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Private car sale agreement and receipt (UK)
England and Wales · in English
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21 questions · about 9 min
Made for use in England and Wales
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For two private people in the UK selling and buying a used car, van or motorbike. It records the vehicle, the price, the time the keys changed hands, the mileage and the faults the seller knows of, and has a receipt for the money. Selling “as seen” does not let a seller misdescribe the car. A private sale needs no tax and no form: the seller tells DVLA online the same day and gives the buyer the green new keeper slip from the log book (V5C). Both sign; each keeps a copy.
- Made for use in England and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You are selling your car privately in the UK and want the price, mileage and handover time in writing.
- You are buying a used car from a private seller and want a receipt and the seller's statements signed.
- The buyer wants to collect the car today and you want proof of the exact time the keys changed hands.
- You want a simple car sale agreement so later parking tickets and fines can be traced to the new keeper.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Date
- Seller
- Seller's address
- Town or city
- Seller's postcode
- Buyer
- Buyer's address
- Buyer's postcode
- Make and model
- Vehicle registration number (number plate)
- VIN (vehicle identification number, 17 characters)
- Colour
- Odometer reading
- MOT certificate valid until (leave empty if none is needed yet)
- What the seller says about the mileage
- Price
- Method of payment
- Time the keys were handed over (for example 2:30pm)
- Faults the seller knows of (or “None known”)
- Other history the seller knows of (accident repairs, insurance write-off category, import)
- Documents and items handed over (new keeper slip, keys, service history, MOT certificates)
Common questions
- Do I have to tell DVLA when I sell my car privately in the UK?
- Yes. The seller tells DVLA straight away, free, with GOV.UK's online service for telling DVLA you have sold a vehicle and the reference on the log book (V5C), or by post on the V5C. Give the buyer the green new keeper slip and keep the rest. Until DVLA's record changes, letters and penalties keep coming to you, which is why this agreement records the time of sale.
- Can a private seller sell a car “as seen” with no comeback in the UK?
- A private seller does not promise satisfactory quality the way a dealer does, so a buyer from a private seller takes more risk. But the car must match what the seller says about it: a false statement about the mileage, past accidents or outstanding finance can give the buyer a claim, and “sold as seen” does not change that. Write down only what you know to be true, and list the faults you know of.
- What should a buyer check before paying for a used car in the UK?
- That the seller's name and address match the log book (V5C), that the VIN on the car matches the V5C, and the MOT history, which GOV.UK shows free (for a car tested in Northern Ireland, tests since 2017). A paid history check can reveal outstanding finance or an insurance write-off. Pay by bank transfer where you can, and fill in the time of handover: the buyer is responsible for tax and insurance from that moment, since vehicle tax does not pass with the car.
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.
Related documents
- Letter to DVLA after selling a vehicle still registered to me (UK)
For a former keeper in the UK who sold or passed on a vehicle but is still shown on DVLA's record and is getting reminders, a late licensing penalty or fines for it. If you still have the log book (V5C), tell DVLA first with GOV.UK's free online service, which updates the record at once. The letter is for what that cannot fix: it gives the date and time of the sale and the new keeper's details, says how DVLA was told, and asks DVLA to correct its record and stop action for the time after the sale. Sent first class to the address on DVLA's letter.
- Formal representations against a council penalty charge notice (England and Wales)
For the keeper of a vehicle in England or Wales who has received a council's Notice to Owner, or a penalty charge notice (PCN) by post from a camera, and wants it cancelled. The letter makes formal representations on one of the grounds printed on the notice — the contravention did not occur, you were not the owner, procedural impropriety and the others — with the facts, the evidence and any compelling reasons. It must reach the council within 28 days of the notice being served; the council's free online form does the same.
- Informal challenge to a council parking ticket (England and Wales)
For the driver or keeper of a vehicle given a council penalty charge notice (PCN) for parking in England or Wales who thinks it is wrong and has not yet received a Notice to Owner. The letter gives the ticket's details, the reasons it should be cancelled and the evidence. Councils generally hold the 50% discount while they consider a challenge made within 14 days. The council's free online challenge form does the same job; this letter suits post or email. Not for private car park tickets or police fines.
- Claim to a dealer for a faulty used car (England and Wales)
For a consumer in England or Wales who bought a used car from a dealer and found a fault. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the car must be of satisfactory quality for its age, mileage and price, and as described. The letter describes the fault and asks for the remedy you choose: rejection and a full refund within 30 days of delivery, a repair or replacement, or, after a failed repair, a refund or a price reduction. It is a letter before claim: 14 days to reply, then the County Court. Not for a private sale.
- Covering letter with my reply naming the driver (Great Britain)
For the registered keeper of a vehicle in Great Britain who has received a notice under section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 asking who was driving, usually with a speeding or red-light notice of intended prosecution. Fill in the police form sent with the notice, then send it with this letter, which names you or another driver, names the keeper if you had sold the vehicle, or explains what you did to find out. Reply within 28 days: failing to name the driver is an offence carrying six penalty points and a fine.
- Letter authorising another person to drive my car (UK)
For the registered keeper of a car in the UK who lends it to someone, most often for a trip abroad, where officials may ask a driver who is not the keeper for proof of the keeper's permission. The letter names the keeper, the driver, the vehicle, the dates and any countries, and says which insurance covers the driver. It gives permission only: insurance, not a letter, decides who may drive. A hired or leased vehicle needs the company's vehicle on hire certificate (VE103) instead.