If you’ve donated your car to charity, firstly, a huge THANK YOU! Secondly, it’s really important that you let the DVLA know, so you no longer hold responsibility for the vehicle.
Do remember, if your donated car is being recycled, you will be issued with a Certificate of Destruction, but you should still inform the DVLA. If there is a little life left in your donated car and it’s being auctionned, the DVLA also needs to be informed. Either way, the DVLA consider your car to be sold.
Simply follow these steps when you donate your old car with us…
Before you start:
- Make sure your name and address are up to date on your registration certificate (V5C) – that’s the log book.
- Ensure you’ve transferred any personalised registration number you want to keep.
- It’s worth noting that the online service is available Monday to Saturday from 7am – 7pm
1. Getting started
You’ll need the 11 digit document reference number from your registration certificate (V5C).
2. Tell DVLA you’ve sold your car to us
- Go to the ‘Sold a vehicle to the motor trade’ page on the Gov.uk website and select ‘Start Now’.
- You’ll need to provide the trader’s name and postcode, which is the CarTakeBack branch that has looked after your car donation. You’ll find their name and postcode on the emails we’ll send to you.
- Enter the trader’s name.
- Enter the trader’s postcode.
- Select ‘Find address’.
- Select the correct address from the drop down box, then select ‘Next’.
- Enter your car’s registration number.
- Enter the 11 digit document reference number from your registration certificate (V5C), then select ‘Next’.
- Tick to confirm that you understand you’ll lose the rights to your old registration number.
- Enter the date of sale.
- Finally, leave an email address if you’d like an email confirmation, and select ‘Confirm Sale’.
After that you should destroy the yellow section 9 of your registration certificate (V5C/3). And that’s it!
3. What you’ll receive from DVLA
DVLA will send a letter to you at the address on your registration certificate (V5C), confirming that you are no longer responsible for the car. If you don’t receive a letter within four weeks, you should contact DVLA customer enquiries on 0300 790 6802, as you could still be liable for your old car.
If you haven’t donated your car yet, you can choose a charity right here on the Charity Car site, or find out more about how the donation process works.
