Vehicle guide
What should I do after buying a used vehicle?
Before using the vehicle on the road, confirm that the keeper change has been submitted, arrange insurance and tax it in your own right—the seller’s tax does not transfer. Keep the green new-keeper slip and purchase evidence, then deal with any immediate maintenance, recall or security actions identified during the purchase.
The handover does not transfer the seller’s vehicle tax and does not complete the buyer’s insurance or record keeping automatically. Finishing those steps promptly protects both lawful use and the evidence behind the purchase.
Complete the legal steps
- 1
Confirm the keeper change has been submitted and retain the DVLA confirmation or green new-keeper slip; do not rely only on the seller saying it has been done.
- 2
Arrange insurance that is active before you drive the vehicle and disclose material history or modifications requested by the insurer.
- 3
Tax the vehicle before road use using the valid new-keeper reference, or keep it off the public road and follow the SORN rules where applicable.
Secure the purchase record
- 1
Keep the signed receipt, advert, payment confirmation, report, seller answers and copies of the documents relied on.
- 2
Photograph the handover condition, registration, VIN and odometer, and confirm that the agreed keys and accessories are present.
- 3
Store the report reference and note the date and time of the vehicle and finance checks.
Prepare the vehicle
- 1
Confirm when the next MOT, service and time-dependent maintenance are due, including tyres, fluids and cambelt where relevant.
- 2
Check for outstanding safety recalls with the manufacturer using the VIN.
- 3
Remove the seller’s connected-app, tracker and saved-address access where applicable, then secure every supplied key and investigate any missing key.
Your practical checklist
Tick each item as you work through the vehicle, documents and evidence. An unticked item stays open—it does not become a clear result.
Useful sources and next steps
Questions buyers ask
Does the seller’s vehicle tax transfer to me?
No. The buyer must tax the vehicle before using it on the road, even if the previous keeper’s public tax status has not yet changed.
What purchase evidence should I keep?
Keep the advert, signed receipt, payment record, vehicle report, seller answers, keeper-change confirmation and copies of the documents that influenced your decision.
Check the vehicle in this guide
Start with the free official-data snapshot. We will keep anything not returned clearly marked as unknown.
What vehicle are we looking at?
Enter the registration, or upload a clear photo of the number plate. You will confirm anything read from an image before a check runs.
Images are processed only to find registration candidates and are not retained by Car Assistant. We do not extract other V5C details.