How to List Your First Car

Invited prelaunch hosts can prepare a complete private vehicle listing now. It will not appear in search or accept bookings until launch access and every normal listing requirement are satisfied.

1. Join the host prelaunch beta

Start from Host prelaunch on the website or Join host beta in the mobile app. Enter a valid invite code and create or connect your Afto account. See Host Prelaunch Beta for access details.

2. 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.

3. Enter your vehicle info

Start by entering your VIN. Afto 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.

4. 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.

5. Write the listing and pickup details

Add a clear public description, catalog and custom features, and the rules represented by your saved vehicle settings. The host app also has the current vehicle-FAQ editor; host web displays the saved FAQs to guests but does not yet expose that editor. Pickup and return instructions are separate fields, each up to 1,500 characters, and are shown with the booked trip rather than used as the public description. See Writing Your Listing.

6. Set pricing and availability

Choose a base daily rate, mileage allowance, overage rate, availability, minimum/maximum trip settings, and any extras or delivery locations you plan to offer. Prelaunch pricing and plan figures may change before live booking opens. See Setting Your Price.

7. Choose your earnings plan

Choose the current prelaunch earnings configuration for the vehicle. A trip pins the host plan that applies when the trip is booked; changing the vehicle later affects only future bookings. Final launch terms will be published before live trips are available. See Choosing an Earnings Plan.

8. Prepare payout details

You can prepare Stripe Connect payout details as part of host setup. A private prelaunch draft cannot earn trip payouts because it cannot accept a trip.

9. Submit the annual inspection

A current annual inspection submission is required before the normal listing-review workflow can begin. An approved, unexpired inspection is required before a vehicle can be listed. See Vehicle Inspection Requirements.

10. Save the private draft

During prelaunch, the final action saves the vehicle as a Prelaunch draft. You can reopen it from Host vehicles and continue editing, but the app, website, and database prevent it from becoming listed or pending review.

Publishing after prelaunch

When Afto graduates your beta enrollment, the prelaunch-specific lock is removed. You must still complete the normal review flow and satisfy the current inspection, recall, identity, payout, eligibility, and listing-content requirements. Approval—not beta enrollment by itself—is what makes a vehicle searchable and bookable.

What's next

Keep the listing, photos, availability, and inspection current while Afto prepares for launch. No trip request can be created for a private prelaunch draft.