What Should You Do in the First Week After Buying a New Car?

The main things a person who takes over a car should do in the first week are: making sure that mandatory traffic insurance has been issued in their own name, knowing when the motor vehicle tax (MTV) liability starts, checking the inspection validity from the registration certificate or e-Devlet, completing the key-warranty-document handover in full, and if necessary completing the address, IBAN and license plate procedures. Just because the notary signature is done, people assume the job is finished; as someone used to the old way of doing things, let me tell you that the real list starts after that.

Insurance: The Most Critical Item After the Transfer

On this subject, there is a practice still living in the heads of old-school folks: we take over the car, drive around for fifteen days with the seller's traffic insurance, then take out our own policy. Those days are behind us. With the regulation that came into force in December 2024, this period was completely removed and the process was reversed: before the notary transaction, the buyer must have valid mandatory traffic insurance in their own name.

That is not all of the rule; technically, the transfer of an uninsured vehicle is not possible. The notary will not carry out the registration transfer for a vehicle without a policy, and the sale is canceled. So insurance is no longer a matter after the transfer, but a precondition of the transfer. Do not go to the notary without a policy in hand; you will be turned away at the door.

What you need when taking out a policy

For the policy, ask the seller for the registration serial number; I mean that code at the bottom right of the registration, consisting of two letters and six digits. You will also need the current license plate and registration date information. The policy is issued based on the current license plate; if you are thinking of changing the plate during the transfer, you must have an endorsement procedure done after the sale.

So what happens if you end up without insurance? An uninsured vehicle detected in traffic is banned from traffic; in an accident, liability is placed directly on the vehicle owner. Moreover, if there is a prior record of having been uninsured in the system, a late penalty, i.e. a surcharge, may be applied. Insurance is about maintaining continuous coverage; it should not be seen as a one-time formality. In the old days you would go to the insurance agent, sit down, have tea, and a policy would be printed; now it is done in ten minutes over the phone - but some people still leave it to the last day.

There is also a task on the seller's side: after the sale, the old policy is not automatically invalidated. If the seller cancels it, they can get a refund of the premium for the unused days; remembering this refund also ensures that the final transaction with the buyer is closed out properly.

MTV (Motor Vehicle Tax): Who Pays, and From Which Period?

Liability for the Motor Vehicle Tax is tied to calendar half-years. Let me explain with an official example: For a vehicle bought second-hand on April 25, 2026, the MTV liability starts from the beginning of the last six-month period of the year, that is, from July 1, 2026. The rule is the same whether you buy in the first half of the year or the second: whichever half-year the sale date falls into, the tax starts with you from the beginning of that period.

Payments are collected in January; for 2026, the first installment was paid between January 1-31, and those who wished could pay both installments together. Since the amounts vary by vehicle, when you sit down to calculate, you must check the table by engine displacement and age group. It is entirely possible to see different amounts in the tax office's calculation examples and the tables published by insurance companies; these are not contradictions, but examples belonging to different age and engine displacement groups. Get the correct figure for your own vehicle from the tax office's official calculation tool, and that's that.

Have You Checked the Inspection Validity?

After taking over your vehicle, be sure to check the inspection date. Private passenger cars are exempt from inspection for the first 3 years; subsequent inspections are every 2 years. But there is a detail that most people overlook here: the three-year period counts from the date the vehicle left the production line, not from the date you took delivery from the dealer. The waiting time spent at the dealer also counts against the inspection calendar. For commercial vehicles the situation is different: they go through inspection every year.

You can check the validity date to the second via the registration certificate or e-Government. Driving on the road with an overdue inspection carries the risk of a fine; moreover, at a notarized sale, the inspection must not have expired - no sale transaction can be carried out on a vehicle with an expired inspection. When buying second-hand, take this as seriously as a pre-transfer inspection - if you find out after the transfer, it will be too late.

Close Out the Keys, Warranty, and Document Handover

The transfer is done, you have taken delivery of the vehicle. Now make a list of everything that should come into your hands and check them off one by one. For a new vehicle, the warranty certificate must definitely be handed over; read its contents carefully too, without rushing. Warranty periods vary by brand between 2-5 years, and the period is maintained through regular authorized service maintenance. The first maintenance interval is typically once a year or every 15,000 kilometers - whichever comes first. The sales contract must also clearly state the price, payment plan, and delivery time; do not sign without these three items.

For second-hand, the list changes a bit: if there is an invoice and warranty certificate, they should be taken along with the user manual. The spare key and user manuals are not documents that legally void the sale; but they should be part of the delivery paperwork, and a deficiency can cause you trouble later in comprehensive insurance processes. As someone who tossed the spare key aside and years later discovered half of the key was missing during a battery replacement or service visit, I say this: object at the moment of delivery, then move on.

