Car not driven for months? What to check before you sell

If your car hasn’t been driven for months, check six things before you sell it: the battery, the tyres, the brakes and fluids, the service due date, the rego expiry and your insurance. Most are quick to sort or simply need mentioning to the buyer, and the one that can change your options most is a rego that lapsed while the car sat.

Below are the checks in order, each state’s rego cut-offs, and how to decide whether to revive the car or sell it as it is.

What happens to a car that sits for months?

A car that isn’t driven doesn’t wear the way a busy one does, but it doesn’t stand still either. The usual problems are predictable:

• The battery runs down. Modern cars keep drawing a little power while parked, for the alarm, keyless entry and connected services. Without driving to recharge it, the battery eventually goes flat.
• The tyres lose pressure and can develop flat spots where they’ve rested in one position.
• The brake discs pick up surface rust, especially in damp or coastal weather.
• Rubber and fluids keep ageing. Seals, hoses and wiper blades harden, and some fluids are changed by time rather than kilometres.
• Animals move in. Rats and mice like a quiet engine bay, and some will chew wiring or build nests.
• The paperwork slips. Rego renewals, insurance renewals and the next service all come round whether the car moves or not.

Low kilometres are still an advantage, though. The checks below make sure the sitting hasn’t created problems that undo it, and tell you what to say to a buyer.

Will it start? Check the battery first

Start here, because nearly everything else depends on it. If the car is dead when you press the button or turn the key, a flat battery is the most likely reason.

• Try the remote first. If the doors won’t unlock, the key fob battery may be flat too. Many smart keys hide a mechanical key blade for exactly this situation, and the owner’s manual shows where it is.
• Jump-start it the way the manual says. Some cars keep the battery in the boot or under a seat and provide separate jump points under the bonnet. Follow the steps for your model rather than guessing.
• Use a battery charger if you have time. It’s gentler on a deeply flat battery than repeated jump-starts.
• Watch whether it holds charge. If the car starts after a jump but is flat again a day or two later, the battery may need replacing.

Hybrids and electric cars aren’t immune. Most still use a small 12-volt battery to run the electronics and wake the car up, and it can go flat even when the main battery has plenty of charge. Check the owner’s manual for how the maker wants the car left when it’s parked for a long time.

None of this stops you selling. It does matter to anyone inspecting the car, because they’ll want to see it start, with no warning lights on the dash.

Are the tyres safe to roll on?

Before the car moves, walk around it and look at each tyre.

• Pressure. Pump the tyres to the pressures on the tyre placard, usually found on the driver’s door frame, the fuel flap or the glovebox lid. A tyre that went completely flat while parked should be checked by a tyre shop before you drive on it.
• Flat spots. A tyre that rests in one position for months can take a temporary set. You may feel a vibration for the first few kilometres that fades as the tyres warm up. If it doesn’t fade, have them checked.
• Cracks and age. Look for fine cracking on the sidewalls and between the tread blocks. The build date is moulded into the sidewall as a four-digit week-and-year code, and an inspector may well read it.

Don’t rush out and buy a new set just to sell. Our guide on what to fix before selling your car explains when tyres are worth replacing and when it’s better to tell the buyer.

Brakes, fluids and the first drive: what to check before you move it

Lift the bonnet and look under the car before you go anywhere.

• Look for drips or fresh stains on the floor where the car has been parked: oil, coolant or brake fluid.
• Check the levels of engine oil, coolant and brake fluid against the marks, as the owner’s manual describes.
• Look for signs of rodents: droppings, nesting material, or chewed wiring and insulation. If you find chewed wires, don’t start the car until a mechanic has looked at it.
• Press the brake pedal before you start the car and again once it’s running. It should feel firm, not spongy, and shouldn’t sink towards the floor.
• Expect a little rust on the discs. A light orange film on the disc faces after a long rest is common and usually wears off after a few gentle stops. Grinding, pulling to one side or a pedal that sinks is a different matter, so get it checked.

