Selling Your Car in Abu Dhabi | ExpatWoman.com
 

A Guide to Selling Your Car in Abu Dhabi

Best ways to sell your used car in Abu Dhabi to get the best possible price for your vehicle

Posted on

8 August 2019

Last updated on 14 August 2019
A Guide to Selling Your Car in Abu Dhabi

Whether you're planning on selling your car in Abu Dhabi online, at a dealer, a car-buying company, or auction, here's all you need to know about each process...

With so much choice in terms of how to sell your car in Abu Dhabi, you need to stand out from the crowd of other sellers offering similar vehicles. Ultimately, you either take the least resistant route and accept a dealer's price, or you decide to sell privately.

If you're thinking of selling privately, you'll need to spend time creating an advert that will draw buyers in through good photos of your car, an attractive price, and a description featuring all the key points of information. You will also need to dedicate time, effort, and caution as selling your vehicle privately is the longest route where you'll need to keep communicating with various interested buyers and may expose yourself to potential pranksters, frauds, no-show buyers, and scammers.

Alternatively, you could trade-in your car to a dealer, auction, or car-buying business (a company that works to buy any car, claiming they will give you a fair price for your motor), however, it will cost you a much lower deal than what its current market value with its condition could be.

You'll want a solution that'll avoid the risks of both - avoid running into no-show buyers, scammers, unscrupulous vendors online, and dreadfully low trade-in deals. Read on to find our guide on selling your car without issue in Abu Dhabi. As long as you're aware of the risks for each choice and keep your wits about you, then you'll get the right deal in your pocket.

What you need to know before selling your car in Abu Dhabi

1. Make sure your car is ready to be sold

It may sound obvious, but a look at online classifieds for Abu Dhabi will show a few sellers failing at the first step. There are nightmare stories of people who have bought cars from private sellers that turned out to be horribly neglected and filthy. There are potential buyers who may assume that if a car has been left dirty by the owner, the vehicle could also have been neglected in regards to maintenance and servicing. A dirty and neglected car at first glance could be enough to make them walk away without a call-back.

Before taking photos of your car and selling it, make sure to give it a thorough clean. Buyers want something that functions well and will look good as soon as they purchase it.

Noticeable cracks and other faults are also worthwhile to repair, or buyers may likely haggle for lower as they'll be thinking of further bills to spend with the car.

2. Prepare your documents

One way of instilling confidence in the car you're selling is to have your documents ready - this includes receipts for maintenance bills, proof of insurance, service book, etc. - when discussing with a potential buyer.

Avoid sending copies/photos of the documents, giving them, or letting a potential buyer take photos of the documents. Fraudsters can use your car information to clone details to fit a similar, stolen car.

3. Decide on a fair asking price

How much someone will pay, rather than what you paid, is the driving factor to valuing your car when selling it. You can get an estimate of how much your current car is worth by speaking to a dealer - oftentimes you won't even have to drive to their location, you can simply call them and describe your vehicle.

Online classifieds are also a good starting point to compare prices to similar cars, but it's best not to use it as your only guide to working a fair asking price. Use the filters available on the classifieds website to further refine your search, so that your price is based on cars that are the same age and model as yours.

A Guide to Selling Your Car in Abu Dhabi

Selling used cars in Abu Dhabi to a dealer

Why would you trade-in your car to a dealer? Time and convenience.

It's the faster, no hassle, leave-it-to-the-professional-to-take-care-of-everything solution. You won't have to supply the receipts, certificates, insurance papers, go through the emissions test, or negotiate and play the waiting game with potential buyers.

All you need to do is get your used car appraised and the dealer will organise as much as they can, and clearly advise you of what's needed. If you urgently need to get cash for your car or to get rid of it, selling it to a dealer is ideal.

So why shouldn't you trade-in your car to a dealer?

You'll get a lower price from the dealer on your used car than you would if you were to sell it privately. If the price gap between what the dealer is offering and the average selling price is not wide, it's best to take it. However, if it's large, by say several thousand dirhams, better switch to classifieds.

A Guide to Selling Your Car in Abu Dhabi

Selling used cars in Abu Dhabi privately

Why would you sell your car on your own? You have more control over the price.

This typically involves posting an ad for your used car through classifieds.

Online classifieds you can post your car ad in

  • ExpatWoman Classifieds
  • Dubizzle
    • Once you've done your research on the car and worked out what your realistic expectations are (after assessing the age, condition, and mileage of your vehicle), you can photograph your car and provide details (location, car make, age, your contact details, etc.) for your ad.

      Expect buyers to want to purchase your car for about 60-70% of the price you've posted online. There are buyers who may want the car inspected by a mechanic. To avoid any surprises (charges and fees, and potential fraudsters), you'll want to have any inspections agreed on beforehand and to make the following clear:

      • You'll take the car to a mechanic you already know and trust
      • Any charges and fees will be the buyer's responsibility
    A Guide to Selling Your Car in Abu Dhabi

    How to transfer car ownership in Abu Dhabi

    You and the buyer must both go to the Abu Dhabi Vehicle Licensing Department. The main office is in Muroor, however, there are others across the emirate. In case you haven't already arranged car insurance, you must do so at one of the on-insurance offices with a validity of at least 13 months.

    Additionally, if your used car hasn't completed its annual inspection, it should be done beforehand - it only costs AED 60 and the service is available 24 hours a day.

    Once you're both at the Vehicle Licensing Department, you must bring the following documents:

    • Original and photocopy of your driver's licence
    • Original and photocopy of your passport
    • Original and photocopy of your UAE visa
    • Original and photocopy of your Emirates ID
    • The insurance certificate with its policy of 13 months
    • Previous registration card
    • Test certificate (only if the registration is already expired)
    • Letter of release from a bank from where you took a loan for the car
    • If you have any outstanding loan left on the car, you will need a letter of transferring the loan from the bank

    There is a processing fee of AED 200, then a new registration card will be printed for the buyer on the spot.