Sell your car in Canberra. No drive to Sydney, paid before pickup.

No drive up the Federal Highway

A private sale in Canberra means a listing, scam messages and weekend test drives, then checking that a payment has really landed before you hand over the keys. A trade-in is quicker, but you are negotiating with the dealer who is selling you the next car.

Our office is in Waterloo, Sydney, around three hours away by road, but you never make that trip. A valuer who has priced cars since 1992 makes a genuine offer over the phone, and once you accept, a deposit is often paid the same day. The inspection comes next, at a time and place that suits you: a driveway in Gungahlin, a work car park in Barton or a garage in Tuggeranong. The balance goes into your bank account, and we arrange collection only after you confirm the funds have cleared.

ACT paperwork in brief

Selling an ACT-registered car comes down to three jobs:

1. Sign the back of the rego certificate with the buyer. It holds the transfer application and the notice of disposal, and the buyer keeps the transfer section. On a private sale, sign once the money is in your account. No certificate to hand? Access Canberra has a separate notice of disposal form.
2. Leave the plates on. Access Canberra says plates must stay on a car sold with current ACT registration. They only come off if you cancel the rego and sell the car unregistered.
3. Notify Access Canberra as soon as you sell. Its selling page does not give sellers a deadline, but waiting only leaves the car in your name for longer.

The buyer then has 14 days to transfer the rego. A private buyer of a car more than 6 years old, or imported, needs a roadworthy inspection first, at Access Canberra’s inspection station in Hume or an authorised inspection station. Most 2021 or newer cars are under that age. Our guide to selling a car in the ACT has the detail, including rego refunds and duty.

Selling to a NSW-licensed dealer from the ACT

We hold a NSW motor dealer licence, MD 077404. Access Canberra gives sellers the same obligations when the buyer is interstate, with one practical difference. The online notice of disposal only works when you and the buyer both hold ACT licences, so when you sell to us you lodge it through your ACT Digital Account, by post or at an Access Canberra Service Centre. We prepare the sale paperwork, help with the transfer of ownership and make sure your notice of disposal is done correctly.

Canberra and the towns over the border

We buy right across Canberra and in the NSW towns around it, from Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong to Bungendore, Murrumbateman and Yass. Further out, around Cooma, the Snowy Mountains or the South Coast? Tell us where the car is and we will confirm on the call how the inspection and collection will work.

Live over the border? Check your rego papers. A NSW-registered car follows NSW rules, even if you drive it into Civic every day. You lodge a free notice of disposal with Service NSW, ideally the same day you sell, and list our dealer licence in place of a buyer’s licence. Our guide to selling a car in NSW explains the rest, and selling a car in Australia covers every state and territory.

What we buy in Canberra

Whether yours tows a camper down the Kings Highway to the South Coast or heads down the Monaro Highway towards the snow, we buy late-model cars, utes, SUVs and 4WDs of any make. That includes utes like the HiLux, Ranger and D-MAX, SUVs like the RAV4 and CX-5, European and prestige models, and electric cars and plug-in hybrids. See what we look for in utes and 4WDs, SUVs and prestige cars.

Moving interstate for a new job or posting? Weigh up whether to sell your car or take it with you.