Sell a car in Western Australia – It is refreshingly straightforward compared with some other states, but the paperwork still catches sellers out.
As a publication focused on electric and hybrid cars, we hear it constantly from EV owners moving on their first electric car or upgrading to a newer one: the process is simple, right up until one missed step turns a clean sale into weeks of chasing fines and infringements. Get it right and the liability passes properly and everyone walks away happy. Get it wrong and it can follow you for months. This guide walks through exactly what you need to sell a car in WA, from the change of ownership to the finance, plates and PPSR, so you can hand over the keys with confidence. It is general information rather than legal advice, and the WA Department of Transport is always the final word, but it will get you organised.
The Big One: Notify The Department Of Transport
The single most important step when you sell a vehicle in WA is telling the Department of Transport that you are no longer the owner. You are required to notify the department within seven days of disposing of the vehicle, and you must provide the name and address of the new owner. Miss that window and a penalty can apply, and worse, you can remain on the hook for anything the new owner does with the car, including speeding fines and toll notices, until the record is updated.
This applies whether you sell, gift or otherwise dispose of any licensed WA vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, caravans and trailers. It is not optional and it is not something to leave until you get around to it. The seven day clock starts the moment the car leaves your hands, so treat the notification as part of the handover, not an afterthought.
Two Ways To Transfer: Online Or The MR9 Form
WA gives you two ways to complete the change of ownership. The first is online through DoTDirect, the department’s self-service portal. If you have a DoTDirect account, or create one, you can lodge the transfer digitally, which is the quickest and tidiest option for most private sellers. It timestamps your notification and removes the risk of a paper form going astray in the post.
The second is the paper form, formally the Notification of Change of Ownership and Vehicle Licence Transfer, widely known as the MR9. The MR9 must be completed in full and signed by both the seller and the purchaser. Each party is responsible for lodging their own copy with Driver and Vehicle Services, either at a service centre, through a regional agent, or by post to Driver and Vehicle Services, GPO Box R1290, Perth WA 6844. There is important information on the reverse of the form that both parties should read before signing, so do not treat it as a formality.
Whichever method you choose, keep a copy or a screenshot of the completed transfer for your own records. If a dispute or an infringement notice ever surfaces, that proof is your protection.
Roadworthy Certificates: Good News For WA Sellers
Here is where WA sellers get an easier run than most. Unlike some eastern states, Western Australia does not require you to provide a roadworthy or safety certificate to sell a licensed vehicle privately. There is no mandatory inspection for the seller to arrange before the car changes hands. The responsibility to satisfy themselves about the car’s condition sits with the buyer, who is free to arrange their own pre-purchase inspection if they wish.
That said, there is one important exception to be aware of. If the vehicle’s licence (registration) has been expired for more than fifteen days, the car is treated as unlicensed, and the new owner will need to have it inspected and apply for a fresh licence before it can legally go back on the road. So while you do not need a roadworthy to sell, a car with lapsed licence creates extra work for the buyer, which can slow the sale or soften the price. Keeping the licence current makes for a cleaner transaction.
Run A PPSR Check And Be Ready For The Buyer’s
The Personal Property Securities Register, or PPSR, is the national database that reveals whether a vehicle has money owing on it, has been written off, or has been reported stolen. A check costs only a couple of dollars, and most switched-on buyers will run one before they hand over any cash. As a seller, it pays to know what a buyer will see before they see it.
If your car is clear, a PPSR certificate is a genuine selling point that builds trust and speeds the deal along. If there is finance still recorded against the car, you will need to address it, which we cover next. And if the car has a written-off history you were not aware of, it is far better to discover that yourself than to have a buyer raise it mid-negotiation. Transparency here protects your credibility and keeps the sale on track.
Selling A Car That Still Has Finance
If you still owe money on the vehicle, that debt is almost certainly registered on the PPSR, and you cannot pass clean title until it is cleared. This does not stop you selling, but it does add a step. Contact your lender for a payout figure, which is the amount required to settle the loan, and plan how the sale proceeds will clear it.
In a private sale, this can make buyers nervous, because they do not want to inherit your loan. You will need to coordinate the payout so the finance is settled and the encumbrance is lifted, ideally with the lender confirming the release in writing. It is manageable, but it requires organisation and a buyer with a little patience. If the finance side feels daunting, professional buyers handle encumbered cars routinely and can settle the loan directly as part of the purchase, which removes the obstacle entirely.
Number Plates And Personalised Plates
Standard plates stay with the vehicle when you sell, so there is nothing extra to do. Personalised or custom plates are different. They are an asset you own separately from the car, and if you want to keep them, you must arrange to transfer them off the vehicle before the sale, or onto another car, through the Department of Transport. Sort this out before the buyer takes the car, because untangling it afterwards is a headache.
