Jobs to do before selling your car

When it comes to selling your car, getting it in top shape to sell can seem a daunting task. There’s lots to take into consideration. These will range from first assessing the age of your vehicle in relation to the condition both inside and outside. If you are struggling on where to start, follow these few simple tips in order to make sure your car is sale-ready. You can check the possible value on a number of websites such as We buy any Car and Motorway. Look at Autotrader where you will see similar vehicles for sale.

Check your car’s age

With the new number plates coming up in September 2022, being able to confirm the age of your car is important, when you look for guide prices online of what it’s worth. The easiest way is to go online, and look at the Government site that will give you date of registration and the up-to-date MOT details. You can also use this if you’re buying. The online price check sites will also confirm.

Get a full service on your car

A great way to increase the value of your car is to show a full, up to date service history. Having the history of your car in black and white for the buyer to see, will make the car far more attractive to a potential buyer. When you have your car serviced, they will check over everything, including coolant levels, tyres and electrics. This will be the easiest way for you to see what sort of condition your vehicle is in and if any major repairs need to be undertaken before selling your car. Doing these repairs before you sell, the value of your car could increase by up to 20%. More than a service! Make sure to file away all service receipts and paper copies in order for this to pay off when you sell.

Polish on, polish off

The first thing a prospective buyer will notice is the cleanliness of your car. A sparkling clean car without that ‘second hand’ look creates a much better first impression. Any second-hand car won’t look brand-spanking new, but you want it to look as fresh as possible. Whilst avoiding any harsh chemicals or materials that may damage your car in any way, be sure to remove even the smallest everyday marks such as mud, tree sap, or stains. Good motoring stores offer quality products such as Autoglym to tackle these stains and marks. Vacuuming the interior immediately gives it that facelift to look its best. If you’ve regularly cleaned your car whilst you’ve owned it, this will only further increase its value. There is a large range of other automotive cleaning products to choose from that help.

Renew your MOT

If your MOT is due in the next two to three months, it’s best to get it done before attempting to sell. It saves the new owner forking out for an MOT straight away and allows you time to make sure that everything in your car meets the standards required. Once everything’s checked, you can sell your vehicle with every confidence that it's in the best condition that it can be and running perfectly fine before being sold. Make sure to keep hold of all the paperwork to show prospective buyers when the time comes.

Changing the ownership of your car

You’ll always need a V5C handbook which records the registered keeper or keepers of the vehicle. Legally this would be the person taxing and registering the vehicle. Usually, the owner is the same person. To transfer the ownership, see section 6 and 8 on your V5C form. This allows you to fill out all the details, alongside checking the box that states that the keeper of the vehicle will be changing. This form then needs to be sent off to the DVLA.