Selling an import can feel like it comes with extra baggage. Buyers ask more questions, some are wary of the word "import", and you may wonder how much you have to tell them. In practice, a properly imported car with its paperwork together sells like any other. The paperwork is what does the persuading.
- Tell DVLA
- Online or by post
- Your road tax
- Cancelled, refund for full months
- Private sale rule
- The car must be as described
- Best asset
- A complete import folder
The legal basics
Once an import is registered here, it has a V5C like any other UK car, and the selling process is the same. GOV.UK lets you tell the DVLA you have sold it online, which changes the registered keeper and sends the log book to the new keeper. You can also do it by post.
When you tell the DVLA, your vehicle tax is cancelled and you can get a refund for any full months left. Tax does not pass to the buyer, so they need to tax the car before driving it, or declare it off the road. If they do not have a log book, they apply for one using form V62.
What you have to tell a buyer
Trading standards advice is clear on the basic rule. A private seller has to sell a car that is as described. A trader has to go further: the car must also be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose, and the trader must not mislead the buyer.
In practice that means what you say in the advert counts. If you describe the mileage, the history or the number of owners, it needs to be right. Pembrokeshire Council's advice gives a simple example: if an advert says one previous owner, that has to be correct.
So be straight about the car being an import. Do not describe it as UK supplied if it was not, and be accurate about where it came from and when it arrived. Buyers can usually work it out anyway, from the gap between the build year and the first UK registration on the free DVLA check. Our guide on whether a car is an import shows how.
Describe it, then prove it. Say it is an import, say what was changed, and have the paperwork ready to back up every claim in the advert.
Mileage in the advert
Mileage is where import adverts most often go wrong. If the odometer reads in kilometres, say so, and give the figure in miles alongside it. A Japanese car showing 80,000 km has covered about 50,000 miles, not 80,000.
The UK MOT history only shows tests done here, so a buyer checking it will see the car's UK years only. The evidence for the rest is the auction sheet, the US title or the service history from abroad. Our guide to checking the mileage on an imported car covers what each one shows.
Things to sort before you list it
A few import-specific points are worth putting right first, because they put buyers off or create problems after the sale.
- Front window tint: GOV.UK says it is illegal to sell a car fitted with glass that breaks the tint rules. See our window tint guide
- Outstanding recalls: run the free GOV.UK recall check and get any work done. See recalls on imported cars
- UK changes undone: check the headlights and rear lamps are still the UK-compliant ones fitted at import
- Units: make sure you know whether the odometer reads in miles or kilometres
Documents that help it sell
Buyers of imports are buying the paperwork as much as the car. A full folder answers the questions before they are asked, and it is what separates a confident sale from a long haggle.
The import folder
0 of 10 done
One point on the foreign documents: the DVLA keeps the original foreign registration certificate, such as a Japanese export certificate, when the car is registered, and does not return it. If you imported the car yourself, you will hopefully have kept a copy. If you did not, make copies of anything foreign you still hold before it goes anywhere.
The sale, step by step
-
Before listing
Gather the folder
V5C, test certificate, import paperwork, history and invoices for UK changes.
-
Advert
Describe it accurately
Say it is an import, where it came from, what was changed, and give mileage in miles.
-
Viewings
Show the evidence
Let the buyer see the paperwork and check the chassis number against the V5C.
-
Sale day
Tell the DVLA
Online or by post. The keeper changes and your tax is cancelled, with a refund for full months.
-
After
Hand over the folder
The buyer taxes the car before driving it, and the paperwork goes with it.
Selling to a trader
Selling to a dealer or a buying service is quicker, but some are less comfortable with imports and may price that in. A specialist in your type of car, whether Japanese performance cars, American trucks or European classics, will often understand its value better. The same folder helps either way.
Whoever buys it, the next owner will need to insure it, and their insurer will ask the same questions yours did. Handing over a list of the changes made at import makes that easy for them. Our guide to insuring an imported car covers what insurers ask.
Questions people ask
Do I have to tell a buyer my car is an import?
You must not describe the car inaccurately. A private seller has to sell a car that is as described, so do not call it UK supplied if it was not. Being upfront, with the paperwork to back it up, also tends to help the sale.
How do I tell the DVLA I have sold an imported car?
The same way as any UK car. Once it is registered here, it has a V5C, and you can tell the DVLA online or by post. Your vehicle tax is then cancelled, with a refund for any full months left.
What paperwork should I give the buyer of an imported car?
The V5C, the IVA certificate, Certificate of Conformity or MOT from first registration, the customs paperwork, a copy of the foreign registration or export certificate, the history, and invoices for the UK changes.
Can I sell a car with dark tinted front windows?
No. GOV.UK says it is illegal to sell a vehicle fitted with glass that breaks the tint rules. Front tint that is too dark should come off before you sell.
Are imported cars harder to sell?
Some buyers are more cautious, and some traders less keen. A car with complete import paperwork, accurate mileage and its UK changes documented sells far more easily.
Looking for your next import? Tell us about it on the quote form and we will price the whole job.
