When is the best time to sell a near-new car?

For most cars built in 2021 or later, the best time to sell is shortly before the next event that changes what a buyer gets or what you pay. That means the factory warranty ending, a kilometre line such as 100,000 km, a big service, a rego renewal or a new generation of your model arriving. The calendar month matters far less: we haven’t found published Australian data showing a reliable best month or an end-of-financial-year effect on used prices.

What decides the best time to sell a near-new car?

Most timing advice mixes up three different things:

• Your car’s own dates. Warranty end, kilometres, the next major service and rego expiry. You can work all of them out in advance.
• News about your model. A new generation, a new-car price change or an expiring safety rating can shift interest in the outgoing version.
• The calendar. End of financial year, school holidays and “the best month to sell” are popular ideas with no published data behind them that we could find.

Plan around the first group and treat the rest as tie-breakers.

Should you sell before the factory warranty runs out?

If you were planning to sell within a year or so anyway, selling while factory cover is still running gives the buyer something concrete: the remaining years and kilometres. After the end date, there’s no factory cover to pass on.

Whether the balance passes to the next owner depends on the brand. Four Australian warranty pages said this in October 2026:

• Kia: 7 years with unlimited kilometres (EV terms differ), and the balance “remains with the vehicle” for the new owner.
• Hyundai: 5 years with unlimited kilometres, or 7 years for vehicles first registered from 1 June 2025 with every scheduled service done on time at an authorised Hyundai dealer. The balance transfers to the new owner.
• Isuzu UTE: 6 years or 150,000 km, whichever comes first, and it can be transferred to later owners.
• Mazda: 5 years with unlimited kilometres. The page doesn’t say whether it transfers.

We couldn’t confirm the current wording for Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi or the European brands, so check your booklet or ask a dealer for the brand.

A five-year warranty that started in 2021 ends during 2026, so many of the oldest cars in our buying range are reaching that line now. Our guide to whether remaining warranty adds value shows how to work out your end date and prove the cover to a buyer.

Should you sell before 100,000 km or a big service?

A car doesn’t change overnight at 100,000 km, but buyers notice the number. It’s a round figure, and it’s the upper limit of our own buying range for cars 2021 or newer. A 2021 car at that reading in late 2026 has averaged roughly 17,000 to 21,000 km a year, depending on when it was first registered, so buyers will look closely at its service record.

Other kilometre lines can matter more. Isuzu UTE’s warranty ends at 150,000 km if that comes before six years. If your finance sets the car’s value at the end of the term (often called GFV), Moneysmart says it comes with a limit on the kilometres you can drive, and there are conditions to get the full value. Check which line applies, then work out the month you’ll reach it, as our guide to selling before 100,000 km shows.

A big scheduled service is the other common trigger. If you’re selling within a few months, get an offer before you book it so you can weigh the cost against the sale. If you’re keeping the car, do the service on time, because a gap in the logbook raises questions for every later buyer. See big service due: service it or sell first.

Does a new generation of your model change the timing?

It can, in either direction. When a new generation launches at a much higher price, the outgoing model becomes the cheaper way into the badge, which tends to make late-model examples relatively attractive. Falling new-car prices work the other way. CarsGuide research reported by EV Central found average used Tesla Model 3 and Model Y prices fell by about a third from January 2023 to December 2024, while new EV prices were also dropping.

Four popular models have had a new generation priced for Australia since 2024:

Prices are before on-road costs, as reported when each model was priced. They compare new with old, not what any used car is worth.

Safety ratings run out too. ANCAP ratings are valid for six years, and the 8th-generation HiLux’s 2019 rating expired at the end of 2025. ANCAP lists the new HiLux as tested in 2025, with its rating expiring in December 2031. The older car hasn’t changed, but a buyer comparing the two may see one rating shown as current and the other as expired.

Rules are reshaping line-ups as well. CarExpert reported that the new HiLux dropped the 2.4 diesel and 2.7 petrol because of upcoming Euro 6 emissions laws. It also reported that the previous Mitsubishi ASX was axed because it couldn’t meet the autonomous emergency braking rule, ADR 98/00, from 1 March 2025. When Toyota announced the end of the LandCruiser 70 V8 in 2024, Chasing Cars reported Toyota citing changing regulations and community expectations, though not the new federal emissions standards directly. Some owners hold on hoping the last of a discontinued engine will draw a premium, but we haven’t seen data showing that for any model.

So if a new generation of your model is announced, find out its price. A dearer new model tends to support interest in yours. A cheaper one, or heavy discounting, is a reason not to wait. Our update on whether used car prices are falling tracks these changes.

Is it better to sell before or after the end of financial year?

We know of no published evidence that used car prices rise or fall in June. Some forum posters claim EOFY is a good time to buy new but a poor time to trade in. That’s opinion, not data.

Many new-car dealers advertise end-of-financial-year deals in June. That may suit buying your next car, but if you sell the old one separately rather than trading it in, the two needn’t happen together.

