How to transfer car ownership - our step-by-step guide

When would you need to transfer ownership of a car?

There are many different reasons as to why and when someone may need to transfer ownership of a vehicle. The most common reason for transferring car ownership is when it’s time to sell your car. Other reasons for changing vehicle ownership include:

A change of name

When you get married, your surname often changes, therefore you would need to transfer ownership of your vehicle to your new surname.

Gifting your car to a family member

Planning to give your old car to a family member? You will still need to transfer ownership of the car to them.

If the owner of the car passes away

If the owner of the car was to pass away, you would still need to notify the DVLA about a change of ownership.

When changing vehicle ownership, what’s the difference between the registered keeper and the owner?

When doing research into the transfer of ownership of a vehicle, you will see a lot of resources talking about the registered keeper and registered owner on the V5C logbook document. However, what might not be so clear is that the registered keeper and owner can be separate parties.

The legal owner of a car is the person who registered the vehicle with the DVLA. The registered keeper is the car’s primary user.

Additionally, the owner and registered keeper have different responsibilities when it comes to the vehicle. It is the registered keeper who is liable for road traffic offences, fines and violations; that’s why it is so important to have up-to-date and accurate details on file with the DVLA when it comes to the owner and registered keeper.

Car owner's responsibilities

• Registering the car with the DVLA.
• Ensuring the registered keeper’s details are accurate and up to date.
• Ensuring anyone who drives the vehicle is insured, and fit and competent to do so.
• Keeping documentation (i.e. receipts, invoices) to prove legal ownership of the car.

Registered keeper's responsibilities

• Ensuring the car is taxed and has an up-to-date and valid MOT certificate.
• Ensuring the car is regularly serviced and roadworthy.
• Keeping vehicle paperwork and documentation up to date and accurate.
• Arranging insurance.

How to check whether you’re the registered owner or keeper of the car

You can check a vehicle’s registered keeper in your V5C logbook. You can also contact the DVLA and ask them to provide you with information on the registered keeper of the car. You can do this by making a free subject access request (SAR). This provides information that the DVLA has on you, including:

• Current vehicle data and information
• Any vehicle registered in your name since you started driving

For the DVLA to provide you with this information, it is likely that they will ask you to provide details from your V5C logbook and/or driving license for data protection and security, so it’s best to have these to hand. You can request a SAR form online and email it to the DVLA or you can also request a paper SAR form and send it by post.

Transfer vehicle ownership – the process

The actual transfer of ownership process is simple as long as you have all the documentation to hand. Below, we explain the process and how it changes depending on who you transfer vehicle ownership to.

Transferring car ownership to an individual online

The quickest and easiest way to transfer car ownership is by doing it online on the gov.uk website. What you will need to do for this is:

• Locate the 11-digit certificate number from your V5C logbook.
• Give the green ‘new keeper’ slip from your current V5C logbook to the new keeper.

After this, you are ready to head to the gov.uk website and start the online process. You will enter the 11-digit V5C number into the portal along with the details of the buyer. Once this part has been completed, you will receive email confirmation from the DVLA to confirm that you are no longer the registered keeper of the car.

The good news is that you will also receive a refund for any vehicle tax that has been overpaid! Once you receive all of this, it’s time for you to destroy the old V5C – don’t worry, the new keeper of the vehicle will be sent a new V5C within five working days of the application being completed.

Transfer of ownership to an individual by post

If you would rather, you can change ownership via post. Fill in the appropriate sections of your car’s V5C logbook and send it by post to the DVLA.

• If you have a newer V5C (red document) fill in section 2 of the V5C and sign the declaration.
• If you have the older style V5C (blue document) fill in section 6 of the V5C and sign the declaration.

Like with carrying out the process online, you will also need to fill in the green ‘new keeper’ slip and give it to the new owner before sending off your logbook.

Transfer ownership of vehicle to a dealer

When you transfer ownership of your car to Arnold Clark… we’ll do all the work for you, so you don’t need to think about it! We’ll do the process online, using your V5C 11-digit certificate number and retain the green ‘new keeper’ slip.

When you transfer ownership of your vehicle to a dealer, we will also make sure you remove the yellow ‘sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade’ section and destroy it.

Transfer of car ownership to a scrapyard

Like transferring ownership to an individual, the process is very similar when transferring to a scrapyard. You’ll need your 11-digit V5C logbook certificate number and you can carry out the process either online or by post.

Online

When transferring vehicle ownership to a scrapyard online, you must keep the yellow ‘sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade’ section to give to the scrapyard.

By post

When transferring vehicle ownership to a scrapyard by post, the scrapyard should fill in the yellow ‘sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade’ section. You will then send all of this to the DVLA, along with any other relevant paperwork and information.

Transfer of vehicle ownership under special circumstances

There are circumstances in life beyond our control that can lead to someone needing to transfer vehicle ownership.

Transferring car ownership without V5 logbook

If you do not have your V5C logbook when transferring car ownership, you will need to obtain another document before ownership can be transferred. This document is the V62 Form. This form allows you to apply for a new V5C before transferring ownership.

Transferring ownership of an exported vehicle

If the vehicle you plan to transfer ownership is being exported, you must fill in the ‘Permanent export’ section (section 5) of the V5C logbook. You will then post the form to the DVLA.

What happens if you don’t notify the DVLA about a change of ownership?

Being the registered keeper of a vehicle means that you have a legal obligation to notify the DVLA any time there has been a change of vehicle ownership. Ultimately, failing to notify the DVLA of this can result in a fine of up to £1,000.

On top of this, as the registered keeper of a vehicle, you are liable for any road traffic offences, fines or penalties. Therefore, if you do not notify the DVLA that you are no longer the registered keeper of a vehicle, you could end up liable for these types of charges for another driver.

Conclusion

There are many different factors to consider when you need to change the ownership of a car, but we hope this article has made the process a little more straightforward. If you sell to Arnold Clark, we handle all the paperwork for you, so you won’t need to worry about a thing!