To sell a car to wreckers in Victoria, you need current photo ID, proof that you own the car, and the keys. You also need a plan for the number plates and the registration, and bank details so the wrecker can pay you by electronic transfer. That is the core list. Everything else depends on your situation.
This checklist is for the day the tow truck arrives. You have accepted a quote and booked a time. Now you want the handover to go smoothly, with no second trip and no loose ends with the roads authority afterwards. Work through each section below, tick it off, and you will be ready.
The Pickup Day Checklist at a Glance
Print this list or keep it on your phone. Each item is explained further down.
- Photo ID that matches the name on the registration: a driver licence, passport or proof of age card.
- Proof of ownership: the certificate of registration, a myVicRoads record, or a purchase receipt.
- All keys and remotes for the car.
- Finance check: a clear PPSR result if the car was ever under a loan.
- A plates and rego decision: cancel the registration and remove the plates, or plan to lodge a notice of disposal.
- Bank details (BSB and account number) for payment by EFT.
- An empty car: belongings, toll tag, garage remote and parking permits removed.
- Extra documents if the car is in someone else’s name or part of a deceased estate.
If you can tick all eight, the driver can check the paperwork, load the car and leave you with a receipt.
Photo ID: Why the Wrecker Has to Sight It
Photo ID is not a formality. Anyone who buys scrap metal in Victoria, including a motor vehicle bought as scrap, must register as a second-hand dealer and keep detailed records of each purchase. According to Consumer Affairs Victoria, a dealer buying a vehicle as scrap must record the seller’s name, address and identification details, plus the vehicle identifier, the date and time, and a copy of the payment.
That is why a legitimate wrecker will ask to see your licence before the car moves. Have it in your hand, not in the glove box of the car being towed. The name on your ID should match the registered owner. If it does not, skip to the section on cars in someone else’s name.
The same rules mean the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) has to be readable. Dealers cannot buy a scrap vehicle if the identifier has been removed, defaced or altered. You will usually find the VIN at the bottom of the windscreen, inside the driver’s door frame, or in the engine bay. Make sure nothing covers it.
Proof of Ownership, and What to Do if the Papers Are Missing
Proof of ownership links you to the car. The strongest proof is the certificate of registration or a current record in your myVicRoads account showing the car in your name. For older or long-unregistered cars, a purchase receipt or past VicRoads correspondence with the VIN on it can help.
Lost papers rarely stop a sale on their own. Tell the wrecker when you book, not when the driver arrives. They can tell you what alternative evidence they will accept, and that may include a signed statutory declaration explaining how you came to own the car and why the papers are gone.
If the car has been off the road for years, our guide to selling an unregistered car covers that path in detail, including what changes once the registration has lapsed. You can read it here: selling an unregistered car in Dandenong.
Cars in Someone Else’s Name
You can only sell a car you have the right to sell. If the registered owner is a partner, parent or business, bring a signed letter of authority from them, a copy of their ID, and your own ID. Some wreckers will want to speak with the owner by phone. A business vehicle may also need a letter on company letterhead.
Deceased Estates
When the owner has died, the person handling the estate (the executor or administrator) is the one who can sell the car. VicRoads treats deceased estate vehicles as a separate transfer type, handled through its deceased estates process. Expect to provide your ID, proof of your role in the estate such as a grant of probate or letters of administration, and a copy of the death certificate. Ask the wrecker before pickup day which documents they need to sight.
Check for Finance Before the Car Leaves
A car with money owing may have a security interest recorded against it. That means the lender has a claim on the car, and you cannot pass clear ownership to a wrecker until the loan is paid out or the lender agrees in writing.
The check is cheap. The Personal Property Securities Register charges $2.00 for an online search using the car’s VIN or chassis number, and the result also shows whether the car is recorded as stolen or written off. You cannot search by number plate, so copy the VIN first. If the loan is paid off but the search still shows an interest, ask your old lender to remove the registration before pickup day.
Plates and Rego: Pick One of Two Routes
This is where most sellers get tangled. What you do with the plates depends on whether the car is still registered when it leaves.
Route 1: Cancel the Registration and Remove the Plates
VicRoads’ own guidance on disposing of a vehicle says the first step is to remove the number plates and cancel the registration, then sell the vehicle to an auto wrecker. You can cancel through your myVicRoads account.
The upside is a possible refund. VicRoads refunds unused registration time when you cancel before expiry. It deducts a processing fee and 10% of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) charge, and if the refund is smaller than those deductions you receive nothing. Refunds paid online usually reach your bank account within 10 business days.
To claim the refund you need evidence. For a written-off vehicle, VicRoads accepts an insurance report or a wrecker’s receipt. For most other reasons, it asks for a photo of the number plates destroyed by cutting them in half, or a statutory declaration explaining why you do not have them. You no longer need to return standard plates to VicRoads. So on pickup day:
- Unscrew both plates before the driver arrives.
- Cut them in half and photograph them if you plan to cancel for a refund.
- Ask the driver for a written receipt that names the car and its VIN.
If you have custom or personalised plates you want to keep, you cannot cancel online. Call VicRoads or visit a Customer Service Centre to keep or transfer them first.
