How to sell a deceased person’s car

If you’re looking to sell a car that was owned by someone who’s passed away, this guide is here to help take you through the process. 

Dealing with the death of a loved one is incredibly difficult, with grief having a huge impact on the attention we’re able to pay to normally straightforward tasks, such as dealing with all the administrative details of the deceased’s belongings. One of these may be selling their car.

There are a few official hoops you can jump through when it comes to changing a car’s ownership after a death. And while it might be a sad duty, you can at least consider it an important one, and something you can do to help those around you at a difficult time.

On this page, we’ll walk you through the steps you need to take and the rules you need to follow, including important information such as whether you can sell a deceased person’s car before probate.

Remember, you can sell your car right here on Carwow. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

What to consider when selling a deceased person’s car

There are a few things to consider, such as whether you want to sell the car, whether you want to keep the car yourself, or move it on to another family member or friend, or even whether the car might need to be scrapped. In most cases, there’s no rush, so take your time to consider whether the car is a sentimental object for other people involved, or whether it’s simply an asset to be disposed of.

Once this has been decided, you’ll need to consider a few more things. Insurance is one – if the car needs to be driven or moved immediately after its owner has passed away, you’ll need to make sure that you or another person are covered to do so. If you’re leaving the car sitting in place for a while, remember that an insurance policy is automatically cancelled upon the death of the holder, so the car won’t be covered against fire or theft and it can’t be left parked on a public road.

You’ll also need to consider your own personal status. Your relationship to the person who has passed away can have an impact on how the car’s ownership is handled: a spouse, for example, would have a different legal status to a cousin, so various elements of this guide may or may not apply to you. Speak to a solicitor for clarity on whether you’re able to sell the car.

Finally, there’s the issue of legal ownership. This guide presumes you are legally entitled to sell or transfer ownership of the car. If you’re in any doubt about ownership of the car, who it will pass to, who has the right to sell it, or any other detail, you should seek legal advice. This guide does not constitute legal advice, and the process of selling the car of a loved one who has passed away can vary depending on your circumstances.

How to sell a deceased person’s car: step-by-step

There are a few specific steps that you’ll need to deal with if you want to sell the car of a deceased person. The first step is to inform the DVLA…

1. Notify the DVLA of the person’s death

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) must be informed when someone has died, so they can cancel their driving licence: they will also be removed as the registered owner of any vehicles, while the car’s VED tax will also be cancelled.

You can contact the DVLA directly to notify them, or use the government’s Tell Us Once service, which allows you to report a death to most government organisations – such as the Passport Office, HM Revenue and Customs and the deceased’s local council – in one go.

The Tell Us Once service is available in most parts of the country, but if you can’t or don’t want to use it, you can write to the DVLA sharing the following information:

• The name, address and date of birth of your loved one.
• The date they died.
• Your relationship to them.

If you have it, you should include the deceased person’s driving licence with your letter, but not the death certificate. Then, send all these details to:

DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1AB

Bear in mind that when you take this step, the car will become untaxed: it must be retaxed if you drive it on the public road. Alternatively, you can make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) if you want to keep it, but not drive it or park it on the public road. You should take either of these two steps as soon as possible: don’t wait to hear back from the DVLA.

2. Transferring ownership of the car using the V5C logbook

It’s widely believed that the DVLA form known as the V5C logbook shows who owns a car, it does not – it only indicates who the vehicle is registered to.

As a car cannot be registered to someone who is deceased, you need to inform the DVLA if you want to keep it or transfer the registration of the vehicle to a friend or family member.

If you decide to transfer ownership of the car, fill in section 2 of the V5C (section 6 if you have the old-style V5C, which were issued up to 15 April 2019). Tear the green ‘new keeper’ slip off, retaining it.

Write to the DVLA, establishing:

• Your relationship to the person who has passed away.
• The date they died.
• Who should be paid any road tax refund, as this cannot be transferred with a vehicle.

Send the letter, together with the V5C (excluding the ‘new keeper’ section you’ve torn off), to:

DVLA
Sensitive Casework Team
Swansea
SA99 1ZZ

The green ‘new keeper’ section will allow you to tax the car, which you should do before you receive the new V5C, which will arrive in the post.

What if I can’t find the V5C logbook?

If you can’t find the V5C among the deceased person’s belongings, you can order a replacement online, by phone or by post, using the DVLA’s Duplicate Vehicle Log Book service. This service costs £25 – and there are no refunds if the original V5C turns up.

To apply online, you need the car’s registration number, its VIN/chassis number, the name and postcode registered in the log book. You should get a replacement V5C within five working days.

Alternatively, you can contact the DVLA on 0300 790 6802 to order a duplicate log book. As with the online application, you need to give them the registration number and VIN, and the name and postcode on the log book. Bear in mind that applying by phone takes around four weeks.

If you need to change the address at the same time as getting a replacement logbook, you have to apply by post. If your current address doesn’t match the log book, you can’t apply online or by phone.

You must also tell the DVLA about any major changes to your car too, such as any changes to the colour, chassis or seating capacity. In this instance, you must fill in form V62 and send it to:

DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1DD

It usually takes around four weeks to get a duplicate V5C by post.

3. Selling the deceased person’s car

Selling a deceased person’s car with Carwow

You can sell the deceased person’s car through Carwow, just as you would your own car, which may make the process a lot easier. You’ll need to, once again, inform the DVLA’s sensitive casework team that you want to sell the car, and give them all the necessary details, plus gather all the paperwork you need – including the death certificate, details from the family solicitor, granting of authority, etc.

Selling a deceased person’s car to a private buyer

If you’re selling to a private buyer, then you should consider whether or not you want to transfer the ownership of the car to yourself first. That can make the process a little simpler, but an extra name on the logbook can also impact the value of the car at a time when you may need to sell it to provide funds in the aftermath of a death.

You can sell the car without being the registered owner, and you do this by writing to the DVLA’s sensitive casework team explaining that you are selling the car, while also detailing your relationship to the person who has passed away, the date they died, and to whom any road tax refund should be paid. Along with this, you need to complete section 2 of the V5C – ‘selling or transferring my car to a new keeper’ (this is section 6 for the old-style V5C). Next, you fill out the green ‘new keeper’ section and give it to the car’s buyer. You then send the rest of the V5C to the DVLA’s sensitive casework team, along with your letter.

Selling a deceased person’s car to a dealer

This may be an easier option for many. You’ll need to go through the same steps of informing the DVLA that you’re taking on selling the car, without transferring the ownership to yourself, and then get the dealer to whom you’re selling to fill out the section of the V5C headed: ‘sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade’. You should tear this section out and send it with your letter to the DVLA’s sensitive casework team, while the trader keeps the remainder of the V5C.

However, a dealer may want to see evidence that you are entitled to sell the car before they buy it, while the size of the estate and who is managing it may affect what documentation they want to see. It’s possible to sell a car before probate has been granted, but you may not be able to sell the car to a trader without a death certificate.

Among the documents that a trader may want to see before buying a deceased person’s car would be:

• The deceased person’s death certificate.
• A letter or email from the solicitor of the estate, granting authority for the car to be sold and stipulating to whom payment should be made…
• Or photo ID of the next of kin or the executor of the estate.

Selling a deceased person’s car FAQs