller Kavach is designed to ensure your safety in the interim period. CarDekho and CarWale list for free and sell optional promotion.

What Fees or Commissions will I pay when selling on each platform?

Four kinds of cost matter: a stated service charge, an optional protection or promotion fee, an inspection or report charge, and money held back until paperwork finishes. The two platforms that take possession of your car describe their charges with adjectives. Cars24 calls its service charge nominal and Spinny calls its service fee small. 

CarDekho and CarWale put their charges on optional promotion, and CarWale prints its plan prices. A fee described in adjectives cannot be compared, so ask each platform for exact figures before you book an inspection.

At a Glance: Fees, Holdbacks, and RC Transfer Handling

Cars24 vs Spinny: Which fee is disclosed, and where does each margin sit?

Both disclose a fee in words. Cars24's FAQ says a nominal service charge based on the final offer is shared after inspection and before you confirm. Spinny's sell page FAQ says it charges a small service fee. 

Both prices already contain a margin. A dealer's bid on Cars24 has to leave room to resell, and Spinny sources cars from individuals and sells them on to individual buyers, per Spinny's pricing page. The headline offer on either platform therefore reflects a resale margin before any fee line appears. That is an inference from how both describe reselling; neither publishes its margin.

The holdbacks differ. Cars24's FAQ says it may hold back an amount until a loan NOC arrives. Spinny's payments blog says it can hold an amount for RC transfer, released after you complete the OTP or Party Peshi step when the RTO asks, or after 180 days from procurement, whichever comes first, subject to your cooperation. 

How Do I transfer the RC After Selling through each Platform?

The legal baseline is short. Under Section 50 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the seller reports the transfer within 14 days and the transfer should be registered within 30 days of the sale. The Supreme Court has held that the registered owner stays liable even if an accident happens inside those windows, per LiveLaw's report on the 2018 ruling. Form 29 and Form 30 carry the steps, per Cars24's guide. Your name on the RC is the exposure.

On Cars24 and Spinny you file nothing yourself, though both say the RTO can call a seller in for a Party Peshi verification. The structure explains the timelines:

• Cars24: You sign the RTO forms at handover, and the team submits them only when someone buys the car from its network. Cars24's guide says a state-level transfer then takes 15 to 45 days. Bank NOCs usually last 3 to 6 months, so a long wait can require a fresh one.
   
• Spinny: Spinny manages the transfer, and its payments blog says it can take up to 180 days depending on further sales of the car. Its sell page says 60 to 90 days, and its luxury-car page says up to 120, so the figures vary by page.
   
• CarDekho: Its sell page cites free RC transfer alongside the home-inspection route and says 5,000+ RCs have been transferred. The free-listing route describes direct negotiation with buyers and channel partners, and the page lists no transfer terms for it.
   
• CarWale: On the classifieds route, seller and buyer arrange the transfer. Its abSure showrooms in 20+ cities promise assured RC transfer, per its sell page.
   

Who Protects Me while the Transfer is Pending, and Does it Cost Extra?

The Full Comparison

So Where do Fees and RC Transfer Risk Line up Best?
 

• Choose Cars24 if you want the team to handle filing, can confirm the service charge before inspection, and want superior protection with Kavach.
   
• Choose Spinny if you want cover included automatically, can accept a held-back amount released after the OTP step or 180 days, and have confirmed the service fee.
   
• Choose CarDekho if you want a free listing with direct negotiation, or its inspection route with a stated free transfer, and can accept that no liability policy is published.
   
• Choose CarWale if you want a free listing with optional paid promotion, or an abSure showroom in a covered city, and will handle buyer checks yourself on the classifieds route.
   

Before you hand over the car
 

1. Ask for the service charge, any protection fee and any holdback as exact rupee figures.
    
2. Ask when the RTO filing starts, since on Cars24 and Spinny it waits for the car to resell.
    
3. Keep copies of the signed forms, the delivery receipt and the protection policy terms.
    
4. Track the RC on the Parivahan portal yourself, as Cars24's FAQ points sellers to do.
    

Final rules
 

1. Treat an adjective like "nominal" or "small" as a missing number and ask for the figure.
    
2. Ask when the RTO filing will start, because the clock waits for resale.
    
3. Read each policy's wording on misuse and accidents before relying on it.
    
4. Compare the net amount after every charge and holdback.
    
5. Verify the RC record yourself until your name is gone.