Selling a car privately: the handover day checklist

Most private sales go fine. The ones that go wrong usually go wrong at the handover, in the ten minutes when money, keys and paperwork all move at once. This is the order to do it in.

Before the buyer arrives

• V5C logbook to hand, with the green V5C/2 new keeper slip still attached.
• MOT certificate or a printout from the gov.uk MOT history service.
• Service history, receipts, both keys, locking wheel nut key, any spares.
• Your things out of the car: documents in the glovebox, parking permits, the dashcam SD card, Bluetooth pairings.
• If there is finance on the car, it must be settled before you sell. Get the settlement figure from the lender.

When they arrive

• Look at their driving licence. You need the name and address for the receipt anyway.
• Test drive: they must be insured to drive your car. Some fully comprehensive policies cover other cars third-party only, which is not enough for a crash. Go with them in the passenger seat.
• Let them look properly. A buyer who has inspected the car is a buyer who cannot later say they did not know.

Taking the money

• Bank transfer is safest for both sides. Wait until the money shows in your account, not just on their screen. Large transfers can take minutes; some banks hold them for a call.
• Cash: count it together, in daylight, and write the amount on the receipt. Be wary of very large cash sums from a stranger.
• Never hand over keys or the V5C/2 slip on the promise that the money is coming.
• No cheques, no banker's drafts from people you cannot verify, no overpayment stories.

The receipt

Fill it in together, at the car, before the keys move. Registration, VIN, the mileage on the clock right now, the price, how it was paid, what was handed over, the sold-as-seen wording, both signatures, one copy each. The online version does this on your phone in two minutes; the printable one works if you prefer pen and paper. What to include is covered in the receipt guide.

Handing over

• Tear off the green V5C/2 slip and give it to the buyer. Keep the rest of the V5C. Do not give the buyer the whole logbook.
• Keys, history, spares.
• Remind them the road tax does not come with the car. They must tax it before driving away, which they can do on their phone using the V5C/2 reference.

Afterwards, the same day

• Tell DVLA you have sold the car, online at gov.uk. It takes a minute and you get a reference number. Keep it.
• Your tax stops automatically and DVLA refunds any full months left.
• Cancel your insurance or move it to your next car.
• Keep your copy of the receipt and the DVLA reference for at least a year. Fines and tickets can arrive months later.