{"id":22210,"date":"2023-01-20T15:53:07","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T15:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/?p=22210"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:26:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:26:55","slug":"titling-used-vehicle-in-california-when-buying-from-private-individual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/titling-used-vehicle-in-california-when-buying-from-private-individual\/","title":{"rendered":"Titling Used Vehicle In California When Buying From Private Individual"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Used cars have been a hot topic for the past few years thanks to prices breaking records. In fact, Statista says 43.1 million used vehicles were sold in 2021 nationwide. Some sold privately between individuals, and others from car dealerships with second-hand inventory.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>On a car title, an individual, co-owners, trust, or business can be the owner<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Used cars in 2023 are starting to go down in price<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The latest data from Edmonds shows that in December 2022, sticker prices finally started to come down a bit with an average of $29,533. For used models of over five years, prices dropped an extra 15%. Perhaps you\u2019re in the market to buy right now. If so, continue reading for details about titling your (new-to-you) used car in California.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Paperwork with the DMV, or online<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When buying privately, the paperwork is your responsibility. But as long as you understand the steps to take for a title transfer Form Reg 343, it\u2019s not too much of a hassle. It\u2019s even easier when you title with a company like eTags who automatically populates forms for you as you enter answers to questions like, what\u2019s the VIN on the vehicle. Best of all, there\u2019s no need to make an appointment or go to a tag agency. It\u2019s all done online, plus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/app\/us?utm_source=blog_article\">eTags is licensed by the California DMV.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Signatures, odometer mileage, and more<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Assuming the SUV, EV, pickup truck or other vehicle you bought already has a California title, make sure the title has all the appropriate information. It should have details about the model, VIN (sometimes called Vehicle ID Number) and so on. You may also need to ensure that the odometer mileage is listed on the title, IF the vehicle is less than 20 years old. The California title must also be signed by the seller and buyer (you).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>You have 10 days after purchase to transfer your title in California<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If there\u2019s no space on the title to record the odometer mileage, you and the seller must complete and sign Form REG 262 known as Vehicle\/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Smog certification from seller<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Vehicles in California must comply with emissions testing; the seller can give you a valid smog certificate. But if the car you\u2019re buying is less than four years old, the seller doesn\u2019t need to get a smog inspection before selling it to you. Instead, you must pay for a smog transfer fee. Electric vehicles in CA don\u2019t require smog checks. Neither do gas-powered cars that are less than eight model years old.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/sold-your-vehicle-in-california-protect-yourself-submit-an-nrl\/\">SEE ALSO: SOLD YOUR VEHICLE IN CAR?PROTECT YOURSELF WITH AN NRL<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>A note on non-California titles<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Say you recently moved to California from another state, or perhaps already live there but bought a pickup truck from Utah, you need an out-of-state title transfer to title and register your vehicle in the Golden State. The CA DMV requires you to complete Form Reg 343. Section 7 is all about out-of-state titles. You must get a VIN verification, by a licensed verifier, AAA, DMV, or CHP, and a smog check. Please note the vehicle must already be in California.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>If the private part selling you the vehicle is not listed on the California title, include all bills of sale to show the ownership changes that lead to you<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>When title is transferred, you must get your car registered in California so you can actually drive it.The title only proves you\u2019re the owner. The registration\/license plates lets you drive your car, SUV, pickup, or EV. You can also register online with eTags.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Used cars have been a hot topic for the past few years thanks to prices breaking records. In fact, Statista says 43.1 million used vehicles were sold in 2021 nationwide.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1592,18],"tags":[1722,1603],"class_list":["post-22210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-california","category-car-buying","category-vehicle-titles","tag-california-car-title","tag-california-title"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Titling Used Vehicle In California When Buying From Private Individual | eTags<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/titling-used-vehicle-in-california-when-buying-from-private-individual\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Titling Used Vehicle In California When Buying From Private Individual\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Used cars have been a hot topic for the past few years thanks to prices breaking records. 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