Vehicle Bill of Sale Example
Sample Vehicle Bill of Sale
VEHICLE BILL OF SALE
Private Sale — All Sales Final / As-Is
SELLER: Jordan M. Smith | 4812 Oak Street, Austin, TX 78701
BUYER: Alex K. Lee | 221 Maple Ave, Dallas, TX 75201
VEHICLE: 2018 Toyota Camry SE | VIN: 4T1B11HK5JU123456
COLOR: Midnight Blue | ODOMETER: 52,340 miles (actual)
SALE PRICE: $15,500.00 (Fifteen Thousand Five Hundred Dollars)
SALE DATE: March 1, 2026
PAYMENT METHOD: Cashier's Check #1047
Seller certifies: title is free of all liens; odometer reading is accurate; no known defects have been concealed.
Seller signature: _________________ Date: _______
Buyer signature: _________________ Date: _______
What Every Bill of Sale Must Include
- Full legal names of buyer and seller (matching government ID)
- Addresses of buyer and seller (city, state, ZIP minimum)
- Vehicle identification number (VIN) — 17 characters for cars manufactured after 1981
- Year, make, model, and color of the vehicle
- Odometer reading in miles (required by federal law for vehicles under 10 years old)
- Sale price in both numerals and written form (prevents tampering)
- Date of sale and signatures from both buyer and seller
3 Errors That Get Bills of Sale Rejected at the DMV
- ❌ Missing odometer reading — federal requirement for vehicles under 10 years old; DMV will send the buyer back
- ❌ Seller address incomplete — many states require a full address including ZIP code, not just city and state
- ❌ Sale price left blank or written as '$0' — triggers a use tax audit; for gifts, write "Gift — $0 consideration" and include a gift affidavit
BillOfSaleNow generates a pre-filled, state-aware bill of sale with all required fields — ready to print and sign in under 3 minutes.
Is a typed bill of sale better than handwritten?▾
Both are legally valid, but typed documents are less likely to be rejected at the DMV. Handwritten bills of sale are frequently rejected due to illegible fields, especially the VIN, odometer reading, or addresses. A generated document ensures all required fields are present and clearly formatted.
Does a bill of sale need to be notarized?▾
Most states do not require notarization for private vehicle bill of sale transactions. The seven states that require notarization are: Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and Wyoming. In all other states, a signed bill of sale is sufficient for title transfer and DMV registration.