List a car FOR TEXAS PRIVATE CAR SELLERS
Set your own asking price, show buyers the real condition and handle the Texas paperwork with confidence. Here is what the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles expects from a private seller.
Free until sold. No automatic renewal. CarTruvo is a marketplace: you and your buyer arrange inspection, payment and transfer directly.
BEFORE THE KEYS CHANGE HANDS
Give the buyer the title signed with your printed name and signature, the date of sale and the odometer reading. Also print and sign your name and fill in the sales price on Form 130-U (Application for Texas Title and/or Registration), which the buyer takes to the county tax office. The TxDMV seller checklist does not mention notarization for an ordinary sale.
Official source ↗The TxDMV seller checklist does not list a separate bill of sale. The signed title and Form 130-U showing the sales price are what the buyer needs. A bill of sale is still smart to keep for your own records.
Official source ↗You can remove your plates and registration sticker when you hand over the car. Transfer the plates to another vehicle of the same classification, keep them for a future vehicle (the sticker does not transfer), or deface the front with permanent black ink or similar to prevent misuse.
Official source ↗File a Vehicle Transfer Notification (VTN) online within 30 days of the sale to protect yourself from the buyer's parking tickets and toll charges. The paper Form VTR-346 exists as an alternative, but do not file both. Filing does not transfer ownership, and the title stays in your name until the buyer titles it.
Official source ↗There is no seller safety inspection. Texas ended safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025. If the car's current inspection is not in the state database, TxDMV asks you to give the buyer your latest Vehicle Inspection Report if you have one. Emissions testing is tied to registration in certain counties and is not a seller duty.
Official source ↗If a lender holds a lien, the lienholder has the title, so pay off the loan first. After payoff the lienholder has 10 days to release the lien and send the title (or electronically release it). Then give the buyer the title and any release of lien.
Official source ↗The seller must disclose the odometer reading on the title when selling a vehicle that is subject to odometer disclosure. TxDMV applies the federal rule: model year 2011 and newer vehicles are not exempt until they are 20 years old, while 2010 and older are exempt.
Official source ↗Official sources checked October 30, 2026. This is a planning guide for an ordinary private sale, not legal advice or an official form. Follow the current instructions from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for your vehicle, especially for lost titles, several owners, out-of-state buyers or a car that is not fully paid off.
City guides add local details such as emissions testing and safe places to meet a buyer.
Shop nationwide. Location shows where the car is listed.
San Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSan Antonio, TX
View car & contact sellerSTART WITH THREE DETAILS
Start with your year, make and model. We’ll carry these details into your listing after you create an account or sign in.
Save a draft and finish when you’re ready. Free publication, photos, messages and offers. See features & pricing.
A private sale lets you choose the asking price and the buyer, but you handle questions, viewings and paperwork. An outright offer from a dealer or online buyer is usually quicker but often lower. Compare a real written offer with what you would keep from a private sale before deciding.
Give the buyer the title signed with your printed name and signature, the date of sale and the odometer reading. Also print and sign your name and fill in the sales price on Form 130-U (Application for Texas Title and/or Registration), which the buyer takes to the county tax office. The TxDMV seller checklist does not mention notarization for an ordinary sale.
You can remove your plates and registration sticker when you hand over the car. Transfer the plates to another vehicle of the same classification, keep them for a future vehicle (the sticker does not transfer), or deface the front with permanent black ink or similar to prevent misuse.
File a Vehicle Transfer Notification (VTN) online within 30 days of the sale to protect yourself from the buyer's parking tickets and toll charges. The paper Form VTR-346 exists as an alternative, but do not file both. Filing does not transfer ownership, and the title stays in your name until the buyer titles it.
The TxDMV seller checklist does not list a separate bill of sale. The signed title and Form 130-U showing the sales price are what the buyer needs. A bill of sale is still smart to keep for your own records.
There is no seller safety inspection. Texas ended safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles on January 1, 2025. If the car's current inspection is not in the state database, TxDMV asks you to give the buyer your latest Vehicle Inspection Report if you have one. Emissions testing is tied to registration in certain counties and is not a seller duty.
