How To Sell Your Car In Dubai

Planning an upgrade or just need to sell your car for a bit of extra cash? Not sure how to sell your used car in Dubai or what to do? You’ve come to the right place! Here’s our handy guide on how to sell your car in Dubai.

Before you get started, it’s good to be aware that there are a number of ways to sell your car in Dubai. You can sell your vehicle privately, trade in your car to a dealer or sell your car to a company. Below, we’ve got all the information you need, plus the pros and cons for all three methods of selling your used car in Dubai.

Before selling your car in Dubai, there are a few things that need to be sorted before any money is exchanged:

There are a number of ways you can sell your car in Dubai, but by far one of the most popular methods to sell your car in Dubai is by cutting out the middle man and selling the car to another person directly.

It can sound like a daunting task to sell your used car privately, as you’ll be in charge of everything from answering the phone and speaking with potential customers, to organising any vehicle transfer documentation, but we’re here to help make it as easy as possible. Helping private car sellers is DubiCars’ speciality!

Our online marketplace offers access to millions of buyers, helping you sell your car quickly and for a great price, with minimal costs. In doing so, we take out much of the hassle of selling your car privately, as you can easily market your used car to interested buyers. To start, you can simply add your listing to the site today.

And the results of selling your car privately online are worth it: this method ensures the most return as you won’t have to pay any commission fees or dealer fees.

Here are the pros and cons of selling your car in Dubai privately:

Pros

Cons

It’s important to know the real value of your car in order to ensure you secure a sale at the best price. List your car at a price too high, and you risk alienating potential customers and missing out on a sale altogether. List your car for too little, and you will get a sale quickly, but not at the price you desire.

To get the price right, you can get a car valuation. DubiCars offers a free online car valuation tool which will provide you with a price estimate for your vehicle straight away — all you have to enter a few details. Click here to use our online car valuation tool and get a price for your car today.

Make sure your car is in top condition to present it at its best by having it cleaned thoroughly. Do not wash your car on the street, take it to the car wash. Washing the car on the road will result in an AED 100 fine.

When listing your car for sale, take good pictures of your vehicle and ensure potential buyers can see the car in full. DubiCars recommends you use no less than seven pictures, including:

Below are examples of what car ad photos should ideally look like.

Front Left

Front Right

Rear Left

Rear Right

Inside Front

Inside Rear

Wheel Shot (Front Wheel)

If there is anything special about the car or any modifications made, be sure to take a picture of that too.

Once you’ve got all the pictures prepared and uploaded, be sure to add all the information (specs) about your car for sale. Don’t be shy when it comes to this: add all the options for the vehicle you’re selling and do it accurately. Otherwise, you risk losing time handling potential buyers constantly calling to ask questions about the vehicle’s spec.

If your vehicle has any faults, dents or scratches, make sure you note them down in the description when selling your car privately. That way buyers won’t be shocked or angry when they come to view the vehicle. Dubicars recommends sellers take their car to an RTA testing facility and have the car tested before advertising the vehicle. This costs AED 120 and is valid for 30 days. Doing so will flag any issues you may need to be aware of and can help speed up the selling process.

If the car you’re selling has full service history, make sure to also include that in the listing description.

Other notes buyers like to see include:

It may be a long process to add all this information, but if you want the maximum return, you’ve got to make sure that what the buyer reads is exactly what they are getting.

And once you’re done, you can sit back and wait for the calls and emails to start rolling in.

Be warned, putting any sort of paperwork or advertisement in or on your vehicle stating it is for sale can land you in trouble with the authorities. Stick to posting it online.

Or, there are other ways regarding how to sell your car in the UAE besides posting it online. Although not as popular as they once were, you can still post newspaper classifieds and print off an ad and pin it on notice boards where permitted.

Once you find some interested buyers to come and view the car, it’s important to meet them in person. This allows them to take a look at the car and for you to know they’re a genuinely interested buyer.

They will want to test drive your car for sale to check it runs properly. Here are a few things DubiCars recommends when a buyer wants to test drive your car:

An alternative to privately selling your car in Dubai is to trade it in at the dealership. Most dealerships in Dubai offer this service, and some prefer this option as you can use the money gained towards your new car. Plus, you don’t have to put time and effort into advertising your vehicle for sale online.

Pros

Cons

In Dubai, there are a number of companies that will buy the car from you directly with no need to advertise it or take it to a dealer and trade it in. There are a few options to choose from, with the most notable ones being Sell Any Car, Simply Car Buyers and We Buy Cars DXB.

There are several car buyers out there claiming to buy your car within 30 minutes or less in just three easy steps. All offer free online car valuations to give you a rough idea of what you can expect to be paid for your vehicle.

Pros

Cons

Now you’ve decided how you’re going to sell your car in Dubai, before leaving your house to rush over to the RTA centre, it’s time to ensure you have the right documents and meet the requirements for the transfer:

The buyer will also need certain documents to complete the process:

Note: If the buyer has a visa in another Emirate, the buyer will have to provide documentation that they live in said Emirate. This can be either a tenancy contract with a current water/electricity bill in their name or property ownership documents (must be the original copy).

If you are selling your vehicle to a buyer in another Emirate and need some help, check out our guide here.

Note that there is a transfer fee of AED 100 in addition to the usual AED 20 knowledge/innovation fee.

Now that everything else has been sorted out, it’s time for money to exchange hands. Cash in hand is the best way to do it — just make sure you count every bill before the buyer leaves. And never accept personal or post-dated cheques as payment.

You can choose to sell your car either privately or through a dealer — here are more details.

Selling privately allows you to get the best price, but it might require time and effort. However, listing your car on DubiCars gets showcased to 3 million potential buyers. Unlike some platforms that claim to offer free ad posting but limit your reach or charge hidden fees, DubiCars provides premium visibility to help you sell your used car faster.

Car dealerships in Dubai offer instant cash for used vehicles. This is the quickest way to sell a car, but the price may be lower than a private sale. However, dealerships handle all paperwork, including the car ownership transfer in Dubai, making it a hassle-free option.

To sell a car in Dubai, you need an Emirates ID (for both buyer and seller), a vehicle registration card (Mulkiya), valid insurance under the buyer’s name, a vehicle inspection report (if needed), and a signed sale agreement.

The fees depend on the vehicle type. For light vehicles, it’s AED 350. Other vehicles like heavy trucks and buses have higher fees. An additional AED 50 is charged for the sale agreement, and AED 20 for knowledge fees.

You can complete the transfer at any RTA customer happiness centre or approved service providers like Tasjeel, Shamil, Mumayaz, or Wasel.

Yes, if the car is more than three years old, it must undergo and pass a roadworthiness inspection at an authorised RTA centre before the ownership transfer.

No, all outstanding traffic fines must be paid before you can complete the ownership transfer. The system will block the process until all dues are cleared.

Clean your car, fix minor issues, gather all documents, get a valuation if needed, and consider a professional inspection to build buyer confidence and secure a better selling price.

Yes, DubiCars is a leading platform that helps you reach over 3 million potential buyers monthly, offering premium visibility without hidden charges.

Find used cars for sale in the UAE and new cars for sale in the UAE.

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