South Australia is one of the more straightforward states to sell a car in. There's no inspection requirement for a registered light vehicle sold privately, and the whole process comes down to one form and one deadline.
You have 14 days to lodge a notice of disposal. That's the step that matters.
Lodge the disposal notice. Until it's in, South Australia still has the car in your name — and so does everyone issuing fines and expiations.
No inspection needed
You don't need a roadworthy or inspection certificate to sell a registered light vehicle privately in SA. Roadworthy inspections are required in particular circumstances — not as a routine part of a private sale.
If you've read that a roadworthy is needed to sell a car "in Australia", that's wrong, and South Australia is one of the states it's wrong about. Heavy vehicles and some other categories have their own rules — check the requirements if your vehicle isn't an ordinary light passenger car.
Before you advertise
- Gather the registration papers and service history. A folder of receipts is the cheapest trust a private seller can offer.
- Note the odometer reading — you'll need it for the disposal notice and the receipt.
- Deal with any finance owing before you list. A buyer who runs a PPSR check and finds an encumbrance you didn't mention will usually just walk.
Selling the car
No written contract is required. Write a receipt anyway: both parties' names and addresses, the date, the sale price, the vehicle's registration and VIN, the odometer reading, and both signatures. Keep a copy, and photograph it before you part ways.
Take the buyer's details from their driver licence, not from what they tell you. You need their name and address for the disposal notice, and a name that doesn't match is a reason to stop the sale rather than a detail to work around.
Lodging the disposal notice — 14 days
This is the step that protects you. You can lodge it online through mySA GOV or in person, using form MR96.
You'll need the plate number, the buyer's full name and address, the date of sale, the sale price and the odometer reading.
Do it the day you sell. Until the notice is lodged, the vehicle is still registered to you, which in practice means expiation notices and tolls collected by the new owner arrive at your address with your name on them.
What the buyer does and pays
The buyer completes the transfer — which they can do through mySA GOV — pays the transfer fee, currently $33, and pays stamp duty.
SA calculates stamp duty in value bands, with different rates for commercial and non-commercial vehicles. Rates change, so read the current figure on the SA Government or RevenueSA page rather than one quoted elsewhere, including here.
The buyer pays duty, but expect it in the negotiation. It's real money to them.
Selling several cars? Check the dealer threshold
South Australia sets a limit on how many vehicles you can sell in a twelve-month period before you're treated as carrying on a business and need a motor dealer's licence. Consumer and Business Services publishes the current position.
We've deliberately not quoted a number here — it's a licensing rule, and that's a figure you want from the regulator rather than from an article. If you're selling more than the occasional car, check before you list the next one.
Insurance
Cancel or transfer your comprehensive cover once the sale is complete and the disposal notice is lodged — not before the buyer drives away, because until then it's still your car. Ask your insurer specifically what happens on a test drive; that's the gap most sellers don't think about until it matters.
What this means if you're selling on MotorLoop
The disposal notice is between you and South Australia. What we can do is the listing side: listing a car on MotorLoop is free, and buyers message you in the app so your phone number stays private until you choose to share it.