If you’re about to sell an old car in Perth, there’s a good chance you’re leaving money on the table. Beyond whatever you get for the vehicle itself, the unused months left on your WA vehicle licence (registration) can often be refunded – but only if you follow the process in the right order. Here’s what actually happens with number plates and rego refunds when you sell a car in WA.
Registration Doesn’t Travel With the Car in WA
Unlike some states, WA doesn’t transfer number plates with the vehicle when it’s sold. The plates stay with you, the seller – not with the car. People often talk about “selling the rego along with the car,” but that’s not how it works here. Whoever buys or removes your vehicle takes it away without your plates attached, which means you’re responsible for what happens to those plates next, and for telling the Department of Transport (DoT) the car is no longer yours.
Two Separate Things to Do After Selling
Selling the car is really the start of two separate bits of admin, and it helps to treat them as distinct tasks.
1. Lodge a Notification of Disposal
WA sellers are required to lodge a Notification of Disposal with the Department of Transport after selling a vehicle. This tells DoT you’re no longer the responsible party for the car – important if it’s later involved in an infringement, unpaid toll, or anything else tied to the vehicle. Do this as soon as the sale is done, regardless of whether you plan to claim any refund.
2. Apply for a Refund on the Unused Portion of Registration
Separately, if there’s time left on your registration, you can apply to DoT for a refund of the unused portion of the vehicle licence fee. A few practical points worth knowing:
- The refund is pro-rata, calculated from the date your plates are physically returned to DoT – not the date you sold the car. Sit on the plates for a few weeks and you lose that time.
- Apply through your DoTDirect account if the credit shows up automatically, or by submitting an Application for Refund (Form C2) if it doesn’t.
- Motor Injury Insurance (MII) is refunded on the same pro-rata basis, as part of the same process.
- If your plates are lost, stolen, or destroyed rather than returned, you’ll need a separate Lost/Stolen Number Plates form (VL14) before a refund can be considered.
Who Can Actually Claim the Refund
This is where people sometimes get tripped up. Refunds are only payable to the person or entity listed as the WA licensed vehicle owner (with an exception for deceased estates) – not just whoever handles the sale. That’s different to selling the car itself: a car removal company will generally accept the vehicle from anyone with valid photo ID, even if they’re not the registered owner – say you’re clearing out a parent’s old ute. But the rego refund needs to be claimed by the registered owner or their estate, so it’s worth confirming who handles that paperwork if you’re not the one on the licence.
The amount refunded depends on how many full months are left on your current licence period, whether you’re on a concession rate, and how promptly you return the plates – there’s no fixed figure, and it’s calculated separately to whatever you’re paid for the car.
Where Cash For Cars Perth Fits In
The registration refund is a DoT process, independent of who buys your car – but it’s worth having the vehicle side sorted first so you know exactly when the plates come off. Cash For Cars Perth buys cars, utes, trucks, vans and 4WDs in any condition across the Perth metro area (we don’t currently service Bunbury or further south), including vehicles that are running, not running, accident-damaged, flood or fire-damaged, deregistered, or written off. We can’t take stolen vehicles, cars still under finance, or bodies without a chassis.
We pay up to $9,999 depending on the vehicle, in cash or instant OSKO bank transfer, before the car leaves your property. Towing is free and same-day in most cases, often within two to three hours if you call before midday. All we need is valid photo ID – it doesn’t have to be the registered owner’s, which helps if you’re clearing an estate vehicle or selling on a relative’s behalf (just remember the DoT refund itself still needs to go through the registered owner or estate). We’re based at 5 Hantke Place, Welshpool, a licensed wrecking yard where vehicles are dismantled and recycled responsibly, open Monday to Saturday, 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM.
A Sensible Order of Operations
A straightforward sequence looks like this: get a quote and book your removal, hand over the vehicle and photo ID once the plates are off, lodge your Notification of Disposal, then separately apply for your registration refund if there’s unused time left. Handling both admin steps promptly means you’re not still on the hook for a car you no longer own, and you’re not leaving a refund unclaimed.
Ready to get the car side sorted? Call Cash For Cars Perth on 0420 262 651 for a quote, or get in touch to arrange free same-day towing anywhere across the Perth metro area.