Registered quad? Tell DVLA online the day you sell it, using the 11-digit reference number on your V5C. Selling privately, you give the buyer the green 'new keeper' slip. A trader gets the whole logbook.
Only for registered machines
You only need to tell DVLA if your quad is registered, meaning it has a V5C logbook and a DVLA record. Most quads aren't. GOV.UK says you don't have to register a quad that's only used off-road, so there's nothing on file to change.
Registered quads are usually:
- road-registered quads with plates, tax and (if over 3 years old) an MOT, as set out in our road-legal quad guide
- farm quads that use public roads, which must be registered as light agricultural vehicles
- off-road quads put on DVLA's voluntary off-road register, which have a Q-prefix number
The same DVLA process applies to a registered UTV, such as a road-registered Polaris Ranger. Can't tell whether your machine was ever registered? Our no-logbook selling guide helps you work it out.
Telling the DVLA online
The quickest way is DVLA's online service at GOV.UK: sold or bought a vehicle. It's free, and runs 7am to 9pm on weekdays and 7am to 8pm at weekends (checked 27 September 2026).
- Get your V5C out. You'll need the 11-digit document reference number from the latest logbook, plus the registration number.
- Keeping a private plate? Take it off the vehicle first. DVLA says this has to happen before you tell them about the sale.
- Choose private sale or motor trader. Vehicle buying services count as motor traders.
- Enter the new keeper's name and address (or the trader's details) and the date of sale.
- Add your email address. The confirmation email arrives straight away and is your record that it's done.
DVLA then cancels the vehicle tax and refunds any full months left. Direct Debits stop automatically. A letter follows, confirming you're no longer the keeper.
No V5C?
You can't use the online service without the logbook. Instead, write to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BA. Include:
- your name and address
- the registration number
- the make and model
- the exact date of sale
- the new keeper's name and address
For a sale to a motor trader the postcode changes to SA99 1BD.
Which part of the V5C to keep
Tell DVLA online and you don't keep any part of the V5C. What you do with it depends on who bought the machine.
| Who bought it | Give them | Then |
|---|---|---|
| A private person or business | The green 'new keeper' slip | Destroy the rest of the logbook after telling DVLA online |
| A motor trader or buying service | The whole logbook, including the green slip | Destroy the yellow section (the one for selling to the motor trade) |
Keep DVLA's confirmation email and letter as your record.
On the paper route instead, a private seller posts the filled-in logbook to DVLA. Selling to a trader, the trader fills in the yellow section and you post that part.
When you sell to us
For DVLA purposes, we're a motor trader. A registered quad or UTV sold to us goes down the trade route: the whole logbook comes with the machine, green slip included. DVLA is told the vehicle has gone into the trade.
On collection day:
- We check your ID and V5C against the frame number on the machine.
- We pay you by bank transfer, and you check it's landed in your own banking app.
- You tell DVLA online, on your phone, using the reference number from the V5C. Do it before the machine leaves.
- The logbook goes with the machine.
An unregistered quad skips the DVLA step entirely. Our page on how collection works covers the rest of the day, from offer to trailer. You can also see which quads we buy, or ask for a price now.
The DVLA details here are as shown on GOV.UK on 27 September 2026. Check the live page on the day you sell. General information only, not legal advice.