How to sell a car in in South Dakota is not difficult. Once you have a system in place, you can sell a used vehicle with no issues. You must also have the correct paperwork.
⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️
According to the SD Department of Revenue: there are over one million vehicles are registered in South Dakota.
With the combination of online services as well as state-of-the-art technology, you can sell your vehicle with ease.
Check out our tips and learn how to sell that vehicle fast!
Correct Paperwork When Selling a Car in South Dakota
For South Dakota residents selling a vehicle, you must do the following to ensure a successful sale:
- Make sure you get a free seller's permit from your SD county treasurer's office. You must get a valid South Dakota ID card or driver's license in order to obtain a permit.
- Make sure that you satisfy or pay off all liens against the vehicle. Don’t forget to also fulfill all official requirements, such as notifying your local county treasurer of the release.
- If this applies to your sale, you must take the time to fill out the damage disclosure and odometer fields which you can find on the back of the vehicle's certificate of title. Be sure to affix the title certificate to your application.
- And on the back of the title, take the time to fill out the seller information fields. The buyer will need to fill out the buyer information fields.
- Fill out a Bill of Sale (Form MV-016) with the following information on it:
- Full description of the car including the serial number, year, make and model of the car.
- Signatures of both you and the buyer.
- Title number.
- Selling price.
- Date of sale.
- Buyer information.
- Fill out an online Seller's Report of Sale (Form MV2200). Once done, be sure to turn it into the SD county treasurer's office within 15 days of the date of sale.
Signing Over The SD Vehicle Title
To successfully finish the South Dakota title transfer, be sure to complete the information requested on the back of the car title and give it to the buyer.
How to Get a Duplicate Vehicle Title
Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability
When selling a car to a private buyer in South Dakota, you have to fill out a Seller's Report of Sale (Form MV2200).
Once done, make sure that you submit it to your local SD county treasurer.
When you do this, you are releasing yourself from liability if there should ever be any future legal complications, regarding the transaction.
Don't Forget that Vehicle History Report
When selling a car in South Dakota, there is a chance that your potential buyers will ask you for vehicle history report.
They want to be safe, and this makes you an honest car seller. Most car buyers will want to view this, before making their final decision to buy your vehicle.
The vehicle history report allows a details background of any repairs, accidents and/or thefts that your vehicle may have endured.
Once a buyer has ordered a vehicle history report, they will be able to see information about the car, including:
- Previous accidents.
- Any repairs made to the car.
- Flood damage.
- Frame damage
- Odometer fraud.
- Recalls.
- Click here to get that vehicle history report!
How to sell a Car in South Dakota – Making Use Of Online Services
The South Dakota Department of Revenue offers sellers as well as buyers the luxury of performing a lot of their tasks online!
With an easy interface, you can accomplish lots from the comfort of your own home or location!
“The Motor Vehicle Division provides and maintains motor vehicle records for vehicles owned by your business. Our online services allow you to:
- Review and renew your vehicle registration/decals and license plates;
- Purchase new license plates;
- Opt-in for email renewal and general notifications;
- Find out the estimated renewal cost of your vehicles;
- Report the sale of a vehicle; and
- Print a seller's permit,” according to the South Dakota Department of Revenue.
The Department of Revenue also adds: “We strive to make our services as convenient as possible and encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns.”
Click here to learn more!
How to Sell a Car in South Dakota – FAQ
How long can I take to transfer the title on my new vehicle?
According to South Dakota law, you must transfer the title within 30 days of the date of sale/purchase. Additionally, you cannot affix an unexpired plate to a newly acquired vehicle until the title transfer has taken place, through the purchaser’s local county treasurer’s office.
What if I want to transfer the plates to a vehicle that I already own?
In South Dakota, regular county plates are only allowed to be transferred to a newly acquired vehicle. For specialty plates or organizational plates, you can transfer them to a vehicle you already own. You will be responsible to pay any difference in fees and you will have to pay a $5 reassignment fee.
Am I able to switch the plates on the vehicles that I own?
You cannot remove a regular county plate from a vehicle that is still retained by the owner as well as affixed on another vehicle. SD states:“A plate is not valid if it is not on the vehicle which it is registered. Specialty and organizational plates can be switched, but a $5 reassignment fee will be charged for each plate.”
If I sell my car and buy a car for my child can I give my child my plate?
SD states: “If you are also a title owner of the newly acquired vehicle, along with your child, you can use those plates once you have transferred title and registered the vehicle through your county treasurers office.”
What penalties will I face, for not taking the plates off a sold vehicle and not doing a report of sale?
In South Dakota, a report of sale is between two private persons and it is mandatory. You must file the report of sale within 15 days of date of sale. If you fail to do so, you’re looking at a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Why a Report of Sale is so important in South Dakota
South Dakota outlines three reasons why the report of sale is vital:
- “The seller must remove the plate from the sold vehicle and, if the buyer has not yet transferred title, file a ROS before the plate that was removed may be registered and attached to another vehicle.
- Upon receipt of the ROS, the motor vehicle record is updated to reflect the sale of the vehicle and the seller’s plate is eligible to be detached.
- Filing a report of sale may protect the seller from liability that may result from moving or operating a vehicle after the date of sale,” according to South Dakota.
How to Sell A Car in South Dakota – Get that Car Ready For Purchase Now!
Now you have all of the details of what you need to take care of to sell your car in South Dakota.
So, whether you're selling your vehicle in Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls or surrounding areas, there are some things you need to do, to secure the sale and your cash!
- Clean both the inside as well as outside of your vehicle. No one wants to buy a dirty car. Put your car's best foot forward and make sure it's clean at all times!
- Posting online ads? Post to at least two platforms. Whether you are a Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace fan or even Twitter, post to at least online platforms.
- Be sure to answer all questions about your car. You as the seller, are the expert about your used car. So, prepare for all of the questions potential buyers will ask you.
- Honesty first! Be sure to be honest about the condition of your car. Just because the transmission may slip, or the starter is bad, doesn't mean you will miss out on a sale. Lots of people love to fix cars!
What else can you offer?
- Going the eBay Motors or Autotrader route? Prepare your car with great photos and a description. The competition is stiff out there. You won't get far in the car selling game if you don't have pics of your great used car.
- Make sure that you have all of the paperwork you need. For a private sale, you need a title. If you opt to sell your car to CarMax, you can't sell it without the title. Also, South Dakota requires lots of documentation that we outlined above. So, gather all of your paperwork and if it that takes a week or two to do, take your time!
- Be patient! Whether we as a country are dealing with hard times, or you are having just a few callers, be patient! Selling a car is all about timing. But don't give up. Whether you are selling your car as a great used car, or your car's parts, you have great auto items to sell! Believe it and you will indeed sell them!