Get it ready
Get the paperwork and the MOT record in order before you list the car. Buyers check both, and a tidy folder helps them trust your price.
Start with the V5C logbook. It shows the registered keeper, so check the name and address match your ID and that the VIN matches the car. The VIN is 17 characters, on the windscreen, the door pillar and the V5C. Gather the service history too.
Next, look at your MOT history with our MOT history check. Computerised records go back to 2005, and buyers can see every test. The most common advisories are tyres worn close to the legal limit, worn or pitted brake discs, cracked tyres and thin brake pads. Tyres must have at least 1.6mm of tread across the central three-quarters, and pads fail below 1.5mm. Fix or price in any advisories before you advertise, then clean the car inside and out so it looks cared for.
Price and advertise
Price it from similar adverts. Search for cars with the same make, model, year, engine and mileage near you, and price yours in the middle of what they're asking. Asking the highest price you can find usually means your car sits unsold while buyers move on.
Be honest in your advert. Give the mileage exactly as the odometer shows it, and say whether it's above or below the UK average of about 7,100 miles a year. Mention any faults and the advisories from the last MOT, such as tyres close to the legal limit or worn brake discs. Buyers who find something you left out will walk away, and selling a car without declaring the mileage is wrong is an offence.
Check the mileage before buyers do. Your MOT history records the mileage at each test, so a drop between tests is the classic sign of clocking. If the numbers don't add up, find out why before you advertise. You can check yours on our mileage check and MOT history check.
The sale
Only hand over the keys once the money has cleared in your account. A screenshot of a transfer or a text saying "it's sent" isn't proof. Check your banking app and wait until the funds show as received.
Before you drive away, check the V5C. The name and address should match the seller's ID, and the VIN should match the car. You and the seller complete the new keeper slip, and the seller tells the DVLA they've sold the car, so it's no longer registered to them.
Tax doesn't transfer. You need to tax the car in your name before you drive it. If the seller has tax left over, they can ask the DVLA about a refund, so that's between them and the DVLA. Not sure what it'll cost? Try our car tax calculator.