Buying a Second-Hand Car

Updated 23 February 2026

Buying a second-hand car 

Here you can find out what you need to consider when buying a second-hand car.

See also attached link “Buying, selling or registering a vehicle – States of Guernsey” in the resources and downloads section.

Inspect the Car

You should arrange to view the car in daylight, preferably when it’s dry – it’s harder to spot damage to the car if it’s wet. It’s a good idea to meet at a private seller’s house so that if something goes wrong after you’ve bought the car, you’ll have a record of their address. The AA has a useful checklist (see attached link) for what to look out for when inspecting a used car and its paperwork. Make sure you ask about the car’s service history.

You should take the car for a test drive.

You will need to make sure you are insured to do this.

If you have your own car insurance, check with your insurance company to see if you can drive someone else’s car. If you don’t have insurance, a trader or private seller’s insurance might cover you – you’ll need to ask them.

Don’t test drive a car if you’re not insured to drive the car you are inspecting. You’ll be liable for any damage you cause and (more importantly) you would be committing a serious offence liable to a penalty of a year’s suspension of your driving licence. Drive for at least 15 minutes on different types of road. Autotrader has a checklist for what to look out for when taking a test drive (see attached link).

Change of Ownership – Duties

The legislation provides as follows

1. The owner of a motor vehicle who sells or otherwise disposes of such motor vehicle shall as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within a period of 14 days beginning on the day of the sale or disposal:
2. a) Send the Vehicle Registration Certificate, completed on the reverse with the new keeper’s details, and both the old and new keeper’s signatures, to DVL at Edward T Wheadon House, or
3. b) If the vehicle still has an old-style green cardboard logbook, submit it, along with a completed “Change of Keeper” form (see attached link).
4. A fee of £35, payable by either party, must accompany the application (or give a telephone number for payment over the phone).
5. The new Vehicle Registration Certificate will be posted to the new registered keeper.

The seller and buyer both have a duty to notify the Committee of the transfer (notification by one party satisfies the requirement, but they are both liable if it is not done). It is an offence not to do so – and it is also an offence for the purchaser to drive the vehicle without having delivered the registration document to the committee.

Problems with Used Car

If the used vehicle turns out to be faulty and you bought it from a trader the Trading Standards (Fair Trading) Ordinance, 2023 applies. (If you bought the vehicle under a finance agreement you might have redress against the finance company as well as or instead of the trader.)

If, however, you bought the vehicle from a private individual the 2023 Ordinance does not apply and your rights are more limited. In such a case, the general principle is that of “caveat emptor” but there might be grounds for arguing that the contract between the buyer and seller has been vitiated (nullified) e.g. by fraud or misrepresentation.

If the seller has clearly represented to the buyer that e.g. the vehicle has not been in an accident, or that certain parts have recently been replaced; if the buyer relies on those representations in deciding to enter the contract; and if the representations turn out to be false – then the buyer might have a case against the vendor. However, if the vendor does not agree to take any action, then it might be necessary to resort to court proceedings with the consequent costs and uncertainty as to the outcome dependent upon the evidence available.