Buying a car for the first time seems like a long-time goal that is finally achieved. The joy of owning a car is that the little worries of having to hitch a ride with someone else are finally over.

What no one tells you though is that there are extra costs involved. All vehicle owners are required by law to register their vehicles when they purchase it, and this costs money. The new owner will have to license the vehicle registration for it to be recorded on the on the National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS).

Registration and licensing of a new vehicle

To register a new vehicle you need the following documents:

Your ID

Application for registration and licensing of the vehicle

The manufacturer’s certificate containing all of the relevant details of the vehicle

You need to complete and submit the application for the registration and licensing of the motor vehicle form, along with the required documents, to your nearest motor vehicle registering authority. The cost for registering your vehicle is R120 and then there are also the licence fees you need to consider. Without these you can forget about being issued a registration certificate. There is no way around it you simply have to pay up.

Registration and licensing of a pre-owned vehicle

To register and license a pre-owned car, you need the following documents:

Your ID

Application for registration and licensing of the vehicle

The vehicle registration certificate (in the seller’s name)

A roadworthy certificate, if the current certificate is older than 60 days

Proof of purchase of the vehicle

If you’re buying a car it is very important to ensure that the licence of the vehicle is up to date. The same rules apply whether you’re buying a new or used car. You also have to complete and submit the application for registration and licensing of motor vehicle form to the vehicle registering authority, along with the required documents.

Before you drive off, you will need to be issued with a registration certificate, which will only be given to the title holder of the vehicle. Just because it’s a second hand car it doesn’t mean that the extra costs will be cheaper. The registration fee is R120, plus the licence fees and you still need to pay for the extra R36 for transaction fees levied by the Road Traffic Management Corporation. Also, a roadworthy certificate doesn’t come cheap. Take into account all of the extra financing and include it into the budget when you buy a car.

Do you still want to a buy a car? Of course you do. There is no better feeling than knowing that you get drive off into pure bliss.