More than 7.6 million used cars changed hands in the UK in 2024, so it’s certainly something that plenty of us end up getting involved in. And yet it’s not something most of us do on an especially regular basis, so remembering how the process works can be a challenge. However, even though there is more to it than swapping keys for cash, the admin required is relatively simple, and the most important job is that you need to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency – the DVLA – that you’re no longer the registered keeper of the vehicle you’ve sold.
Here’s how to tell the DVLA that you have sold your car to a new owner.
How to Tell the DVLA You’ve Sold Your Car
- Online
- By Post
- Selling Your Car Abroad
- Private Number Plates
- Useful Links
- Actions to Take After You've Told the DVLA You've Sold Your Car
Tell DVLA I’ve Sold My Car: Online
The easiest way to officially announce that your car has a new keeper is via the online service on the DVLA website. It’s a simple, step-by-step process, and the site initially asks a series of questions to determine whether you and the new owner are a private seller and a private buyer or if you are motor traders.
It will then ask for the 11-digit document reference number on your car’s vehicle logbook – also known as the V5C registration document. The site will ask you to confirm that you understand you are giving up the rights to the car’s registration number and ask for the date of sale and your email address.
Jump through those few hoops, and you should receive an email from the DVLA confirming that it has received your notification, and a cheque in the post for any remaining full months of VED road tax that were left on the car. The cheque will be sent to the address that was registered under your name on the logbook and should arrive in no more than six weeks.
If you sell your car directly to a private owner, then the site will also prompt you to provide the new owner’s full name and address. If you sell it to a dealer in the motor trade, the site will instruct you to give them the vehicle registration document, then punch in the dealer’s name and postcode and select them from a drop-down menu.
The DVLA recommends using its online service, because – assuming you have internet access – it is the fastest and the most convenient method. It says the new keeper will get an updated registration certificate within three-to-five working days this way.
And although this particular step is not specifically part of the digital process, you should also give the car’s next owner the new keeper slip from the vehicle registration certificate if you’re not selling the car on to a motor trader.
Tell DVLA I’ve Sold My Car: By Post
If you don’t want to tell the DVLA online about your car sale, you can also tell the DVLA that your car has a new owner by post. To do this, either fill out the ‘Selling or transferring my vehicle to a new keeper’ section of the V5C logbook, or the ‘Selling, transferring or part-exchanging this vehicle to a motor trader’ section, depending which one is relevant to your sale. This will require much the same information, including the name and address of the new keeper. Again, also remember to give the new keeper slip to the new owner, as this contains important information for them, including the 11-digit reference number that they will need to use to tax the car. Once you’ve done that, send the relevant part of the V5C to the following address:
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1BA
As with the online process, you should receive your vehicle tax refund (if one is due) in the post within six weeks of the DVLA receiving the document, and the next owner should get their new logbook in a similar amount of time. The postal method usually takes longer than the online equivalent, but should still work perfectly well.
Selling Your Car Abroad
All of the above applies to cars transferred to dealers and/or new keepers in the UK, but there’s a different process for transferring ownership to overseas parties. You can only do this by post, and you need to fill in the ‘permanent export’ section of the vehicle logbook and send it to the following address:
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1BD
You’ll also need to include a letter with the buyer’s name and address and give the remaining part of your V5C to the new owner, so they can register the car in its new country.
What to do with Private Number Plates
If your car has a private number plate and you want to keep it, then you need to tell the DVLA that you’re taking that plate off the vehicle before you sell it. You can do that via the DVLA website or you can write to the DVLA. It costs £80, and the vehicle’s original registration number will usually be automatically reassigned to it.
The DVLA will then send you a V778 retention document and a new logbook. You can either keep the number plate to use later or assign it to another vehicle.
Actions to Take After You've Told the DVLA You've Sold Your Car
Once your vehicle has been sold and you’ve told the DVLA you are no longer the owner, remember to notify your car insurance company. Even if you don't have a new car to insure, it's important to notify the insurance provider because you might be due a refund on some of your policy.
You'll also be due a refund for any full months of VED vehicle tax that you've already paid for. This will be processed automatically by the DVLA when you notify them of the sale of your car - for more information see our separate guide: How to Apply for a Vehicle Tax Refund.
Remember, too, to cancel any direct debits that might be in place for car insurance or car tax.
Useful Links
All of the below are official Gov.uk resources with information about how to inform the DVLA you have sold your car:
- Tell DVLA you’ve sold, transferred or bought a vehicle
- Selling a vehicle
- Buy, sell or scrap a vehicle
- Private (personalised) number plates
Sell Your Car Online with CarGurus
CarGurus offers its own online buying tool. All you need to do is input a few basic details such as your vehicle’s registration number, its mileage and what sort of service history it has. We'll show you an estimate based on your vehicle's value, along with nearby dealers who are interested in purchasing it. Simply choose your preferred offer or dealer, and arrange to take along the car, any documentation you have for it (including the V5C registration certificate and any service history), plus your ID. The dealer will then inspect the car, verify the paperwork and propose an offer.
In the event that no nearby dealers make an offer to buy your car, we'll instead show you an instant offer from our partners at The Car Buying Group. If you choose to go ahead, you can schedule a pick-up time and fill in a few more details about the car to help confirm its value, before organising a pickup time. Once the car has been collected from you, you’ll be paid more or less immediately via bank transfer.
