Can you put a 'For Sale' sign in a car?

Just because something is common doesn’t make it legal. Nor does ignorance of the rule exempt you from complying with it, which is why we warn you from the start: you cannot put a ‘For Sale’ sign in a car.

So if you have your car for sale, parked on the public road with a conspicuous sign announcing that you are getting rid of it through its sale, you may be taking a gamble and, instead of getting money for it, you could end up with a fine.

Therefore, you have two options: either remove it and look for another alternative to avoid scares, or leave it there and leave it to Lady Luck to decide whether it sells.

Why can’t you put a “For Sale” sign on a car that is being driven?

For several reasons.

The first concerns the regulations governing the condition and equipment of vehicles on the road, which state that the car’s windows must be free of any element that significantly reduces visibility through them.

That is, placing a ‘For Sale’ sign on the car, unless it is the size of the mandatory MOT sticker, could reduce the field of vision and, for that reason, could be grounds for the user to be fined.

The fine for displaying the sign with the information about the car’s sale can be up to 200 euros and, although it is considered a serious offence, it does not deduct points from the driving licence.

As for whether you could be fined for leaving the car parked on the street with a sign announcing its sale, there is the possibility that the local ordinance may or may not include instructions on these cases.

If local laws set rules on advertising on public roads or not, as well as on the use of the municipality’s streets for that purpose, placing a ‘For Sale’ sign on a car could be considered an unauthorised advertising act, liable to be reported and fined.

Another case could consider that selling a car on the street could be compared to street vending if this is proven, equally punishable under local laws.

Car for sale or abandoned car?

Another situation that can lead to a fine from municipal police or the Guardia Civil is when a vehicle is found to remain parked for more days than the period permitted and established by municipal ordinances.

For example, as a reference, the municipality of Madrid establishes a maximum period of up to 5 days parked in the same place, consecutively, of which only working days count.