Address, IBAN, and License Plate: Small But Delayed Tasks

There are also administrative changes that need to be completed after the transfer. Do not neglect updating the address and IBAN; these details are used as the basis for fines and payment notifications, and a notice sent to the old address can put you in a difficult position. If you want to change the license plate, you must request this during the notary transfer; payment for the new plate is made at the Drivers' Chamber cashier. For those considering a custom plate, there is a separate route: the application is made through the Revenue Administration and Traffic Registration Branches; ID and driver's license, registration certificate, a tax debt clearance letter, and the allocation fee receipt are required. Preparing these documents in advance and going is better than waiting in line three times.

Let us briefly remind you about the notary itself: as of January 1, 2026, the fixed fee period ended and the proportional fee period began. The fee is calculated on the higher of the declared sale price compared against the comprehensive insurance value. No fee is charged on sales to authorized dealerships. If the documents are complete, the notary procedure takes an average of 20-30 minutes; the new registration certificate arrives via PTT within a few business days, and the entire process can take 1-2 days. The sale price is also secured through the notary's Secure Payment System with a reference number; for sales exceeding the limit, multiple transfers can be made with the same reference. While all of these may seem like things to know before the transfer, you must know them in order to plan what comes after correctly.

Welcoming the Car Home in the First Days

Yes, in the years in between, purchase procedures became digital from start to finish; but the car itself is still metal and rubber, and maintenance still requires manual labor as before. If you bought a used car, the healthiest thing to do in the first days is to take the car directly to a service you trust and refresh the three fluids: engine oil and oil filter, transmission oil and filter, and brake fluid. No one can tell you with one hundred percent certainty when the previous owner last had maintenance done; the condition of the oil and brake fluid, however, will be right before your eyes.

Add a checklist to that as well: the condition of the oil, air, and pollen filters, brake disc and pad inspection, and a review of the cooling system components. These are not major expenses; but skipping them opens the door to a major expense. For those buying a brand-new car, the picture is completely different: check the paint on delivery day, and do not wash the car for the first 48 hours; within the first week, consider PPF or ceramic coating along with window film work. On a new car, this kind of protection is done right away; later on, it is too late.

And then there is the matter of damage history, which is useful for anyone who wants to sleep soundly after the transfer. Through Tramer, you can check the damage history using the plate or the 17-character chassis number, along with replaced parts, periods without comprehensive insurance, previous ownership, and plate changes. The same query can also be done via e-Devlet. For those in a hurry, there is also an SMS route: just text a message and send it to 5664. Even if the plate was changed later, the damage history remains visible; this is the shortest way to read a used car's story.

Time to Wrap Up the First Week

Putting the tasks above in the right order both prevents you from losing your rights and saves you from paperwork that would send you running around later. My own practice is as follows: day one, policy and document check; day two, service check; by the end of the first week, noting the MTV and inspection schedule. I follow an order like this:

1. Insurance status: Verify that you have a valid traffic policy issued in your own name; if the plate changed, have the endorsement processed.
2. Document handover: The registration certificate, warranty document, invoice, manuals, and spare key should be counted one by one; if anything is missing, report it immediately.
3. Inspection check: Note the expiry date from e-Devlet and write the next inspection year into your calendar.
4. MTV plan: Calculate the period in which the tax liability starts and the payment dates.
5. Mechanical check: On a used car, finish the oil, transmission, and brake fluid refresh within the first week.
6. Administrative updates: Complete your address, IBAN, and, if applicable, plate application.
7. Damage history: Keep the Tramer record; it will come in handy on the day you sell it later.

When this list is done, you are left with a buyer who has fully exercised their rights. The transfer process is the last step of buying a car, but the first of the buyer's tasks; whoever closes this week properly will enjoy peace of mind for years.

Sources

• How to Sell a Car at the Notary and How Much Is the Transfer Fee?
• Motor Vehicles Tax (MTV) and Traffic Administrative Fines - GIB
• How Much Is the 2026 Motor Vehicles Tax?
• MTV Calculation - TURMOB
• What Is the Mandatory Traffic Insurance Requirement in Vehicle Sales?
• Has the 15-Day Rule for Used Car Traffic Insurance Been Abolished?
• Secure Payment System - Union of Turkish Notaries
• How to Buy a New Car from a Dealership and What Should Be Done?
• Which Documents Should Be Checked When Buying a Used Vehicle?
• The First 3 Mechanical Services Right After Purchase
• Inquiry via Tramer - SBM
• What to Do After Buying a Used Vehicle
• You Bought a New Car: The First 7 Days After Delivery