You sold your car and you didn't deregister it beforehand?

Selling a car can be an exciting but also challenging task. The car is quickly handed over because the buyer promises: "I'll register it tomorrow". Because of course: this saves you the day license plates and you can take the car with you straight away. However, there are significant risks for you, the seller.

1. Liability:

Since the vehicle is not deregistered, you are still the registered vehicle owner. And therefore directly liable for what happens to the vehicle. If the new buyer drives through a speed camera in town at 120 km/h, you will receive the friendly post. If the buyer has an accident and flees, the police will ring your doorbell. And then you first have to prove that the car has been sold. If you keep this in mind, the announced handover is no longer worth the risk, is it?

2. The costs:

As long as the vehicle is registered to you, you will continue to pay for it. This includes both your insurance and vehicle tax. We often hear of cases in which the buyer promises to deregister the car but does not do so for weeks or even months. This will cost you 100s of euros as you continue to pay for the vehicle. While the buyer drives it free of charge and risk-free.

3. What to do now?

It already happened, and you handed over the car with deregistering it first? Now it is critical to collect data and file a notice of sale. You should immediately document and save any communication with the buyer. A purchase contract helps to document and document the handover (preferably with an exact time). Next, inform your insurance company about the sale. To do this, you need your insurance number and, if available, the purchase contract, which you send to them. This way you avoid high costs due to continued insurance. Finally, you should immediately inform the registration authority responsible for the vehicle. You can do this via an initial inquiry (on site or by telephone) or by submitting a notice of sale. You should definitely fill this out when making a sale. Here you can find our sale notice sample template.

4. Conclusion:

Handing over a deregistered car is never recommended. Neither to a private buyer nor to a dealer. Always make sure that you deregister the vehicle yourself and fill out a sales notice in addition to a purchase contract.

Do you still have questions? Write to us at any time via WhatsApp or Email.