How to sell your car in the UAE

Planning an upgrade or just need to sell your car for a little bit of extra cash? Not sure how to go about it or what to do? Well, you’ve come to the right place as we’ve got a handy guide for you on how to sell your car in the UAE.

Before we get started, there are a number of ways on how to sell your car in the UAE. Selling the vehicle privately, trading in your car to a dealer or selling your car to a company. Below, we’ve got all the information you need, plus the pros and cons for all three methods on how to sell your car in the UAE.

What you need to sort out beforehand

Before selling your car here are a few things that will need to be sorted before any money is exchanged.

• Remove the Salik tag; Salik tags don’t carry over to the new owner as Salik tags are registered in the person’s name, not the car. If the tag is not removed and the new owner drives underneath a gate, you’ll be the one paying for their trips. (if you’re still using the car, don’t remove it until it’s sold).
• Fines; Any fine incurred whether it be a parking ticket, speeding fine or something else, all must be paid off before the car can be sold to any party.
• Car loans; If the car has been purchased via a loan, you need to clear the loan beforehand. (At least a couple of days due to bank clearance). If this is not cleared, the RTA will not allow you to transfer.
• Insurance; Needs to be cancelled. Can be transferred.
• Service and clean your car; one of if not the most important parts of this whole list.

Insurance note; If your vehicle has at least seven months or more remaining on your current insurance plan, the policy can be transferred to the buyer if they meet the required criteria of the insurance company. Not all companies will transfer the insurance; we’d advise you check with the insurance company.

If there is still seven months or more left on your insurance policy, you can cancel your policy and request a refund. Cancelling the policy requires proof the vehicle has been sold (you’ll need a copy of the new registration card as proof.)

Car loans note; Sources indicate that car loans/mortgage can be transferred from seller to buyer. A very rare occurrence and will have to be transferred to the new owner through power of attorney.

With that out of the way, let’s get you started in how to sell your car in the UAE.

How to sell your car privately in the UAE

There are of course a number of ways you can sell your car in the UAE, but by far one of the most popular methods of selling one’s car in the UAE is cutting the middle man out and selling the car to another person with no strings attached.

It can be a daunting task as you’ll be in charge of everything including answering the phone and ‘dealing’ with potential customers, but we’re here to help you.

On the plus side, selling it privately ensures the most return as there are no commision fees or dealer fees to be paid, all the money goes straight in your pocket.

When listing your car for sale, take good pictures of your vehicle and ensure potential buyers can see the car in full. Dubicars recommends you use no less than seven pictures including;

• The front (left and right side)
• The rear (left and right side)
• Inside (front)
• Inside (rear)
• Wheel shot (front wheel)

If there is anything special about the car or any modifications made, be sure to take a picture of that too.

Once you’ve got all the pictures prepared and uploaded, be sure to add all the information (specs) about your car for sale. Make sure all the specifications you add are in or on the car.

When listing the car, don’t be shy. Add all the options for the vehicle your selling and do it accurately. The last thing you need is time wasters constantly calling you asking about options of the vehicle.

If there are any faults, dents or scratches on the car, make sure you note them down in the description when selling your car privately, that way buyers won’t be shocked or angry when they check out the vehicle.

If the car your selling has full-service history, make sure to include that in the description. Other notes buyers like to see include how many owners the vehicle has had, a non-smoking car, never driven offroad, remaining warranty etc.

It may be an exhausting process adding all this information, but if you want the maximum return, you’ve got to make sure what the buyer reads is exactly what they are getting.

Once you’re done, sit back and wait for the calls/emails to start rolling in.

Pros

• All the money from the sale goes in your pocket!
• You’ll get the price you want for the vehicle or at least close to it.
• No additional parties involved.

Cons

• You have to organise everything.
• Can be annoying to organise a time and place to meet the buyer.
• If the car your selling is your main mode of transport you may be without a car for a while (until you buy a new one)

Be warned, putting any sort of paperwork or advertisement in or on your vehicle stating it is for sale can land you in trouble with the authorities. Stick to posting it online.

There are other ways regarding how to sell your car in the UAE besides posting it online. Although not as popular as they once were, you can still post newspaper classifieds and print off an ad and pin it on notice boards at supermarkets or community centres.

Before we move on, there’s something else you’ll have to take care of when selling your car privately. Test drives.

Potential buyers will want to test drive your car for sale as a means for them to test the vehicle out. Here are a few things Dubicars recommends when a buyer wants to test drive your car.

