Wahanaya.lk articles
Practical advice on buying, selling, leasing and looking after a vehicle in Sri Lanka.
Showing 62–73 of 121 articles
No. EPF withdrawals and loans are limited by law to housing, medical treatment, retirement, migration or marriage (for female members) — there is no category for buying a car, van or three-wheeler. Use a bank vehicle loan or a leasing facility instead.
Wahanaya.lk team6 min read
Your lease does not disappear and you must keep paying as normal, usually straight into the company's own bank account, even if its licence is cancelled or it is being wound up. Stopping payments can still get your vehicle repossessed and can hurt your CRIB record.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
Yes — many banks and finance companies will lend you cash secured on a vehicle you own outright, but the Central Bank caps how much: a maximum of 60% of the vehicle's market value for vehicles registered more than a year, as of November 2026.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
Yes. Get third-party or comprehensive cover in your own name before you drive the car away. Insurable interest sits with the current owner, so a claim made under the seller's old policy after the sale can be rejected.
Wahanaya.lk team6 min read
There is no single accident-history database in Sri Lanka, so you check panel gaps, paint thickness, chassis rails and the auction sheet yourself, then pay for an independent pre-purchase inspection before you pay a deposit.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
For a conventional automatic (not CVT), change the ATF every 30,000-40,000 km or about every 2 years, whichever comes first — sooner than many manuals suggest, because Sri Lanka's heavy traffic and heat count as severe driving conditions.
Wahanaya.lk team6 min read
By law a vehicle lease must run at least one year. Most finance companies lease cars for 1-5 years on a fixed rate (up to 7 years on a variable rate), and some lease three-wheelers and motorbikes for up to 6 years.
Wahanaya.lk team5 min read
Sri Lanka Customs sells uncleared vehicles through sealed-bid tender sales, not live auctions. You get the tender list from customs.gov.lk, inspect the vehicle on set dates, bid, pay VAT/PAL on top if you win, then register it at the RMV using the customs letter and receipt.
Wahanaya.lk team8 min read
Most Sri Lankan leasing companies quote a flat rate, which sounds low but charges interest on the full original amount for the whole term rather than on what you still owe, so it costs much more than the same percentage on a reducing balance.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
Most cars overheat in slow Colombo traffic because a weak or broken radiator fan, low coolant, or a stuck thermostat can't cope once road airflow drops to near zero. Pull over immediately, switch off the engine, and never open a hot radiator cap.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
No, not directly. The finance company owns the vehicle until the lease ends, so you cannot simply hand it over. You either settle the lease early and transfer ownership normally, or the new person takes a fresh lease to pay yours off.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
Yes. Someone living abroad can give a Special Power of Attorney to a trusted person in Sri Lanka to inspect, pay for and register a vehicle, but the POA must be properly executed, registered with the Registrar General, and accepted by the DMT and the seller before you rely on it.
Wahanaya.lk team7 min read