If the car is registered and insured, keep the first drive short and gentle. Brake lightly a few times at low speed, listen for noises, and watch the dash. If a warning light comes on, have the code read and keep the result.

If the rego has lapsed, skip the drive entirely. Service NSW warns that driving an unregistered vehicle “is illegal and carries heavy penalties”, and that the car may not be covered by CTP insurance. Don’t take an unregistered car on the road in any state without first checking the permit rules.

Is the service overdue even though the kilometres are low?

Probably, if the car has sat for a year or more. Most manufacturers set service intervals by time as well as distance, such as every 12 months or a set number of kilometres, whichever comes first. For example, a car on a 12-month schedule that has done only 3,000 km in 18 months is still a service behind.

That matters at sale time because the logbook is one of the first things a buyer or valuer asks about. A gap in the stamps raises a question, even when the reason is innocent. You have two sensible options:

1. Book the overdue service before you sell, if you have a few weeks. It closes the gap in the logbook and puts a mechanic’s eyes on the battery, tyres, brakes and fluids at the same time.
2. Explain the gap if you’re selling soon. Note when the car was parked and roughly how far it has travelled since, and have the last service receipt ready.

While you’re at it, search the car’s VIN on vehiclerecalls.gov.au. A recall notice is easy to overlook while a car sits unused, and recall work is free at the dealer. Our guide to preparing your car for sale covers the rest of the documents to gather.

Did the rego lapse while the car sat? The state cut-offs

Check the expiry date on your rego papers or your state’s online rego check before you spend money on anything else. Once rego lapses, each state has its own rules, and some cut-offs are short.

Don’t pay to re-register a car just to sell it until you know what the buyer needs. Expect a private sale to be harder, since a buyer can’t simply take an unregistered car for a test drive. Our guide to selling an unregistered car covers permits, transport and the paperwork in more detail.

Should you cancel the insurance on a car you don’t drive?

No. Keep it running until the car has been collected. A parked car can still be stolen, hit by hail, damaged in a storm or caught in a fire, and you want cover in place until it has gone. What your policy covers while the car sits depends on the insurer, so read the policy or ask before you change anything.

Don’t cancel early because a sale looks likely either. An accepted offer is not a collected car. Once the car has gone, contact your insurer to cancel the policy or move it to your next car; many insurers refund unused premium.

Compulsory third party (CTP) cover is separate and linked to registration: in Queensland and South Australia it’s part of the rego fee. A lapsed rego is one more reason to leave the car parked.

Revive it first or sell it as it is?

Use what you found in the checks above. The general rule is to fix what stops the car starting, rolling or stopping safely, and be upfront about the rest.

How you sell changes the answer, too. A private buyer will want the car to start on demand and be ready for a test drive. In Victoria a private seller of a registered car must also provide a roadworthy certificate less than 30 days old, and in Queensland a safety certificate is needed to transfer a registered car to a new owner. A car that has sat for months can need real work before it’s ready for that. Whoever the buyer is, a problem found at inspection costs more trust than one mentioned on the first call.

Selling a car that’s been sitting to us

If your car is 2021 or newer with 100,000 km or less, a long rest in the garage doesn’t rule it out. If it’s older or has more on the clock, send it through anyway and we’ll tell you straight away if we can help.

Tell the valuer what you found: when the car was last driven, whether it starts, the rego expiry and the last service. You get a genuine offer by phone from a licensed dealer, not an online estimate. If you accept, a deposit is often paid the same day, and the inspection follows at a time and place that suits you. The balance goes into your bank account, and our transport partner collects the car from your home or workplace only after you confirm the funds have cleared. Collection is arranged by us anywhere in Australia, so the car doesn’t need to be driven to anyone. Our guide to car collection and key drop-off explains how the handover works.

Usually no roadworthy or safety certificate is needed when you sell to us. Rules differ by state, and we confirm what applies to your car on the call. We prepare the sale paperwork and help with the transfer of ownership. If the car is simply surplus, see our page on selling a car you don’t use. When you’re ready, start with a free valuation or call 1800 73 55 73. It’s free, there’s no obligation, and no fees come out of the offer.