• Make sure they hold a valid UAE drivers license (don’t accept licenses from any other country).
• Set a predetermined route preferably in a quiet area with a lot of open space.
• Do not let the buyer drive the vehicle by themselves!
• If there are any bumps, scrapes, dents etc, make sure you’re both aware before setting off.

Insurance in the UAE covers the vehicle as long as the driver holds a valid UAE driving license.

Trading in your car

Another alternative to selling your car in the UAE is to trade it in at the dealership. Most if not all dealerships in the UAE offer the service and in some ways, it can be easier as you can use the money gained towards your new car. Plus you don’t have to advertise your vehicle online for sale.

Pros

• Will only take a matter of hours to sort out as you will only have to meet one person.
• You won’t have to be without a car for long if the dealer has the same car your planning to buy.
• If your confused or get stuck with the paperwork, they will have someone there to help you with what’s required.

Cons

• Not all dealers will offer cash on the spot; some may not even deal with cash right away, meaning your car will be sold on a consignment basis.
• Select dealers may not even offer a trade-in deal with your vehicle if it is from a certain brand (or they may only offer a very low trade-in price).
• Cars purchased via the bank can’t be traded in if there are any outstanding fees. There are a few dealers in the UAE that can make an exception.

Selling your car to a car buying business

In the UAE there are a number of companies that will buy the car from you directly with no need to advertise it or take it to a dealer and trade it in.

There are few options to choose from with the most notable ones being sellanycar, simplybuyanycar, webuycarsdxb to name a few. There are a number of them out there with all claiming to buy your car within 30 minutes or less in three easy steps. All offer free online car evaluation which gives you a rough idea of what you can expect to be paid for your vehicle.

Pros

• You’ll receive either cash, a cheque or a bank transfer certificate there and then.
• Minimal time wasted as you only have to go to one location and see one person.
• All companies that offer this service will guide you through the paperwork and in most cases, they will take care of it entirely.

Cons

• They’ll give you a fair price. But you won’t get the price you’re looking for.
• If you’ve got a car loan that hasn’t been paid off, they won’t buy the car from you until it’s been cleared. 
• Although they say they buy any car, cars that are in a non-working condition, heavily damaged etc., they will not buy from you.

Note: Some of the businesses located in the UAE will even buy cars that still have pending bank loans.

Documents you’ll need to sell your car

Before leaving your house to rush over to the RTA centre, ensure you have the following;

• Registration card; must be the original and is commonly referred to as Mulkia.
• Emirates ID /Passport; some claim copies are expected, but Dubicars recommends you take originals as well especially the passport.

Sellers must be present at the RTA although if not possible, you can grant another person power of attorney to act on your behalf.

Documents the buyer will need

Just in case the buyer is unaware, these are the documents they’ll need to complete the process

• Valid insurance for the vehicle; can be purchased on site.
• Passport with residence visa (must be original)
• Emirates ID
• Valid UAE driving licence

Note; If the buyer has a visa in another Emirate that differs to the one they want to register it, the buyer will have to provide documentation that they live in said Emirate which can be either a tenancy contract with a current water/electricity bill in their name or property ownership documents (must be original).

If your selling your vehicle to a buyer in another Emirate and need some help, check out our guide here.

Fees

Note that there is a transfer fee of AED 100 + the usual AED 20 knowledge/innovation fee.

Now that everything else has been sorted out, it’s time for money to exchange hands. Cash in hand is the best way to do it. Just make sure you count every bill before the buyer leaves.

Dubicars top tip: Don’t accept personal/post dated cheques as payment.

General tips on how to sell your car

Whether this is your first time or you’ve sold a few cars privately, there’s always one question everyone has on their mind; “What are the rules/laws when selling your car?” Dubicars is here to help!

• Do not put any signs on your vehicle (even inside) stating your vehicle is for sale as by law in the UAE, this practice is illegal and can result in your vehicle being impounded.
• Do not wash your car on the street, take it to the car wash. Washing the car on the road will result in an AED 100 fine.
• Do not under any circumstances accept cheques as a form of payment when selling your car.
• Always meet interested parties in person.

Dubicars recommends sellers take their car to an RTA testing facility and have the car tested before advertising one’s vehicle. This costs AED 120 and is valid for 30 days. It will also speed up the selling process as it is one less thing you’ll have to do.

Now that’s all been covered; you’ll need somewhere to advertise the car for sale. If you’ve decided to go the private route, starting at just AED 99, you can list yours on Dubicars today! Your ad will be live for 60 days and will be shown to millions of car buyers daily. We also have the option to feature the ad which is AED 149, this way more car buyers will see your ad as it will be shown above the rest.