Planning an upgrade or just need to sell your car for a bit of extra cash? Not sure how to sell your used car in Dubai or what to do? You’ve come to the right place! Here’s our handy guide on how to sell your car in Dubai.
How to sell your used car in Dubai: what you need to know
Before you get started, it’s good to be aware that there are a number of ways to sell your car in Dubai. You can sell your vehicle privately, trade in your car to a dealer or sell your car to a company. Below, we’ve got all the information you need, plus the pros and cons for all three methods of selling your used car in Dubai.
What you need to sort out before you sell your car in Dubai
Before selling your car in Dubai, there are a few things that need to be sorted before any money is exchanged:
- Remove the Salik tag — Salik tags don’t carry over to the new owner as they are registered in the individual’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. Equally, if you’re still using the car, don’t remove the Salik tag until it’s sold.
- Fines — Any fine incurred — whether it’s a parking ticket, speeding fine or something else —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 before you sell it (by at least a couple of days due to bank clearance times). If loans are not cleared, the RTA will not allow you to transfer the vehicle ownership. In some instances, the bank the loan is with may allow transferring the loan to the new buyer through a Power of Attorney, although this is rare.
- Insurance — Your insurance on the vehicle needs to be cancelled or transferred to the new owner. Be aware that transferring the insurance is only possible when your vehicle has at least seven months or more remaining on your current insurance plan and if the insurance company agrees to transfer to the new buyer. If you still have seven months or more left on your policy, you can cancel and request a refund for the remaining amount.
- Service and clean your car — Servicing and cleaning your car properly is one of the most important parts of this whole list. We’ll explain why later in this article.
How to sell your used car in Dubai through a private sale
The benefits of selling your used car privately
There are a number of ways you can sell your car in Dubai, but by far one of the most popular methods to sell your car in Dubai is by cutting out the middle man and selling the car to another person directly.
It can sound like a daunting task to sell your used car privately, as you’ll be in charge of everything from answering the phone and speaking with potential customers, to organising any vehicle transfer documentation, but we’re here to help make it as easy as possible. Helping private car sellers is DubiCars’ speciality!
Our online marketplace offers access to millions of buyers, helping you sell your car quickly and for a great price, with minimal costs. In doing so, we take out much of the hassle of selling your car privately, as you can easily market your used car to interested buyers. To start, you can simply add your listing to the site today.
And the results of selling your car privately online are worth it: this method ensures the most return as you won’t have to pay any commission fees or dealer fees.
Here are the pros and cons of selling your car in Dubai privately:
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 are involved.
Cons
- You have to organise everything yourself.
- It can be annoying to organise a time and place to meet the buyer.
- If the car you’re selling is your main mode of transport, you may be without a car for a while (until you buy a new one).
How to list your car for sale privately in Dubai
List your car for the right price
It’s important to know the real value of your car in order to ensure you secure a sale at the best price. List your car at a price too high, and you risk alienating potential customers and missing out on a sale altogether. List your car for too little, and you will get a sale quickly, but not at the price you desire.
To get the price right, you can get a car valuation. DubiCars offers a free online car valuation tool which will provide you with a price estimate for your vehicle straight away — all you have to enter a few details. Click here to use our online car valuation tool and get a price for your car today.
Take pictures of the used car for sale
Make sure your car is in top condition to present it at its best by having it cleaned thoroughly. 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.
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)
Below are examples of what car ad photos should ideally look like.
Front Left
Front Right
Rear Left
Rear Right
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.
Add the full car specs to the listing
Once you’ve got all the pictures prepared and uploaded, be sure to add all the information (specs) about your car for sale. Don’t be shy when it comes to this: add all the options for the vehicle you’re selling and do it accurately. Otherwise, you risk losing time handling potential buyers constantly calling to ask questions about the vehicle’s spec.
If your vehicle has any faults, dents or scratches, 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 come to view the vehicle. Dubicars recommends sellers take their car to an RTA testing facility and have the car tested before advertising the vehicle. This costs AED 120 and is valid for 30 days. Doing so will flag any issues you may need to be aware of and can help speed up the selling process.
