California Vehicle Bill of Sale Template

What makes a vehicle different: This is the document the state agency actually expects for a car or light truck, and the one place where the stated price does double duty: it evidences the sale and it sets the tax the buyer will be assessed. Where a state compares the declared price against a published valuation, writing a courtesy figure below the real one creates a tax problem for the buyer rather than a favour.

Identifying the vehicle: Record the vehicle identification number, copied from the dashboard or door jamb and matched against the title rather than the seller's advertisement, together with the make, model, model year, and the reading on the odometer at the moment of sale.

Mileage and hours: Federal law requires the odometer reading to be disclosed on transfer, and the rule changed in a way most forms have not caught up with. Under 49 CFR 580.17 a vehicle of model year 2010 or earlier becomes exempt 10 years after its model year, but a vehicle of model year 2011 or later is exempt only after 20 years. In practice that means nearly every car being sold privately today still requires a disclosure, including ones well over a decade old.

Tax on the sale: In California, buyer pays use tax based on the purchase price or fair market value (whichever is higher), California use tax rate is the same as the sales tax rate in the buyer's county (7.25%-10.75%).

Notarization: not required for vehicle transactions, the seller signs the title certificate, and the buyer submits it to the DMV.

Both signatures: The document should be signed by seller and buyer and a copy kept by each, since it is the only record either party holds if the transfer is later questioned.

Sold as seen: A private sale in California carries no implied warranty unless the parties write one in, so state plainly whether the vehicle is sold as-is.