Tasmania asks less of a private seller than most states, with one catch: you get 7 days to lodge the notice of disposal, not the 14 that most of the mainland allows.
There's no inspection requirement for a Tasmanian-registered vehicle sold within Tasmania. So the whole process is a receipt, a form, and a week.
Seven days, not fourteen. If you've sold a car interstate before, this is the deadline that catches people out.
No inspection needed — within Tasmania
You don't need an inspection certificate to sell a Tasmanian-registered vehicle to a Tasmanian buyer. Transport Tasmania's guidance on selling sets out what's required.
An interstate sale is a different question. Vehicles moving between jurisdictions can attract inspection requirements that a within-state sale doesn't, so check before you agree to sell to a mainland buyer rather than after.
Before you advertise
- Gather the registration papers and service history.
- Note the odometer reading — you'll need it for the notice of disposal and the receipt.
- Deal with any finance owing before you list. A buyer who runs a PPSR check and finds an encumbrance will usually walk.
Selling the car
Write a receipt: both parties' names and addresses, the date, the sale price, the registration number and VIN, the odometer reading, both signatures. Keep a copy and photograph it.
Take the buyer's details from their driver licence. You need their name and address for the notice of disposal anyway, and a mismatch is a reason to stop the sale.
Lodging the notice of disposal — 7 days
Seven days from the sale. You can lodge it through Service Tasmania or per Transport Tasmania's selling page.
Do it the day you sell. Until it's lodged, the vehicle is still registered to you, and infringements collected by the new owner arrive in your name. Tasmania warns that penalties apply for failing to notify, though it doesn't publish a specific amount — treat the deadline as real regardless.
What the buyer does and pays
The buyer completes the transfer and pays the transfer fee, currently $35.28, per Transport Tasmania's fee schedule.
They also pay motor vehicle duty, which the State Revenue Office calculates in value bands with different rates for passenger and other vehicles.
One change worth knowing: Tasmania's duty exemption for electric and hydrogen vehicles has expired, and there is no current concession in its place. If you're selling an EV and a buyer expects one — or if you read about it in an older article — that's why the numbers won't match.
Online transfers require both parties to hold a Tasmanian licence. If your buyer is from interstate, the transfer won't go through online, so plan for the paper route.
Insurance
Cancel or transfer your comprehensive cover once the sale is complete and the notice is lodged — not before the buyer drives away. Ask your insurer about test drives specifically.
What this means if you're selling on MotorLoop
The notice of disposal is between you and Transport Tasmania. 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.