If you’ve sold your car recently, you’ll need to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). According to Hilton Garage, if you sell to a trader, they will automatically do this for you with your V5C. So if you’re wondering how to tell the DVLA you sold your car, we’ve got you covered.
Telling the DVLA you have sold your car
Before you get started on telling the DVLA that you have sold your car, there are a couple of things that you’ll need to make sure that you’ve done first:
- Give your green ‘new keeper’ slip to the new owner of the car so that they can tax the car.
- Ensure that the address on your V5C log book is all correct and up to date. You can update your address with the DVLA pretty easily too.
- If you have any personal registration plates that you wish to keep, now would be the time to transfer them over.
How to tell the DVLA online that you have sold your vehicle
The DVLA launched its online service back in 2015, which allows you to tell them when you’ve bought, sold, or transferred a vehicle. Since then, it has processed more than 40 million transactions, according to Car Reg.
The good news is that using the DVLA website is pretty simple and straightforward, which is perfect for when you need to let them know you’ve sold your vehicle, whether you’ve sold your vehicle online, or face-to-face with a private sale or maybe to a motor trader.
Simply head over to the DVLA bought or sold a vehicle page and have your 11-digit document reference number from your V5C logbook at the ready. After that, it’s just a case of following the instructions given to you on the DVLA website.
As reported by Car Reg, you’ll just be letting them know that you’ve sold your vehicle privately to a person or to a trader, and providing them with the new keeper’s full name and address.
Once you’ve completed that process, the DVLA will send you email confirmation that they have received your request and they will get to work with transferring the registered keeper’s name over. This process should all be sorted within a matter of around four weeks, sometimes it’s even quicker than this too and you’ll be informed that you’re no longer the registered keeper of the vehicle too.
How to tell the DVLA you have sold your car by post
You could also let the DVLA know about selling your car by post.
All you would need to do is fill in sections 6 and 8 of your V5C logbook if you’re selling your car privately, or section 9 if selling to a motor trader or insurer, then post this to the DVLA with your logbook to the following address: DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BD.
It’s a good idea to make sure that if you’re buying a new car, you remember to tax your vehicle with the DVLA and become the registered keeper of the vehicle as soon as you can.
What if I don’t tell the DVLA I have sold my car?
If you don’t tell the DVLA that you have sold your car, then until you do, you will remain listed as the registered keeper and the person who is responsible for vehicle tax, MOT and insurance. Should any penalties or fines occur by the new owner, you will still be held legally responsible, even though the vehicle is no longer in your possession.
There wouldn’t be any official penalty as such if you fail or forget to let the DVLA know that you’ve sold your car, but if you’ve sold your car and it is found to be speeding or doing something it shouldn’t, you will be held responsible even if you can prove there was a change of ownership on the registration document says Car Veto.
The best thing to do is to let the DVLA know that you’ve sold your vehicle as soon as possible and it only takes a few minutes. It’s so key and some have even reported that it should be considered as part of the sales transaction.
