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Sell safely

Selling a vehicle

  • You must let us know immediately when you’ve sold a vehicle. The quickest and easiest way to let us know you’ve sold a vehicle is online. Otherwise you can pick up a form at one of our agents and post it to us.
  • Ask the buyer to give you a transfer receipt to show they are registered in respect of the vehicle before you hand over the vehicle.

Checklist

Make sure:

  • you’ve paid all outstanding licence fees
  • road user charges (RUC) are up-to-date
  • the vehicle has a warrant of fitness (WoF) that is no more than one month old when the buyer takes possession.

You must notify us of the sale immediately. If you don’t, you may receive the new registered person’s:

  • speed camera fines
  • parking tickets
  • vehicle licensing fees
  • fines for not displaying a vehicle licensing label
  • fines for not displaying a current WoF
  • toll payment notices.

Protect yourself

Wait for the buyer to show you proof that they’ve notified us that they’ve bought the vehicle before handing over the vehicle.

Get the buyer to do it online while you are there, or get them to show you an email confirmation or receipt.

If you don’t let us know you’ve sold a vehicle

If you don’t let us know you’ve sold a vehicle, you could get a fine of up to $1000 as an individual and $5000 if you’re a company.

If you sell a vehicle to a motor vehicle trader, they may complete some or all of the notification process on your behalf. However, you should always confirm that the trader has completed this process, for peace of mind.

What happens next?

When we receive notification that you’ve sold a vehicle, we’ll update the motor vehicle register to show you are no longer the person registered in respect of the vehicle.

If something isn’t right

We may send you a letter, checking if you’ve sold the vehicle. We don’t always do this, but will send you a letter if we’ve noticed something that doesn’t add up.

An example is if the buyer has taken too long to let us know they’ve bought the vehicle.

There are some exceptions that can stop a letter from being sent, for example, if you sell your vehicle to a trader.

If the vehicle’s warrant of fitness (WoF) or certificate of fitness (CoF) is more than one month old

Buyers can insist on a WoF or CoF being less than one month old. This helps protect them against faults that may have developed since the last inspection.

If the buyer doesn’t insist, they should confirm in writing to the seller that they accept the WoF or CoF is more than one month old. This protects the seller.

If the vehicle’s WoF or CoF has expired

If you’re selling a vehicle without a current WoF or CoF, you must:

  • make sure the buyer knows the WoF or CoF isn’t current
  • ask the buyer to confirm in writing that they accept the WoF or CoF isn’t current, and they won’t use the vehicle on the road except to take it somewhere for repair or inspection.

If you don’t get that in writing, you can’t sell the vehicle without a current WoF or CoF.

Selling a vehicle ‘as is, where is’

Selling a vehicle ‘as is, where is’ doesn’t remove the seller’s legal requirements under consumer and transport law.

Consumer rights and responsibilities(external link)

Can I sell an unlicensed or unregistered vehicle?

You can sell an unlicensed vehicle, but you are liable for any outstanding licence fees up to the date of the sale and acquisition.

If you sell an unregistered vehicle, the buyer will need to have the vehicle reregistered.

Find out more about the reregistration process

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