It is technically possible to sell your car without road tax.
However, you cannot leave your untaxed car parked in the street - and neither you or the new buyer can drive the car until it has been taxed (as driving without tax is illegal). Therefore, you may find it difficult to sell your car privately if it is untaxed.
In this guide, we will clarify the rules around road tax and selling cars, including whether it is possible to sell a SORN car – and your options for selling an untaxed car.
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Road tax rules explained
Road tax is now non-transferrable, which means that if you sell your car, its road tax is no longer transferred to the new owner at the point of sale.
Instead, you’ll need to contact the DVLA so that you can declare the sale of your vehicle. From here, it’s the responsibility of the new owner to pay road tax for the vehicle.
Once the DVLA has been notified of the change in ownership, you will receive a road tax refund for any full months’ tax you have paid for the vehicle.
You can’t tax a car without an MOT, which means the new owner must make sure the vehicle is covered by a valid MOT certificate before they drive it.
Can I sell a SORN car?
It is perfectly legal to sell a car that has SORN (Statutory Off-road Notification) status. However, when a vehicle has SORN status, it can’t be driven or even parked on public roads, which can complicate the private selling process.
If you are attempting to sell a SORN (or untaxed) car, you will be unable to offer viewers a test drive - and therefore it will be difficult for them to gauge how well the vehicle runs (or whether it meets with their specific requirements).
When a vehicle has SORN status, some buyers may also be suspicious that it has hidden mechanical issues.
Even if the vehicle is in roadworthy condition, its SORN status will remain at the point of sale. Therefore, the vehicle will need to be towed away by a trailer or recovery truck once it has been sold.
Once you have declared the sale of the car to the DVLA and transferred ownership of the vehicle, it’s up to the new owner to decide what they want to do about its SORN status.
My car isn’t taxed – how can I sell it?
If you want to avoid the hassle of selling an untaxed car privately, you can sell your car quickly and conveniently through a car buying service such as webuyanycar.
We buy cars with and without road tax. Simply enter your registration number to get a free car valuation in under 30 seconds, book an appointment at your local branch – and sell your untaxed car to us the simple way!
Unsure whether your vehicle is taxed? Find out in an instant with our free car tax check tool.