Route 2: Sell It Registered and Lodge a Notice of Disposal
If the car is still registered when the wrecker takes it, the transfer rules for selling apply. VicRoads requires sellers of a Victorian-registered vehicle to let it know within 14 days by completing a notice of disposal, ideally online through myVicRoads. You will need the buyer’s details, so get the wrecker’s business name, address and dealer details on a transfer form or receipt before the truck leaves.
Skip this step and you may remain liable for fines, tolls and other legal issues linked to the car. Once you submit it, VicRoads emails confirmation that the car is out of your name, usually within 24 hours. Save that email.
Wondering whether you need a roadworthy certificate for a registered car? That question has its own rules and exemptions. We cover them in selling a car without a roadworthy in Victoria.
Bank Details for EFT Payment
Have your BSB and account number ready, written down or open in your banking app. Victoria bans cash payments for scrap metal, and that ban covers motor vehicles bought as scrap. Since 30 May 2018, a dealer buying scrap can only pay by electronic funds transfer or by a cheque that is not transferable or payable to cash.
Any operator offering a roll of notes for a scrap car is breaking the law, and you lose the payment record that protects you. If you want the detail on how payment works and why, read whether wreckers pay cash for cars in Victoria.
What to Take Out of the Car Before Pickup
Once the car is loaded, getting something back is hard. Wreckers depollute vehicles soon after they arrive: under EPA Victoria’s guideline for auto recyclers, fluids, batteries and other hazardous parts are removed before the car is crushed or dismantled. Your belongings will not survive that process. Do a full sweep:
- Glove box and console: service books, sunglasses, coins, chargers, cards.
- Door pockets and under the seats: the spots most people miss.
- Boot and spare tyre well: tools, jumper leads, shopping bags.
- Windscreen: the toll tag, parking permits and any dash cam.
- Sun visor: garage remotes and gate fobs.
- Child seats: unbolt them now. It takes longer than you expect.
- Paired phone data: delete your phone from the head unit and clear saved addresses from any built-in navigation.
Remove the toll tag and close or update the linked toll account. A tag left in a wrecked car can keep charging your account if it is ever read again.
Leave the car as quoted. If your quote assumed the battery, wheels or a towbar were on the car, do not strip them out on pickup day. Removing parts can change the offer. Draining fuel or fluids yourself is also unnecessary and creates a spill risk. The recycler handles that in a controlled setting.
Situations That Change the Paperwork
Not every car fits the standard checklist. This table shows what to add for common situations.
| Situation | What to add on pickup day |
|---|---|
| Car is unregistered | ID plus any ownership evidence; no notice of disposal if rego has already lapsed or been cancelled |
| Registered, no roadworthy | Choose Route 1 or Route 2 above before the driver arrives |
| Insurer has written it off | The insurer’s release or settlement paperwork and the claim number |
| Owner is someone else | Signed letter of authority, copy of owner’s ID, your ID |
| Owner has died | Proof of executor or administrator role, death certificate, your ID |
| Papers lost | Tell the wrecker when booking; a statutory declaration may be accepted |
| Finance owing | Lender’s payout letter or written consent |
Written-off cars bring extra rules, including the Written-Off Vehicle Register. Our guide on what to do with a written-off car in Victoria explains how that register affects a sale.
After the Tow Truck Leaves
The car is gone, but your job finishes only when the records do. Within the next few days:
- File the receipt. Keep the wrecker’s receipt with the date, car details and VIN. It is your evidence of disposal and may support a refund claim.
- Finish the VicRoads step. Cancel the registration (Route 1) or submit the notice of disposal within 14 days (Route 2).
- Cancel insurance. Ask your insurer whether any unused premium on the policy can be refunded.
- Stop direct debits. Cancel any registration direct debit so you are not charged for a car you no longer own.
- Update toll and parking accounts. Remove the plate number from any account it is linked to.
- Check the payment. Confirm the EFT has landed and matches the agreed amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need my rego papers to scrap my car in Victoria?
Not always. Wreckers need proof that you own the car, and the certificate of registration is the easiest proof. If it is lost, a myVicRoads record, purchase receipt or statutory declaration may be accepted. Check with the wrecker when you book.
Should I remove my number plates before the wrecker comes?
Yes, if you plan to cancel the registration. VicRoads’ disposal steps start with removing the plates and cancelling the rego. You no longer need to hand standard plates back, but a photo of them cut in half supports a refund claim.
Do I need a notice of disposal if I sell my car to a wrecker?
You need one if the car is still registered when it changes hands. VicRoads requires it within 14 days of the sale. If you cancelled the registration before pickup, or it had already lapsed, the cancellation and the wrecker’s receipt are your records.
Can someone else hand over the car for me?
Yes, if you arrange it ahead. Give that person a signed letter of authority and a copy of your ID, and tell the wrecker who will be there. They will still need their own photo ID to show the driver.
Ready for Pickup Day
A smooth handover comes down to three things: proving the car is yours, deciding what happens to the registration, and clearing out everything you want to keep. Sort those before the truck arrives and the collection itself becomes routine. After that, the only paperwork left is the VicRoads step and your own records.
Wreckers Dandenong collects cars from homes, businesses and holding yards across Dandenong, Noble Park, Springvale, Keysborough, Clayton, Mulgrave, Hallam and Berwick, Monday to Friday 7AM to 6PM and Saturday 8AM to 2PM. See how our car removal service works, or book your pickup and check your paperwork with our team on 04 9382 5076.