What to do after you’ve sold your car
Just sold your car? Find out what paperwork you now need, what to do with your insurance, how to deal with remaining warranty and more.
Words by: Andrew Woodhouse
Additional words by: Nimisha Jain
Last updated on 1 March 2026 | 0 min read
Create a receipt
Once you’ve received payment for your car, you’ll need to write a receipt. Make sure you have a copy for both yourself and the buyer. While there's no right or wrong way to write a receipt, you should usually include the following information:
- Date
- Price and the payment method
- Names, addresses and contact detail of both buyer and seller
- Registration number
- Make and model
- Mileage at the time of sale
- VIN number
- Details about the condition of the car at the time of sale
- Space for the buyer and seller to sign the document
What paperwork do you need to do when selling a car?
Related: How to tell the DVLA I’ve sold my car At the same time, give the top part to the buyer, along with any paperwork you have that relates to the car. This should include MOT certificates, the service logbook, any receipts (e.g. for maintenance work), and so on. Also remember to give them the car’s handbook and any duplicate sets of keys. Related: What paperwork do I need to sell my used car
Take down your car's advert
Once you've informed the DVLA that you've sold the car, you should delete your car's advert from whichever website you've been advertising on.
When selling your car on Autotrader, you can delete your car's advert by either replying with 'SOLD' to the text message you received from us when you first started selling your vehicle, or by signing in to your account on Autotrader and deleting your advert under 'Vehicles you're selling'.
This will help avoid getting unnecessary messages or calls from potential buyers.
What can I do with a used car’s remaining warranty?
All new cars in the UK are covered by a warranty when they are sold, and almost all are transferrable to subsequent owners. In other words, if you buy a used car within the period of its new car warranty, that warranty will be transferred to you. The one, very notable, exception is the ‘lifetime’ warranty that came with all new Vauxhalls sold between 2010 and 2014, and which was valid only for the first owner. So, if you’re looking to buy a Vauxhall sold as a new car between those dates, remember you may well need to buy a warranty from elsewhere. Equally, it’s important to bear in mind that not all new-car warranties run for the same length of time. While most mainstream companies’ cover runs for three years (usually with limits on the mileage you can cover), there are companies – including the likes of Toyota, Hyundai and Kia – who give five or even seven years’ cover. As ever, before you buy, check how much cover remains, and what proportion of the original cover still applies.
Cancel your insurance
Related: How to cancel car insurance Looking for a new car? We've got thousands of new and used cars here on Autotrader. In fact, 8 in 10 car buyers use Autotrader to find their next car. So join the million others and find your next car on Autotrader today.