Private used car sale contract (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
A contract for selling a used car or motorcycle between private individuals in Germany, under the German Civil Code (BGB). The exclusion of liability for defects is worded the way German courts uphold it: it does not cover fraud or a guarantee (§ 444 BGB), nor the seller's statements on mileage, accident damage, previous keepers and known defects, which stand in a section of their own. It also records the check of the registration certificate Part II, the date and hour of handover, retention of title, re-registration and the notice of sale. In German, for both parties to print and sign.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Seller
- Seller's date of birth
- Seller's address
- Buyer
- Buyer's date of birth
- Buyer's address
- Make and model
- Chassis number
- Registration plate
- Date of first registration
- Number of the registration certificate Part II
- Odometer reading
- Next roadworthiness test due (month and year)
- Number of keys
- Accessories
- Price
- How the price of the car is paid
- Seller's statement on the total mileage
- Seller's statement on accident damage
- Known accident damage and how it was repaired
- Number of previous keepers in the registration certificate Part II
- Known defects
- Other agreed features of the car
- Handover date
- Time of handover
- Other documents and items handed over (service book, invoices, winter tyres)
- Proof of how the seller acquired the car, if not entered as keeper
- Whether the car is registered when handed over
- Date by which the buyer re-registers the car
- Other terms
- City
- Date
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Can a private seller in Germany exclude liability for defects when selling a used car?
- Yes, between private individuals it is allowed, with two limits. The exclusion does not apply to a defect fraudulently concealed or to a guarantee given (§ 444 BGB). And whatever was agreed as a feature of the car — no accident damage, or the mileage, even if only stated in the online advert — is still owed despite a blanket exclusion (BGH VIII ZR 161/23). That is why the contract puts these statements in a section of their own, which the seller confirms or strikes out.
- Why must a buyer in Germany see the original registration certificate Part II before buying a car?
- Someone who buys a car from a person not entitled to sell it becomes its owner only if they were not grossly negligent (§ 932(2) BGB). Not asking to see the original registration certificate Part II (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II, the former Fahrzeugbrief) and not comparing the vehicle identification number usually counts as grossly negligent. If the seller is not entered there as keeper, the contract records how they acquired the car.
- Can a car dealer in Germany use this contract to sell to a consumer?
- No. When a business sells to a consumer, it cannot exclude liability for defects, and for used goods it can shorten the limitation period to one year only if the consumer was specifically told beforehand and agreed expressly and separately (§ 476 BGB). This contract is written for sales between private individuals, and the seller declares in it that they are not acting as a business.
- What still has to be done in Germany after the car is handed over?
- The seller notifies the vehicle registration office of the sale without delay (§ 15 FZV): their motor vehicle tax ends only when this notice of sale arrives (§ 5(5) KraftStG), not with the contract. The seller also reports the sale to their motor insurer (§ 97 VVG). The buyer re-registers the car in their own name at the registration office for their home address, at the counter or online through i-Kfz, and needs an eVB number from their insurer to do it.
- Does a private car sale in Germany have to be in writing?
- No, German law prescribes no form for buying a car; an oral contract is valid too. But a written contract signed by both proves what was agreed — above all the seller's statements and the moment of handover, from which the buyer is responsible for the car. Each side keeps a signed copy.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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