How to List Your First Car
Listing your first car on Carvia takes about 20 minutes of active work. Here's every step, in order.
Renting out your car for the first time can feel like a lot — it isn't. Carvia walks you through eligibility, vehicle details, photos, pricing, and payout setup in one guided flow. You can save and come back at any point before you submit.
1. Check your eligibility
Before you start, make sure you and your car qualify: a valid US driver's license or state ID, legal authority to rent the car out (you own it, or your lienholder/leasing company allows it), a model year within the last 12 years, under 130,000 miles, and a clean, non-salvage title. Full details: Host Eligibility Requirements.
2. Enter your vehicle info
Start by entering your VIN. Carvia uses it to pre-fill basic details like model year and trim, but our VIN lookup doesn't catch everything, so we'll ask you to confirm your make, model, and trim yourself before moving on. A minute of double-checking here saves guests confusion later — get it right and your listing shows accurate specs from day one.
3. Add your photos
Upload real, current photos of your actual car — exterior from multiple angles, interior, and anything distinctive (a dent, custom wheels, a great sound system). Skip stock photos or manufacturer stills; guests book based on what they'll actually see when they show up, and mismatched photos are one of the fastest ways to end up in a dispute. More guidance: Writing Your Listing.
4. Write your description and trip rules
Tell guests what makes your car worth renting — condition, features, what it's good for. Then set your trip rules: mileage limits, smoking/pet policy, additional driver rules, anything you want guests to know before they book. You'll also set a short welcome message and longer pickup/return instructions, both covered in Writing Your Listing.
5. Set your price
Choose a nightly rate, your mileage allowance (200 miles/day is the default, and you can raise it), and your per-mile overage rate. Check what similar cars are renting for nearby before you lock in a number. Full walkthrough: Setting Your Price.
6. Choose your earnings plan
Pick Max Protection, Balanced, or Max Earnings — the plan sets both your share of every trip and how much of a damage claim is your responsibility versus covered by Carvia's protection program. You can change this for future trips any time, so don't overthink it for your first listing. Full breakdown: Choosing an Earnings Plan.
7. Add your bank details
Connect a US bank account through Stripe Connect, our payments partner, so we know where to send your earnings. This is a one-time setup — once it's linked, every payout runs automatically on our fixed Tuesday/Friday schedule. See Getting Paid: Payout Schedule.
8. Submit for review
Once everything's filled in, submit your listing. Carvia reviews your photos, details, and eligibility documents to confirm your car meets our standards before it goes live — you'll be notified in-app as soon as it's approved. If we need anything else from you, we'll tell you exactly what and why.
9. Go live
Once approved, your listing is searchable and bookable. If you left Instant Book off (the default), you'll get trip requests to review and accept — see Instant Book for Hosts. Keep your calendar and photos fresh, and remember your car needs an annual safety inspection to stay listed — see Vehicle Inspection Requirements.
What's next
Once you're getting trip requests, check out Host Check-In: How To so you know exactly what happens on pickup day.