Sell your car: paperwork, scrap rules and one buyer

Traders price a car on what they can sell it for after costs: preparation, repairs, MOT, warranty and their margin. Make, model, age and mileage set the starting point. Service history, the number of keys, the MOT expiry date, tyre condition, bodywork, and any warning lights then push the figure up or down. A missing V5C or a gap in the service record makes a buyer nervous and costs money.

Cars with accident damage or engine failure are valued on parts, repair cost and resale abroad as much as on the road value. Be precise about faults in your description. A buyer who discovers a problem on collection will reduce the price there and then, and an offer made on a false description is not one you can hold them to.

Online valuations give a guide, not a price. The figure that counts is the one the buyer confirms after seeing the car, so ask whether an offer is fixed or subject to inspection.

If the car is on hire purchase or a PCP agreement, the finance company owns it until the agreement is settled, and you cannot sell it without clearing the debt. Ask your lender for a settlement figure before you agree a sale. Many dealers will pay the settlement directly to the lender and the balance to you, but get that arrangement in writing.

Buyers routinely run a history check that shows outstanding finance, insurance write-off markers and mileage anomalies. Being open about finance at the start saves an awkward conversation on collection day.

When you sell to a motor trader, you hand over the V5C log book and tell DVLA that the car has gone to the trade. Online you need the 11-digit reference from the latest log book; by post, the trader fills in the yellow section for the motor trade and you send the perforated part to DVLA. Until DVLA is told, you remain the registered keeper, which means speeding fines, parking tickets and vehicle tax reminders keep coming to you.

Selling also cancels your vehicle tax, and DVLA refunds any full months left. The tax does not pass to the buyer. Cancel your insurance or move it to your next car, and if you want to keep a private number plate, take it off the vehicle through DVLA before you tell DVLA about the sale.

If the log book is missing, you can still sell, but you have to write to DVLA with the details of the sale. Buyers generally offer less for a car without a V5C, so apply for a replacement in good time if you can.

A car that has reached the end of its life must be scrapped at an authorised treatment facility, sometimes called a breaker's yard. It is illegal to scrap it anywhere else. Scrapping at an ATF is usually free, and many will collect.

For a car or light van that is completely scrapped, the ATF issues a certificate of destruction within 7 days. That certificate is your proof that you handed the vehicle over; without it you could still be held liable for traffic penalties and vehicle tax. Some ATFs decide to repair and sell a vehicle instead of scrapping it, in which case there is no certificate and you should notify DVLA of the sale as normal.

In England and Wales it is illegal for you to be paid in cash for a vehicle that is scrapped. Payment has to be by bank transfer or cheque. A buyer offering banknotes for a scrap car is either not scrapping it properly or not operating within the law.

Source: gov.uk · gov.uk

• confirm the final price in writing, and whether collection is included
• see the payment arrive and clear in your account before the car leaves
• remove personal belongings, garage fobs, toll tags and parking permits
• log out of the car's apps and delete saved addresses and paired phones
• tell DVLA about the sale the same day and keep the confirmation
• for a scrap car, get the certificate of destruction and keep it
• cancel or transfer your insurance and any breakdown cover

Enter the registration, mileage, condition and where the car is. Once you have confirmed your number by text code and your email by link, the request is shown to car buyers near you without your name or contact details. One business can buy it; it pays Offrano, and the request is then removed. It costs you nothing.

Before the buyer sees your details, we email you who it is: name, address and phone number. Offrano checks that it is a registered business; it does not check its valuations or whether it is an authorised treatment facility, so if the car is going for scrap, ask for the ATF details. You do not have to accept any offer, and you can still sell elsewhere.