Selling a Car in Arizona
When selling a car in Arizona, you must complete and submit a sold notice to the MVD, sign and notarize the back of the title, and give the title to the buyer.
Written by Jason Tushinski
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
Table of Contents
- What you need to sell a car in Arizona
- Getting a pre-sale inspection
- Documenting the sale
- Signing the title over
- Reporting the sale
- Finding affordable car insurance
- FAQs
Load full table of contents
When selling a car in Arizona, you’ll need to complete and submit a sold notice to the
Arizona Motor Vehicle Division
, sign and notarize the back of the title, and give the title to the buyer. You’ll also need to remove your plates from the vehicle.Selling a car privately can feel like an onerous task—but it can be pretty straightforward if you understand the steps you need to take to sell your vehicle. Every state has its own requirements and rules to ensure legal transfer of ownership, and failing to follow them can leave you liable for the car even after it has left your possession.
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What you need to sell a car in Arizona
If you’re selling your car in
Arizona
, you’ll need to gather all the necessary forms and documentation. Arizona’s MVD requires certain documentation to complete the change of ownership, including:- Car title, signed on the back and notarized
- Your signature
- Signature of the buyer
- Bill of sale
- Emissions inspection
- Odometer disclosure if vehicle is model year 2011 or later
Getting a pre-sale inspection
If you use the vehicle to commute to or from work in the Phoenix or Tucson areas, your vehicle may need to pass a smog test before being sold.
Vehicles that are model year 1967 or newer may need an emissions inspection. Most vehicles produced in the last six years are exempt from the emissions test.
Documenting the sale
Once a buyer has been found, you’ll need a bill of sale—
Arizona Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale
(ADOT Form 48-2004)—to document the transaction.In Arizona, a bill of sale is a legal document that transfers ownership from the buyer to the seller after the sales price has been paid. The bill of sale must be signed by the seller with a notary public (or MVD agent) present. The bill of sale will also:
- Act as a receipt and a basic sales agreement between both parties
- Be used to register the vehicle
Signing the title over
To sign the title over, both buyer and seller must sign the back of the title and have it notarized.
Reporting the sale
When you transfer the ownership of a vehicle, you must notify Arizona’s Motor Vehicle Division with a completed
sold notice
. Doing so will protect you, the seller, from liability in case the vehicle is:- Used in criminal activity
- Involved in a collision
- Issued a ticket
- Abandoned ($500 fee)
Finding affordable car insurance
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FAQs
How do I know how much my car is worth?
Your car’s worth can be found through resources like
Edmunds
and Kelley Blue Book
. On those sites, you enter the year, model, make, mileage, and condition of your car, and they’ll calculate the fair market value.
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