If you are keeping personalised plates, the vehicle will usually need standard plates fitted so it can be licensed to the new owner, and any transfer fees for optional plates are worth clarifying up front so there are no surprises at handover. Agree with the buyer who is doing what, and put it in writing alongside the sale details.
Proof Of Identity And A Written Receipt
To complete a vehicle licence transfer in WA, proof of identity is required, so have your identification in order and expect the buyer to need theirs too. It is a simple step, but a missing document can stall a transfer at the counter.
Beyond the official transfer, write a basic receipt for your own protection and the buyer’s. Record the date and time of sale, the price, the make, model, year. VIN and current odometer reading, the registration number, and the names, addresses and signatures of both parties. Note that the car is sold as is where relevant. This receipt is not a government form. But it is powerful evidence of exactly what was agreed and when. And it can save you a great deal of grief if anything is disputed later.
Before You Hand Over The Keys: A Quick Checklist
Run through this list at handover and you will not miss anything important:
- Complete the change of ownership online via DoTDirect or on the MR9 form, signed by both parties.
- Notify the Department of Transport within seven days and keep proof.
- Confirm the vehicle licence status, and remember a licence expired beyond fifteen days makes the car unlicensed for the buyer.
- Clear or arrange settlement of any finance so clean title can pass.
- Deal with personalised plates before the car leaves.
- Check your ID is ready and confirm the buyer has theirs.
- Write and sign a receipt recording the price, odometer, VIN and both parties’ details.
- Remove your personal items, garage remotes, toll tags and any linked accounts.
- Take a final odometer photo and cancel or transfer your own insurance.
Making The Admin Disappear
For sellers who would rather not touch any of this, there is a shortcut. Instant car buying services take the paperwork off your plate entirely. Completing the transfer, settling any finance and handling the notification as part of the purchase. Companies such as Sell My Car Pro manage the change of ownership and payment for you. Which turns a fiddly afternoon of forms into a single, simple transaction. It is one of the underrated benefits of selling to a professional buyer rather than privately. Prticularly if your car is under finance or your time is tight.
What Happens If You Skip The Notification
It is worth spelling out why the seven day rule matters so much. Because the consequences reach a lot further than a token fine. Until the Department of Transport records the change of ownership. The vehicle is still yours in the eyes of the system. That means any speeding fines, red light infringements. Parking tickets or toll notices the new owner racks up can land in your name. Untangling that after the fact means proving you sold the car. On what date, and to whom, which is exactly why the receipt and the timestamped transfer matter.
A missed notification can also attract its own penalty. We saw exactly how this bites not long ago. A Scarborough seller moved on a tidy Nissan Leaf privately, shook hands, and assumed the buyer would sort the transfer. Three weeks later a toll notice and a parking fine landed in their name. Because the change of ownership had never been lodged.
It took a copy of the receipt and a frustrating fortnight of phone calls to unwind. All of it avoidable with a two-minute notification on the day. The fix is simple: lodge your side of the transfer on the day of sale and confirm it has gone through. Rather than assuming the buyer will handle everything.
Gifted Cars, Deceased Estates And Interstate Buyers
Not every sale is a straightforward cash handover, and a few situations need extra care. Gifting a car to a family member still requires a change of ownership. Even though no money changes hands, and the same seven day notification applies. Selling a vehicle from a deceased estate involves additional documentation. And the executor should contact the Department of Transport to confirm exactly what is required before transferring the licence. And if your buyer is taking the car interstate. They will eventually register it in their own state. But the WA change of ownership and your notification still need to be completed first so your liability ends cleanly. When in doubt, a quick call to the department clears up the process before you commit.
Keep These Records After The Sale
The paperwork does not quite end when the car drives away. Hold on to a small file of evidence for at least a year, because it is your protection if anything is queried later. Keep your copy of the completed transfer or the DoTDirect confirmation. The signed receipt with the price, date, odometer and both parties’ details. And a photo of the odometer at handover. A quick photo of the car with its plates as it leaves is also useful, since it fixes the condition and the date beyond dispute.
If the buyer is slow to lodge their side of the transfer, your records let you demonstrate exactly when you sold the car and to whom. Which is how you get an errant infringement notice reversed. It is also worth following up a week or two after the sale. To confirm the change of ownership has actually gone through on the system, rather than assuming it has. A few minutes of record-keeping now can save hours of frustration and a real bill later. So treat it as the final, non-negotiable step of the sale.