How to tell DVLA I’ve sold my car

Once you’ve sold your car, you should let the DVLA know so they can update your driver records and record a change in the ownership of the car.
Legally, it’s the seller’s responsibility to inform the DVLA about the sale not the buyers, so you should fill the appropriate forms as soon as you’ve sold the car. There are two ways to inform the DVLA: 1. online on Gov.uk - this is the quickest way of notifying them 2. by post - this can take up to four to six weeks

What do I need to inform the DVLA I’ve sold my car?

To tell the DVLA that you’ve sold your car, you’ll need: • your vehicle registration number • the 11-digit reference number which you can find in your V5C logbook (if you have your V5C document) • buyer’s address, email ID and driving licence number You can inform the DVLA about the change in ownership, even if you don’t have your V5C document. In this guide, we’ll cover how.

How to tell the DVLA I’ve sold my car online

To tell the DVLA you’ve sold your car online, you should go to Gov.uk. You’ll first need to provide some basic details about the sale. You’ll be asked: 1. whether you’re a motor trader or not 2. whether you’ve sold, transferred, scrapped or bought a vehicle 3. and finally, whether you’ve sold your car to a motor trader or privately Once you’ve selected the appropriate options, you can start process of telling the DVLA. The DVLA will ask you for: • the vehicle’s registration number i.e. the number plate • V5C logbook reference number • the buyer’s address, email ID and driving licence number Once you’ve filled and submitted these details, the DVLA will send you an application reference number. Once the DVLA have updated their records, you’ll get a confirmation on your registered email ID. The DVLA will also automatically refund you for any full months left on the vehicle’s tax, and they’ll send a logbook to the new keeper within three to five working days.

How to tell the DVLA you’ve sold your car by post

There are three things you need to do with your V5C logbook to inform the DVLA by post that you’ve sold your car in the UK: 1. Send the appropriate section of the logbook to the DVLA 2. Give the green ‘new keeper’ slip from the logbook to the buyer 3. Destroy the rest of the logbook

New-style logbook

If you’ve got the new-style logbook and you’re selling the car privately, you’ll have to complete ‘Section 2: Selling or transferring my vehicle to a new keeper’ and send it to the DVLA. You’ll need to provide the following information: • the car’s registration number • document reference number • full name and address of the new keeper • the exact date of sale • you can also provide some optional details if you have them to hand: • the vehicle’s mileage • contact number, email address and driving licence number of the new keeper If you’re selling the car to a motor trader, you should fill Section 4 of the logbook and send the yellow slip to the DVLA. You’ll have to provide the following details: • the car’s registration number • document reference number • the exact date of sale • name, address and VAT number of the motor trader And finally, you should fill in the date of sale in ‘Section 6: New keeper slip’ and send it to the new keeper of the car. Once you’ve sent the form to the DVLA and the new keeper slip to the buyer, you should destroy the rest of the V5C logbook. If you’ve sold the car abroad, the procedure for informing the DVLA is different. Find more information on Gov.uk about how register a car abroad.

Old-style logbook

If you have the old-style logbook, you should complete Section 6 of the logbook if selling the car privately and send Section 10 (V5C/2) of the logbook to the new keeper. If you’re selling your car to a motor trader, you should fill and send Section 9 to the DVLA and send the rest of the logbook to the motor trader. You can send the completed section of the V5C logbook to: DVLA Swansea SA99 1BA

Telling the DVLA about your sold car without a V5C logbook

Without the V5C logbook, it’s not possible to use the DVLA’s online services to notify them of the change in ownership. In this case, you’ll have to write to the DVLA and send them the following information: • your name • your address • your vehicle registration number • make and model of the car • the exact date of sale • the name and address of the new keeper or motor trader You can send the above information to: DVLA Swansea SA99 1BA You should also ask the new keeper of the car to fill a V62 form and send it to the DVLA. This will ensure that the buyer gets a new V5C logbook. Now that you know how to inform the DVLA after your sold car, check out our full collection of articles on selling a car – covering the full journey – from preparing your car for sale to what to do after you’ve sold your car.