Step By Step Guide to Selling Your Car

Posted on 1st Oct 2025 by CarTakeBack Posted in: In The Know

Here at CarTakeBack, we make selling your old car easy, but seeing as it’s what we do for hundreds of customers everyday, we probably take some of our knowledge for granted. We want you to be in the know, so here’s our step by step guide to selling your car!

How to sell your car without missing a vital step!

Step one

Save personalised plates

If you have a personalised number plate that you want to transfer to another vehicle, or store for future use, it’s essential to do it officially before you sell your old car. It’s generally an easy process, but it’s different in every territory, this is our guide to personalised number plates.

* Don’t forget to call your insurance company and inform them of any changes to your plates so they can update their records on your policy, even if it’s for a short period of time!

Step two

Choose the best service and price

Obviously we recommend CarTakeBack – with our free collection across Australia and instant prices online guaranteed for seven days. But whatever route you choose, our biggest tip is not to wait too long – even weeks can make a difference and cars devalue quickly. If you are keen to maximise the price you get, you can check out our full guide to getting the best price for your scrap car.

Step three

Remove personal data

Once you’ve got a deal for your car, it’s time to prepare for saying goodbye. Obviously you need to remove your personal belongings and maybe take that last selfie with the old motor, but something you may not have considered is removing your personal data! A car’s computer stores your data for convenience, but that data is at risk when your car changes hands. There’s no need to worry; just like your home computer or mobile phone, the data from your car can be wiped.

Step four

Sort the paperwork

This is arguably the most important step in the car selling process, because otherwise, officially you remain responsible for the vehicle! Our FAQs will help you get it all right.

Step five

Get a rego refund

Receiving a refund for any unused car registration is a great bonus of selling your old car! It’s easy to sort out, but it’s not issued automatically, so you need to follow your territory’s guidelines. Don’t miss out! If you’re not sure where to start, we can help.

Step six

Cancel your insurance

Don’t forget to cancel your car insurance – you don’t want to be paying for a policy you don’t need! Your insurance company will manage the paperwork, you just need to contact them and cancel any future monthly payments.

Step seven

Keep your documents safe

You should always keep hold of any paperwork related to the sale of your vehicle. We know it’s frustrating having a lot of paper documents to file at home, but you may need them for future reference. It’s worth taking a scan or photo of key documents as a backup.

This checklist applies to any car sale, so feel free to forward our blog onto friends and family who may appreciate the guide, wherever and however they choose to sell their old car!

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