- as easy as buying a pair of socks
Carla set out to transform the frustrating, time-consuming process of buying a used car into a seamless online experience while still honoring customers’ need for clarity, control, and trust. The result is Carla.se—Sweden’s first online shop for used electric vehicles—combining the familiarity of e-commerce with tailored features that make choosing and buying a car as simple and confident as shopping for everyday essentials.
Note: This project contains a mix of released designs and not yet published improvements.
Product Design / Carla / 2023 to 2025
The user flow navigating from a filtered product list, via car details and configurations, to the checkout.
- challenge
Until recently, buying a used car from a dealer in Sweden was a predictable experience. It usually meant driving long distances to multiple dealerships (since car storage lots are often located far from residential areas), test-driving vehicles on roads unlike the ones you’d actually use, inspecting cars in crowded lots, haggling over price, and—if you were lucky enough to find the right car—figuring out how to drive two vehicles home.
This traditional process was often frustrating and time-consuming, though it did have its upsides. Customers valued the sense of control, the chance to see and touch the car, and the personal service from dealers. So when Carla launched Sweden’s first online shop dedicated entirely to used electric vehicles, the challenge was clear: bring the experience online while still respecting those customer needs—just in a new way.
- solution
Carla.se is built on the understanding that buying a car is a lengthy and often exhausting journey—taking on average about three months. From realizing the need for a new car, to figuring out which one fits that need, to finally getting it into the driveway, Carla is there every step of the way.
The result is a site that blends familiar e-commerce practices—since people are already comfortable shopping online—with features tailored specifically for buying electric vehicles. This ensures customers feel informed, confident, and in control when they click the button to order a used electric vehicle entirely online.
A video walkthrough of Carla's online shop.
- search and find
The product list is the part of Carla’s online store that most closely resembles a traditional e-commerce experience. It offers familiar tools like search, filter, and sort to help customers narrow down the wide selection of cars to those that best suit their needs.
Cars are placed front and center with large, standardized images, while key features and specifications are highlighted to make browsing used electric vehicles simple and informative. The goal is to help visitors quickly find what they’re looking for and clearly understand their options.
Customers can refine results using the free-text search at the top of the page or the filter bar highlighting the most useful filters. The filtering system is designed to always return results, but if no cars match a query, customers can sign up for notifications when a car that matches your requirements becomes available.
The page is also structured in a way that makes it easy to create category- and campaign pages, enabling subsets of cars to be grouped and displayed based on specific attributes. This not only improves user navigation but also strengthens SEO performance.
The product list filtered to show all Volkswagen cars.
The product list when presented as a Polestar category page, with branded information and visuals, and the filter section hidden on desktop.
The list heading is changing based on how the list was filtered.
- product details
Similar to the product list, the product detail page follows a traditional e-commerce structure and behavior, leveraging users’ familiarity with online shopping.
The key difference lies in the product itself. Buying a used electric vehicle involves many details, and everything needs to be transparent to avoid surprises when the car arrives in the customer’s driveway. The page begins with the most important information—key data, highlights, and condition—placed prominently up front. Supporting details are layered beneath in easy-to-access modals and accordions, ensuring clarity without overwhelming the customer.
A clear, step-by-step breakdown of inspections, repairs, and imperfections—giving buyers full confidence in the car’s condition.
- add-ons and financing
Following the product detail page is the configurator, where customers can tailor their purchase—adding extras like winter tires or extended warranty, attaching a trade-in, and choosing how to finance the car. Each choice is clearly reflected in the price summary, ensuring customers feel fully in control of their purchase before proceeding to the checkout.
Add winter tires, extended warranty and a trade-in before deciding how to finance the car.
For wider screens, the configurator and summary are displayed side by side.
- checkout
When the car is configured and the customer has chosen a financing option, checkout is as simple as providing a delivery address and placing the order. Depending on the financing method, customers can pay the down payment—or the full amount—conveniently with Swish or Apple Pay.
Provide delivery details, either automatically with a social security number or manually, before completing the order.