Selling privately usually gets you more than a part exchange or an instant buying service, because you are selling at the price a buyer pays rather than the price a trader pays. In return you do the work: the paperwork, the advert, the viewings and the handover. None of it is difficult if you do it in order.
The documents you need
Gather these before you advertise. Buyers ask for them, and missing paperwork costs you money in the haggle.
| Document | Why it matters | If you do not have it |
|---|---|---|
| V5C logbook | You need it to tell the DVLA online, and the buyer needs the green new keeper slip from it | Apply for a replacement from the DVLA before you sell. GOV.UK lists the fee as £25. You can still sell without one (see below), but many buyers will walk away |
| Service history | The book, invoices or a printout of the dealer's digital record show the car has been looked after | Ask the garages that serviced it for copies, and say honestly what is missing |
| Receipts for recent work | Tyres, brakes, a cambelt or a clutch all add value, and the receipts prove it | Note what was done and when, as best you can |
| Spare key and extras | A missing key costs a buyer money, as do a missing locking wheel nut key or charging cables | Say so in the advert rather than at the viewing |
| Finance settlement letter | If the car had finance, the lender's written confirmation that it is paid off | Settle the agreement first (see below) |
Update the logbook first if your name, address or the car's details have changed. GOV.UK warns that you may not get a refund for full months of tax left if your details are wrong. Show buyers the logbook so they can check the details match, but do not share its document reference number or send copies or photos of it.
If the car still has finance on it
Under hire purchase, PCP or conditional sale, the lender owns the car until the last payment, so it is not yours to sell until the agreement is settled. Ask the lender for a settlement figure, pay it off before or at the sale, and give the buyer the lender's written confirmation. A careful buyer will run a finance check and find the agreement anyway. Our finance guide explains why it matters to them.
Price it
- Look at cars like yours for sale now: the same model, year, engine, trim and similar mileage. Asking prices are a guide, not what cars sell for.
- The full history check includes private sale, dealer and part exchange values where available, which gives you a figure to start from.
- Leave a little room to negotiate, and decide your lowest price before the first viewing.
- Be ready to justify the price: recent work, a full service history and a clean record all help.
Write the advert
Lead with the facts buyers search for: year, model, engine, mileage, MOT expiry, service history and the number of owners. Be honest about faults, because the car must be as described, and a private sale does not change that. Our guide on how to write a car advert has a free template, and the seller pack writes three adverts from your car's own record for £2.99.
Viewings and test drives
- Show the car at the address on the logbook, in daylight. Buyers expect to see it where it is registered, and it reassures them.
- Have someone with you if you can.
- Before a test drive, see the buyer's driving licence and make sure they are insured to drive your car. Go with them, and keep hold of the keys when you are not in the car.
- Expect a careful buyer to check the VIN, look underneath and run their own checks on the registration. Our test drive checklist is what many of them will follow.
Getting paid safely
- A bank transfer is the safest way to be paid. Wait until the money shows in your own account, checked in your banking app, before you hand anything over. A screenshot, an email or a text saying it has been sent is not payment.
- Be wary of a buyer who wants to pay more than the price and have you send back the difference, who wants to pay by cheque, or who asks you to use a payment or escrow service they choose.
- If you take cash, count it with the buyer present, and consider meeting at your bank so it can be checked and paid in straight away.
- Do not hand over the keys, the car or the new keeper slip until the money has arrived.
Hand it over and tell the DVLA
- 1Write a receiptTwo copies, one each: the date and time, the price, the registration, the VIN, the mileage, and both your names and addresses. Writing 'sold as seen' does not excuse a private seller from describing the car accurately.
- 2Give the buyer the green slipGOV.UK says to give the green 'new keeper' slip from the logbook to the buyer. They need its reference number to tax the car before they drive it away.
- 3Tell the DVLA straight awayUse GOV.UK's online service with the 11-digit document reference number from your V5C, and give the buyer's full name and address. It is open 7am to 9pm on weekdays and 7am to 8pm at weekends. Until the DVLA is told, fines linked to the car can still come to you.
- 4Your tax is refundedOnce the DVLA is told, your vehicle tax is cancelled and you get a refund for any full months left, with nothing to apply for.
Selling without a logbook
You cannot use the online service without the V5C. GOV.UK says to write to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BA, with your name and address, the registration, the make and model, the exact date of sale, and the new keeper's name and address. The buyer then applies for a new logbook on form V62.
After the sale
- Cancel or move your insurance, and tell your breakdown cover.
- Remove the car from any automatic payment accounts, such as congestion charge, ULEZ or parking apps.
- Clear your data from the car: unpair your phone, delete saved addresses and sign out of any connected car app.
- If you want to keep a private number plate, apply to take it off before you sell, as GOV.UK explains. It cannot be done afterwards.