Maybe you are an individual under the age of 18, or maybe you have relied on public transport so long that you never obtained a driver's licence. Now a vehicle has come along, and you don't want to miss the opportunity of owning that specific model. Are you wondering if you can legally own a vehicle even though you are not a licensed driver?
Let us find out if you can purchase a car without a driver's licence before you start searching for new or used models on AutoTrader here.
Related: What is the process of buying a car in South Africa?
Unlicensed drivers can buy cars
In short, you don’t need a valid driver’s licence to buy a new or used car (search AutoTrader for one here). It is not like buying a television set, where you must produce a licence to buy one. Not having a driver’s licence means you can own a car but not drive it on public roads yourself. You will need a licensed individual to drive the vehicle back to your home or arrange transport for the vehicle.
However, if you plan on financing the vehicle, you will require a valid driver's licence. This is because lending institutions will require the vehicle to be insured for the entire financing period to ensure that they can get their money back if anything happens to the vehicle. But if you are purchasing the vehicle with your personal savings, you will have no problem at the dealership. Use our Car Finance Calculator to budget for your new car!
What to do if the car you want to buy is unlicensed
Now let’s look at buying a car without a valid vehicle licence because the rules are quite different for these cases. Firstly, if the vehicle is not licensed, you will need the seller to provide a very good reason for it not being licensed. You will also have to get as much ownership information from the seller as possible, as sometimes a vehicle that is not licensed could be a stolen car or even built up from a severely crash-damaged car. There is also the likelihood that the vehicle comes from a neighbouring country and hasn't been registered locally. You can also use AutoTrader's handy vehicle check tool here to gain information on the car.
Buying a car without a current licence can be problematic as it may have been deregistered, and it can be a lengthy and unpleasant process to get it back on the NATIS registry. For this, you must obtain a roadworthy certificate, a new MicroDot application and possibly a police clearance certificate before registering it in your name.
Related: What paperwork do you need when you want to buy a car?
You might be in for even more surprises because if the vehicle does not have a current licence disc, it could also mean you have to pay outstanding licence fees, and possibly you will have to pay a penalty for late licence payments as well. Sure, you can request that the seller take responsibility, however, it could stretch out the buying process even more. However, you could negotiate for a lower price to cover any of the outstanding licence fees and fines. If you are buying privately, we recommend reading Buying privately - the pros and cons.
Can you drive your newly purchased vehicle home if it is unlicensed?
The answer to that question is no. You cannot drive an unlicensed car on public roads. Just like if your tyre tread did not meet the minimum requirements or the vehicle might have a broken or faulty light, not having a valid licence disc on the vehicle deems it to be unroadworthy in the eyes of the law and could result in a hefty fine. So rather call a friend to pick you up and get the car in question onto a flatbed!
Selling your old car? Want to get rid of it fast? Try our Instant Offer tool!