If the car you’re selling has full service history, make sure to also include that in the listing description.
Other notes buyers like to see include:
- How many owners the vehicle has had
- If the driver was a smoker/ non-smoker
- Whether it’s been driven offroad
- The remaining warranty
It may be a long process to add all this information, but if you want the maximum return, you’ve got to make sure that what the buyer reads is exactly what they are getting.
And once you’re done, you can sit back and wait for the calls and emails to start rolling in.
Never put adverts on or inside the vehicle
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.
Or, 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 where permitted.
Test drives
Once you find some interested buyers to come and view the car, it’s important to meet them in person. This allows them to take a look over the car and for you to know they’re a genuinely interested buyer.
They will want to test drive your car for sale to check it runs properly. Here are a few things DubiCars recommends when a buyer wants to test drive your car:
- Make sure they hold a valid UAE driving license — don’t accept licenses from any other country. Insurance in the UAE covers the vehicle as long as the driver holds a valid UAE driving license.
- Set a predetermined route preferably in a quiet area with a lot of open space.
- If there are any bumps, scrapes, dents, or other damages to the vehicle, make sure you’re both aware before setting off.
- Do not let the buyer drive the vehicle by themselves!
How to sell your car in Dubai by trading it in
An alternative to privately selling your car in Dubai is to trade it in at the dealership. Most dealerships in the Dubai offer this service, and some prefer this option as you can use the money gained towards your new car. Plus, you don’t have to put time and effort into advertising your vehicle online for sale.
Pros
- Trading in your used car only takes 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 you’re planning to buy.
- If you’re confused or get stuck with the paperwork, the car dealer will have someone there to help you.
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 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 (although there are a few dealers that can make an exception).
How to sell your car in Dubai to a car buying business
In Dubai 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 Sell Any Car, Simply Car Buyers and We Buy Cars DXB.
There are a number of car buyers out there claiming to buy your car within 30 minutes or less in just three easy steps. All offer free online car valuations to give 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 is wasted as you only have to go to one location and see one person.
- All companies offering this service will guide you through the paperwork and in most cases, they will take care of it entirely.
- Some will even buy cars that still have pending bank loans.
Cons
- These companies will give you a fair, but probably not the best, price.
- Although they may say they will buy any car, they won’t buy those that don’t work or are heavily damaged.
Requirements to sell your car in Dubai
Now you’ve decided how you’re going to sell your car in Dubai, before leaving your house to rush over to the RTA centre, it’s time to ensure you have the right documents and meet the requirements for the transfer:
- Registration card — This must be the original and is commonly referred to as ‘Mulkia’.
- Emirates ID/Passport — We recommend you bring both copies and originals, particularly your original 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
The buyer will also need certain documents to complete the process:
- Valid insurance for the vehicle (this can be purchased on site if needed).
- Passport with residence visa (must be the original)
- Emirates ID
- Valid UAE driving licence
Note: If the buyer has a visa in another Emirate, the buyer will have to provide documentation that they live in said Emirate. This can be either a tenancy contract with a current water/electricity bill in their name or property ownership documents (must be the original copy).
If you are selling your vehicle to a buyer in another Emirate and need some help, check out our guide here.
Fees for selling your car in Dubai
Note that there is a transfer fee of AED 100 in addition to the usual AED 20 knowledge/innovation fee.
Accepting payment for your vehicle
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. And never accept personal or post-dated cheques as payment.
Where can you sell your car in Dubai?
Now that’s all been covered, you’ll need somewhere to advertise the car for sale. If you want to sell it yourself instead of a part exchange or trade-in, you can list your car on DubiCars today! It’s free to list and your ad will be live for 30 days.
If you want to sell your used car in Dubai even faster, you can pay for a boosted listing where we put it to the top of our search results for 14 days and list it for 60 days — for only 99 AED. 83% of our free listings sell in under 23 days and you’ll get a no obligation, best price cash offer from us instantly. You can take it or leave it, but we think we’re offering the most on the market. So, what are you waiting for: to list your car for free and get an instant cash offer start here.
