How to Sell Car Electronics Online in the UK

To sell car electronics online in the UK, describe exactly which vehicles and connections each item suits, clear any personal data from dash cams and head units, and check the extra rules that apply to lighting and to new electrical goods. LED replacement headlight bulbs, for example, pass an MOT in a halogen headlamp only if they are an approved type with a visible approval sticker. If you sell new electrical items as a business, you also have to offer customers a way to recycle their old ones.

This guide covers dash cams, stereos and head units, reversing cameras and sensors, phone chargers and holders that plug into the car, and replacement bulbs.

Describe compatibility in detail

Fit is the first thing a buyer of car electronics checks, so give them enough to check it themselves:

• the make, model and year range the item was made for, or the car it came out of
• the supply voltage: 12 V for most cars, 24 V for many lorries
• the connector or wiring loom, and any adapter needed for your car's steering wheel controls or factory amplifier
• the mounting: suction, adhesive pad, screw-in or a fitting kit, and whether that is included
• for head units, the size of the opening it needs and whether a fascia plate is included
• the firmware or software version, if it can be updated
• what is included: cables, memory card, mounts, remote, manuals

For example, a hypothetical listing: "Front and rear dash cam kit, 12 V hardwire cable included, 64 GB memory card included and formatted, rear camera cable 6 m, fits most cars and vans, adhesive mounts." It answers the questions a buyer would otherwise message about.

If you sell as a trader, the item must match your description and be fit for any purpose the buyer tells you about, unless they did not rely on your judgement (Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 10 and 11). Say "removed from" a named car rather than "fits all", unless you know it does.

Clear personal data first

Car electronics often hold more personal information than people expect. A dash cam memory card may hold footage of journeys, other road users and number plates. A head unit may hold paired phones, contacts, call history and saved addresses.

The National Cyber Security Centre advises erasing personal data from a device before you sell it, using the device's own reset or erase feature (NCSC: buying and selling second-hand devices). Before you list:

• format the memory card in the dash cam, or remove it and sell without it
• unpair every phone from the head unit and run its factory reset
• delete saved addresses and favourites from any satellite navigation
• check the device is back at its setup screen

Headlight bulbs and lighting

From 14 October 2026, MOT testers must accept ECE-approved LED replacement bulbs fitted in compatible halogen headlamps on vehicles in MOT classes 3, 4, 5 and 7, which include cars and light vans. Approved products come with a secure approval sticker that must be fixed to the vehicle where the tester can see it. The sticker must show the category (for example H11 LEDr), the variant, the rated voltage, the ECE approval number, the manufacturer's name and a security feature such as a hologram. The change does not cover halogen headlamps converted to high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs, or full LED headlamp unit replacements. A headlamp fitted with an LED replacement bulb fails if the sticker is missing, unreadable, looks tampered with, or clearly does not match the bulb (GOV.UK: MOT special notice 05-26).

If you sell LED replacement bulbs:

• state whether they are an ECE-approved LEDr type, and give the category and approval number
• include the approval sticker, and say that it must be fitted to the vehicle
• do not describe an unapproved bulb or an HID kit as legal for road use or as MOT compliant

A trader who makes that kind of claim when it is untrue is likely to be making a misleading action (Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, section 226).

Safety of second-hand electrical items

A business selling second-hand electrical goods must make sure they meet legal safety requirements, and may have to pay compensation if unsafe goods cause injury or damage. Anything with a UK mains plug, such as an inverter or a charger for a jump starter, must have an approved plug with sleeved pins and the correct fuse. Business Companion also advises checking whether an item has been recalled (Business Companion: second-hand electrical goods). The GOV.UK list of product safety alerts, reports and recalls is the place to search.

Check cables for cuts and loose connections, and do not sell an item that overheats, smells of burning or shows signs of water damage.

Selling new electrical items as a business

If you sell new electrical and electronic equipment, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) rules apply to you as a distributor, whether you sell in a shop or online. When you sell a new item, you must give the customer a way to dispose of their old household item of the same type, free of charge. You can provide your own free take-back service, or, if you sell less than £100,000 of electrical equipment a year or only sell online, join the Distributor Take Back Scheme instead. You must also give customers free written information about the service you provide and the meaning of the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol; online sellers publish it on their website. Retailers who do not comply can be prosecuted and face an unlimited fine (GOV.UK: electrical waste, retailer and distributor responsibilities).

Packing and posting

Many dash cams and some reversing cameras contain a small lithium-ion battery. Royal Mail accepts lithium-ion batteries contained in a device with restrictions: the battery must not be damaged or recalled, no more than four cells or two batteries installed in devices can go in one package, no battery may exceed 100 Wh, and the device must be packed in strong rigid packaging, secured against movement and protected from being switched on by accident (Royal Mail: prohibited and restricted items, batteries). Royal Mail's battery rules treat battery packs, such as power banks and jump starters, differently from batteries fitted inside a device, so check its list before you post one.

Wrap screens and lenses separately, coil cables loosely, and use a box with padding. If you sell as a trader, you are liable for loss or damage in transit even when the courier is at fault (Business Companion: selling goods via online platforms).

Price and photographs

Price from completed sales of the same model, not current listings, and adjust for missing cables, mounts or memory cards. Photograph the item from each side, the connectors and pins close up, the model label, every scratch or crack, and the screen switched on if it has one. For a dash cam, a still from a recent test recording, with number plates and faces blurred, shows the picture quality honestly.

Private seller or trader

Selling the dash cam from a car you have just sold is a private sale. Buying car electronics to resell, or fitting and selling them as a sideline, is likely to be trading: HMRC says you are probably trading if you sell goods you bought intending to sell for a profit, and trading income above the £1,000 trading allowance in a tax year must be reported (HMRC: income from online platforms). It is an offence for a business to give buyers the impression that it is a private seller (Business Companion: am I in business?).

Another way to be found

Clear compatibility details save a buyer from guessing and save you from returns. You can also list your car electronics on MC999, a UK marketplace where shoppers discover products and the independent shops behind them. Sellers with a Shopify, Shopline or BigCommerce shop can connect it, and others can add products manually. The How to Sell guide explains both routes.

Already selling through your own shop? See how to add your products to MC999 and give shoppers another way to find your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sell LED headlight bulbs that are not an approved type?

If you do, describe them accurately: an unapproved LED bulb in a halogen headlamp fails the MOT, so do not call it road legal or MOT compliant. Buyers who want to use LED bulbs on the road should look for an ECE-approved LEDr type with its approval sticker.

Do I have to take back a customer's old dash cam?

If you sell new electrical items as a business, yes, in the sense that you must offer a free way to dispose of their old item of the same type, either through your own take-back service or by joining the Distributor Take Back Scheme if you qualify. Private sellers of second-hand items do not have this duty.

Should I include the memory card when I sell a dash cam?

You can, and it saves the buyer a purchase, but format it first and say its size in the listing. If the card holds footage you might need, for example, of an accident, keep it and sell the dash cam without it.

Sell on MC999

Ready to start selling without paying commission on every sale? Join MC999 as a Founding Seller and keep full control over your prices, delivery and returns.