Sell your car in South Carolina with one form and no notary
South Carolina makes this about as easy as any state in the country: no notary, no safety or emissions inspection, and the state's fee lands on the buyer at registration — not on you. From the Upstate's assembly lines to the Lowcountry's salt air, we buy across all 46 counties, whatever shape the car is in.
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We buy across all 46 counties. These are the markets where we've written the local playbook.
What South Carolina requires when you sell
| Notary | None needed. Sign the title over to the buyer with the odometer reading, purchase date, and selling price filled in on the back — notarization appears nowhere in the SCDMV's seller instructions. |
|---|---|
| The title form | The sale is assigned on the back of the title itself. The buyer then files a Title Application (SCDMV Form 400) with the $15 title fee, and SCDMV asks for a signed bill of sale to ride along with the transaction — essential, since the title assignment has no sales-price field of its own. |
| Lost your title? | A duplicate costs $15 using the same Form 400 — online, by mail, or at any SCDMV branch. Same-day expedited duplicates are in-person only for an extra $20, and if a lien is on record the duplicate goes to the lienholder, not to you. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | File a Notice of Vehicle Sold (SCDMV Form 416) — drop it at any branch or mail it to SCDMV, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0036. It protects the last registered owner until the buyer completes the transfer, and since SCDMV sets no deadline, the smart move is filing it the day you sell. |
| License plates | Plates stay with the seller in South Carolina — never the car. Pull yours before the buyer drives off, then either transfer it to another vehicle you own for $10 (S.C. Code § 56-3-1290) or surrender it to the SCDMV — surrender is required if you don't transfer it, unless the plate has already expired. |
| Sales tax | The buyer's problem, not yours — and technically it isn't sales tax at all. South Carolina collects an Infrastructure Maintenance Fee of 5% of the purchase price, capped at $500, when the buyer titles and registers. The seller owes nothing on the deal. |
| Inspections | Zero. South Carolina requires no periodic safety inspection and no emissions or smog testing anywhere in the state — the SCDMV registers passenger cars without either (Kelley Blue Book, inspections by state). |
Fees and forms current as of August 2026 — confirm the details on the SCDMV's buying-or-selling page before you sign anything.
Asked by South Carolina sellers
Do I need a notary to sell my car in South Carolina?
No. Sign the title over to the buyer with the odometer reading, sale date, and price on the back, and you're done — the SCDMV's seller instructions never mention a notary. Pair it with a signed bill of sale so the price is documented, since the title assignment itself has no price field.
What happens to my license plate when I sell?
It stays with you. Take it off before the buyer leaves, then either move it to another vehicle you own for $10 or surrender it to the SCDMV — and note that only plates that are still active can be surrendered.
Do I owe any tax when I sell my car in South Carolina?
No. The buyer pays the state's 5% Infrastructure Maintenance Fee, capped at $500, when they title and register the vehicle. Nothing about the transaction lands on the seller.
What is SCDMV Form 416 and why does everyone say to file it?
It's the Notice of Vehicle Sold. Until the buyer actually completes the title transfer, the car can still trace back to you as the last registered owner — Form 416 cuts that thread. There's no filing deadline, which is exactly why you should file it the day of the sale, at any branch or by mail to Blythewood.