How to sell a car privately in Australia

Short answer

To sell a car privately: gather your registration papers and service records, settle any finance, find out whether your state requires a roadworthy or safety certificate, clean and photograph the car, price it against similar listings, meet buyers safely, get paid before you hand over the keys, give a receipt, and notify your transport authority that the car has been sold.

A private sale usually brings a better price than a trade-in, in exchange for doing the work a dealer would otherwise do. Most of that work happens before the first buyer calls.

1. Get the paperwork together

Buyers will ask for these, and having them ready is the simplest way to look like a seller worth dealing with:

your photo identification
the certificate of registration
the service logbook and receipts
the owner's manual and any inspection reports
the date of the last safety inspection, if your state uses them

Pay any outstanding fines on the vehicle before you sell.

2. Settle any finance

If you still owe money on the car, the lender has an interest in it, and a careful buyer will find it with a PPSR search. Make sure your obligations to the lender are met as part of the sale. Call the lender, ask for a payout figure, and be ready to explain to the buyer how the loan will be cleared. A seller who raises this first is far easier to trust than one who is caught out by the buyer's check.

3. Find out what your state requires

The rules are set by each state and territory. For example:

In Queensland, the seller must obtain a safety certificate and give it to the buyer when a registered vehicle is transferred.
In Victoria, a roadworthy certificate is needed when selling a car.
In New South Wales, a safety inspection report is not needed to transfer a current registration.

Check your own transport authority's website before you list, and allow time for an inspection and any repairs. See roadworthy and safety certificates explained.

4. Prepare the car

Wash it, clean the interior, and remove rubbish, paperwork and valuables. Consider a professional detail if the car justifies it. Fix cheap, obvious faults such as a blown globe; leave expensive repairs alone and price the car accordingly.

Then photograph it properly, including any damage or scratches. Our guide to photographing a car for sale covers the shots buyers look for.

5. Set the price

Research what similar cars are actually listed for: same model, similar year, similar kilometres, similar condition. On Australia Motors you can search the same make and model and compare. Decide two numbers before you list: your asking price and the lowest figure you will accept. Most buyers expect to negotiate.

6. Write an honest listing

State the year, make, model and badge, the kilometres, the service history, the registration expiry and the reason for sale. Mention faults. Buyers find them at the inspection anyway, and an accurate listing brings people who are ready to buy the car you actually have. See how to write a vehicle listing.

Listing on Australia Motors is free. Your listing is reviewed before it goes live, and buyers contact you through the site without seeing your phone number or email address. Start your listing.

7. Handle enquiries and viewings safely

Meet in a public place in daylight, and bring someone with you.
Before a test drive, check the buyer's driver licence, and go with them.
Be wary of a buyer who wants to buy without seeing the car, or who offers more than the asking price.

8. Get paid, then hand over

Do not release the car, the keys or signed paperwork until the money is in your account. Check your own bank account yourself; do not rely on a screenshot or an email. If a buyer pays more than agreed and asks for the difference back, do not refund it.

9. Give a receipt and keep a copy

Provide proof of sale and keep a copy for yourself. It should show:

the plate number, VIN or chassis number, engine number, colour, make and model
the date and time of sale
the price
the name, address and signature of both buyer and seller

The date and time matter: they show when the car stopped being your responsibility.

10. Tell the transport authority

Each state and territory has its own way for a seller to report that a vehicle has been sold. In New South Wales it is called a notice of disposal. Do it straight away. Until the records are updated, tolls and fines for the vehicle can keep coming to you.

Finally, mark your listing as sold so buyers stop contacting you.