Selling your car privately isn’t quite as simple as just handing the keys over. If you’ve bought or sold your car privately, you will need to tell the DVLA that you’ve done so, just like when you need an updated drivers licence.
If you sell your car to a trader, they can automatically notify the DVLA for you using your vehicle logbook (V5C). However, it’s essential that you let the DVLA know when selling it privately – otherwise, you’re at risk of being held accountable for any driving offences the new owner might receive.
If you’ve never sold your car privately before, you might be unsure how to inform the DVLA. Don’t worry – in this handy guide, we’ll walk you through having the DVLA change of address done and inform them that you’ve sold your car.
How Do I Tell The DVLA I’ve Sold My Car?
If you have the V5C logbook for the car you’re selling, notifying the DVLA that it’s been sold should be pretty simple. There are two ways to do this:
Online
The easiest and quickest way to tell the DVLA you’ve sold your car is online, through the DVLA website.
First, you’ll need to give the green ‘new keeper’ slip to the new owner of the car. Then, simply follow the steps on the DVLA website to tell them you are no longer the owner of the vehicle. To do this, you’ll need the 11-digit reference number from the V5C logbook.
By Post
The second option is to write to the DVLA to tell them you need a DVLA change of address and that you’ve sold your car. To do this, you’ll need to fill out the designated sections in the V5C logbook and post the full document to the DVLA at:
- DVLA
- Swansea
- SA99 1BA
What If I Don’t Have a V5C Logbook?
If, for whatever reason, you don’t have a V5C logbook, you still need to tell the DVLA you’ve sold the car, but this is a little more difficult. To do this, you’ll need to send the DVLA:
- Your name and address
- The car registration number
- The make and model of the car
- The exact date you sold it
- The name and address of the new owner
Failure to provide all of the necessary information could result in the notification being rejected. This means you might need to redo the entire process and it could affect the amount of road tax you’re refunded.
What if I Don’t Tell the DVLA I’ve Sold My Car?
Unlike forgetting to update your driving licence when you move house, or forgetting to insure your car, there is no direct penalty for failing to tell the DVLA that you’ve sold your car.
However, if you don’t notify the DVLA that you’ve sold your car it does put you at risk of being held accountable for driving offences committed the new owner of the vehicle and the list of driving offences can be long.
So, for just a few minutes of work, it’s definitely worth taking the time to tell the DVLA as soon as possible after selling your car .
How Can I Get a Refund on Road Tax?
You shouldn’t need to do anything to get a road tax refund for a car you’ve sold. The DVLA should automatically issue a refund once you’ve notified them you’re no longer the keeper of the car and the request has been fully processed.
Your refund on road tax should arrive within about eight weeks, but you can contact the DVLA if it hasn’t.
How Do I Tell the DVLA I’ve Bought a New Car?
If you’re thinking about buying a used vehicle, or have already purchased one from a dealership, you will need to register the car to you online using the vehicle logbook and change driving licence address, too.
Once you’ve registered the vehicle to you, the previous owner or dealership should fill out the green ‘new keeper’ slip and give it to you.
If you’ve bought your car privately, the current owner of the vehicle should fill in the V5C with your details. They will then need to send this to the DVLA to ensure they’re no longer responsible for a vehicle they no longer legally own.
Once you’ve done this, the DVLA will immediately update the vehicle record and will send a new V5C out to you within three to five days.
So, now you know how to notify the DVLA that you’ve bought or sold a car, you shouldn’t have any trouble doing so. Although there isn’t a set penalty for failing to inform the DVLA that you’ve sold a car, It’s important that you remember to ensure you aren’t held responsible for a vehicle you don’t own.