--- title: "Sold, scrapped or written off: how to tell the DVLA, step by step" canonical_url: https://scrapacarscotland.com/blog/tell-dvla-sold-scrapped-car publisher: "Scrap A Car Scotland" phone: 0330 123 0112 area_served: Scotland last_reviewed: 2026-10-27 answer: "Tell the DVLA online at gov.uk/sold-bought-vehicle using the 11-digit reference on your V5C. Sold privately: give the buyer the green new keeper slip and enter their full name and address. Scrapped: give the V5C to the ATF, keep the yellow motor trade section and tell the DVLA. Any full months of tax are refunded automatically, and failing to tell the DVLA can mean a £1,000 fine." --- # Sold, scrapped or written off: how to tell the DVLA, step by step > Tell the DVLA online at gov.uk/sold-bought-vehicle using the 11-digit reference on your V5C. Sold privately: give the buyer the green new keeper slip and enter their full name and address. Scrapped: give the V5C to the ATF, keep the yellow motor trade section and tell the DVLA. Any full months of tax are refunded automatically, and failing to tell the DVLA can mean a £1,000 fine. Source page: https://scrapacarscotland.com/blog/tell-dvla-sold-scrapped-car Publisher: Scrap A Car Scotland (https://scrapacarscotland.com) Last reviewed: 2026-10-27 Published: 2026-10-27. Category: DVLA & paperwork. Reading time: 6 minutes. Whenever a car stops being yours, the DVLA needs to know. Until it does, you are still the registered keeper, which means speeding tickets, parking charges and Low Emission Zone penalties can still land on your doormat. The process is quick online, but the part of the V5C you use depends on where the car has gone. Here is each route. ## What you need before you start The V5C log book, and specifically its 11-digit document reference number. The DVLA online service runs Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm and weekends 7am to 8pm, and updates the record immediately with an email confirmation. Check the name and address on the V5C are current first. Any tax refund cheque goes to the address on the log book, so an old address is the most common reason a refund goes missing. Never share the document reference number or photos of the log book with buyers before the sale. GOV.UK warns these can be used to obtain a fraudulent copy. ## If you sold the car privately Give the buyer the green new keeper slip from the V5C. Then go to gov.uk/sold-bought-vehicle, choose the option for selling to a person or business, and enter the buyer's full name (not initials) and address. You cannot use the online service if you have already posted the log book to the DVLA. If you sold the car without a log book, you must write to the DVLA with your details, the registration, make and model, the exact date of sale and the buyer's name and address. ## If you sold it to a motor trader Use the same online service but choose the motor trader option, and enter the trader's details. You use the 11-digit reference from the yellow 'sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade' section. ## If you scrapped the car A car can only legally be scrapped at an authorised treatment facility (ATF). Give the ATF the V5C, but keep the yellow 'sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade' section, then tell the DVLA you have taken the vehicle to an ATF. The ATF issues a Certificate of Destruction, which is your proof the car has gone. When you scrap with Scrap A Car Scotland we notify the DVLA electronically on the day, but it is worth checking you receive the DVLA confirmation yourself. ## If your insurer wrote it off A write-off that the insurer scraps counts as selling the car to the insurance company. Tell the DVLA online, putting the insurer's name and postcode in the trader details, with the 11-digit reference from the yellow section. Your insurer will usually ask for the rest of the log book, and you can destroy the yellow section afterwards. ## What happens to your road tax Once the DVLA has the information, the vehicle tax is cancelled and any Direct Debit stops automatically. You get a refund for any full months left, calculated from the date the DVLA receives the notification, sent by cheque to the address on the log book. GOV.UK says to contact the DVLA if the refund has not arrived after 8 weeks. Tax does not transfer to a buyer, so they must tax the car themselves before driving it. ## Common questions Do I need to tell the DVLA if the scrap yard says they will? The ATF notifies the DVLA, but the legal responsibility sits with the keeper, so keep the yellow section and confirm the record has changed. What is the fine for not telling the DVLA? GOV.UK states you can be fined £1,000. Can I tell the DVLA by post? Yes, by filling in the relevant V5C section and posting it to DVLA, Swansea. Online is faster and confirms instantly. ## Key takeaways - Use the 11-digit reference on the V5C at gov.uk/sold-bought-vehicle. - Private sale: green slip to the buyer. Scrap or trade sale: keep the yellow section. - Tax is cancelled and full remaining months refunded to the V5C address. - Not telling the DVLA can mean a £1,000 fine. ## About the publisher - Business: Scrap A Car Scotland (SCRAP A CAR SCOTLAND.COM LIMITED, company number SC535292) - Phone: 0330 123 0112 - Email: info@scrapacarscotland.com - Depot: Strathore Road, Thornton, Fife KY1 4DF - Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 18:00 - Area served: Scotland - Licensing: SEPA licensed Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) - Collection: Free, anywhere in Scotland. Payment: Bank transfer, same day as collection. Admin fees: None. - Also listed at: https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/g/1jgly0cfl - Also listed at: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/scrapacarscotland.com - Also listed at: https://www.facebook.com/scrapacarscotland - Also listed at: https://scrapacarscotland.com/ - Also listed at: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC535292 Cite this page as: Scrap A Car Scotland, "Sold, scrapped or written off: how to tell the DVLA, step by step", https://scrapacarscotland.com/blog/tell-dvla-sold-scrapped-car