Selling a car wasn’t so easy

The used car market in Dubai is growing rapidly.

When selling and buying such cars you need to know some subtleties. Understanding this process can be interesting for everyone.

The first step towards the selling point

There is a trend of buying and selling of pre-owned cars in Dubai. As we talk about selling a car one should be familiar with the three basic steps involved in it which are finding the right buyer, insurance cancellation and transfer of ownership. A car can be sold conveniently provided one must follow the required steps. Before you want to sell any car, following these basic guidelines is utmost important.

Firstly, the car should be taken for a proper service and should be cleaned up. It’s always better to get the defects and dents repaired as it’s obvious that no one wishes to buy a car with visible damages. It’s certainly fine to post online advertisements and give an honest view of the condition of the car to attract the right buyers. In the meantime, there are plenty of used car showrooms across Dubai where one can find potential buyers offline so it’s recommended to discuss with some of the reputed used car buying showrooms. It is widely known that Ras Al Khor in Dubai is recognized for buying and selling of cars but their offer for the cars may be much lower than what an individual buyer has in mind as their bargaining power and ability are unmatchable.

Things to remember while selling a car in Dubai

a) Targeting the right buyers

It is always advisable to only deal with genuine people who are ready to meet in person and discuss terms face to face. As a mode of payment, post-dated checks shouldn’t be accepted and shall only deal in cash until and unless the deal is with a reputed car reseller or a recognized company with no known history of fraudulent activities. As an exception, as the last resort if post-dated checks are the only option available as the mode of payment then one should wise enough to wait until it gets cleared before continuing the further transfer process. (Never advertise on the windscreen or display on the car to avoid fines from RTA).

b) Cancelling the insurance

After confirming the payment being received, one can move to the second step that is to cancel the insurance which shall later be followed by transferring the ownership. Cancelling the insurance policy from the respective insurance company is a must and if there are still months of insurance valid, one can even receive a refund for the premium paid. Mulkia which are the identification and registration documents are needed to be provided for authentication and verification purposes.

Once the insurance cancellation is completed, the vehicle is needed to be tested in any of the RTA authorised centers (Tasjeel) if it is due for renewal. It should be followed by filling in the transfer form through the typing center. The documents required are:

• Original registration card (Mulkia)
• Valid driver’s license of the buyer
• A valid copy of the Emirates ID/Passport + Visa copy
• New insurance from the buyer

c) Transferring of Ownership

After the documents are submitted in any given RTA authorised registration centers, the car will be very well checked for any fines that may have accrued before the transfer of ownership is initiated. If there are no fines to be collected then the new registration card (Mulkia) will be printed accordingly. If any fines show up then the seller needs to first clear the fines immediately only after which the process will resume. As a proof of sale, a copy of the registration card should be kept with the seller and that is how a pre-owned car is sold in Dubai.

Usually, the transfer fees are around AED 100 while the registration fees are AED 390.