We don’t give tax advice. The ATO says private cars are generally exempt from capital gains tax. If your vehicle is a ute or was used for work, check with your accountant, and if it was used in a business, ask them about GST and whether the timing of the sale matters. Our guide on whether you pay tax when you sell your car covers the basics.

Does the build date or the compliance date set your car’s year?

Many cars have two dates people quote: the build date, when the factory made the car, and the month and year on its compliance plate. A car built late in one year can carry a compliance date in the next.

We couldn’t find an official rule that says which date is a used car’s “year” for pricing. Where the date does make an official difference is in state rules. In NSW, most light vehicles more than five years old need a yearly safety inspection (pink slip) to renew rego. The NSW Government says those five years count from the month and year on the compliance plate, or, for imported vehicles, from the month and year of manufacture. So a car whose compliance plate shows 2021 passes five years old during 2026. If you can’t find a compliance plate on your car, ask Service NSW or your own state’s transport authority which date it uses.

For value, what the car actually is matters more than any printed year: the exact model, series and specification, then kilometres, condition and history. A Prado first registered in 2024 could be the outgoing 150 Series or the new 250 Series, and to a buyer those are very different cars.

So give both dates when you describe the car, rather than quoting only the later year. And if your car sits close to our line, such as built in late 2020 and first registered in 2021, send it through anyway. We’ll tell you straight away if we can help.

Should you renew rego or insurance if you’re about to sell?

When a registered car is sold and the rego is transferred to the new owner, the months left on it go with the car. Paying for a full year just before you sell means paying for months the next owner will use, unless the rego is cancelled and your state refunds the unused part.

Rules can differ when the buyer is based in another state, and we’re a NSW business. VicRoads recommends cancelling the rego when you sell to someone interstate. In WA, the vehicle licence (WA’s term for rego) can’t be transferred to someone who doesn’t live in WA. The ACT says a refund of unused rego may be available if you cancel it, and the NT tells sellers to check whether they can get one. Ask us on the call what applies to your car.

If your rego expiry is close to your likely sale date:

• Sell before it’s due. That avoids paying for months you won’t use.
• Renew for a shorter term. In NSW, depending on the vehicle type, you may be able to renew for 3 or 6 months. Other states set their own terms, so check with your state transport authority.
• Don’t let it lapse while you still need the car. You must not drive without current registration.

Insurance is different. Keep your cover active until the car has been collected, then cancel the policy or move it to your next car. Many insurers refund unused premium. If your policy renews just before a likely sale, ask how a mid-term cancellation works before paying for another year.

Is there a best month or season to sell a car?

Not one we can point to with evidence. You’ll read that 4WDs sell best before the holidays, convertibles in spring, or that some colours sell faster. We haven’t found published Australian data backing any of these up.

The published data we do have shows week-to-week noise. Datium Insights’ weekly figures had used prices down 3.1% in the week to 12 October 2026, a week after a 3.9% rise. Swings like that make timing a sale to the month close to impossible, and a car that waits a season keeps adding kilometres. A seasonal bump is a maybe. Your warranty end date is certain.

How do you work out your own best time to sell?

Put your car’s dates side by side. The earliest one that changes what the next owner gets, or what you pay, is your natural deadline. Aim to have an offer a few weeks before it, because a sale has several steps.

Collect these dates:

• Warranty end date and any kilometre cap, from the warranty booklet.
• The month you’ll reach 100,000 km, or the kilometre limit in a GFV finance contract.
• Your next major service, from the logbook or the brand’s app.
• Rego expiry, plus whether a NSW renewal needs a pink slip.
• Insurance renewal, any balloon or lease end date, and the launch of your model’s next generation.

Worked example (hypothetical dates and kilometres)

A small SUV first registered in March 2022 has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and 12-month rego. In October 2026 it shows 70,000 km, about 1,270 km a month over 55 months.

Three triggers land in February and March 2027. If this owner expects to sell within the year, an offer in November or December 2026 means selling before paying for rego and a major service, with warranty still left to pass on if the brand allows it. If they plan to keep the car for years, the answer flips: renew it, service it on time and keep every record.

Selling a near-new car at the right time

The best time to sell is rarely a date on the calendar. It’s usually just before your car’s next trigger, with enough time to compare a real offer against keeping the car.

If your car is 2021 or newer with 100,000 km or less, Sell Your Car Australia can give you a free valuation with no obligation. It’s a genuine offer by phone from a licensed dealer, not an online estimate, and our valuer has priced cars since 1992. Tell us your warranty end date and anything due soon on the call.

If you accept, a deposit is often paid the same day, and the inspection happens at a time and place that suits you. The balance goes into your bank account, and the car is collected only after you confirm the funds have cleared. If there’s finance owing, we deal with your lender directly to pay out the loan, then pay you any equity, which usually takes 2 to 3 business days to settle. If you owe more than the car is worth, the difference has to be covered before settlement. No fees come out of the offer. Call 1800 73 55 73.