How Much Is My Junk Car Worth?

How much is my junk car worth? At September 2026 prices, a typical sedan sold purely as scrap metal brings about $210 to $350, and CarBrain says junk cars average $250 to $750 once a buyer prices the whole car. Weight, missing parts, the catalytic converter, the title and who you ask all move the number.

How much is my junk car worth? Six things set the number

Weight sets the baseline. The other five decide whether you get plain scrap money or something better.

• Weight. Yards pay by the ton, so a 4,500 pound SUV beats a 2,900 pound compact at the same rate.
• Completeness. iScrap defines a complete car as one with the engine, transmission, catalytic converter, battery, radiator, rims with tires and wiring harness. Missing pieces push you into a lower incomplete rate.
• Make, model and year. CarBrain says its offers weigh demand for the car and its parts, plus mileage and age.
• Catalytic converter. Left on the car, it keeps the car complete. RR Cats’ buyer list averaged $103.30 per detached converter on September 30, 2026, with categories from $15 to $1,150.
• Title. CarBrain requires one in your name. Peddle can buy without one, but says it can change the offer.
• Location. Scrap prices vary by region. One June 2026 aggregator (clunqr) lists California near $195 per ton and Alabama near $155.

How much are junk cars worth by vehicle type in 2026

Scrap value is curb weight divided by 2,000, times the price per ton. The table uses $140 and $200 per ton as the low and high case, plus iScrap’s $177.58 headline price (as of September 2026). Weights are rounded from 2025 spec sheets, mostly base trims, so a 2008 model often weighs less.

Treat these as estimates, not quotes. Yards weigh the car as delivered, so missing parts cut the weight and can drop the car to a lower rate. Pull-A-Part’s site says junkyards pay around $250 to $500 in cash for junk cars, which roughly matches the middle rows above.

Work out how much your car is worth for junk yourself

What is a junk car worth in scrap?

Weight in pounds, divided by 2,000, times the yard’s price per ton. A 3,000 pound car at $177.58 per ton is 1.5 tons, or about $266.

Use curb weight, which is the empty car with fuel and fluids. Do not use GVWR, which counts a full load. A 2025 F-150 XL regular cab has a 4,396 pound curb weight and a 6,220 pound GVWR, so grabbing the wrong figure adds about $162 the scale will never show. The junk car value calculator does the math for you, and how much a car weighs lists more reference weights.

Where to get today’s price per ton

iScrap publishes crowd-sourced yard reports. Its complete-car reports from mid-June through mid-September 2026 ran from $150 to $250 per ton, and ScrapMonster listed $140 at a yard in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on September 29. Call two local yards, because the price differs more between yards than between months. More in current scrap car prices.

Headlines about scrap steel at $418 to $422 per ton (RMDAS, via Recycling Today, September 2026) describe what mills pay for shredded scrap. A yard buys your car whole and still has to strip, haul and shred it.

Yards versus online buyers: who pays more for a junk car

Scrap yards pay by the ton

A yard buys the hulk by weight: about $140 to $200 per ton at most yards, with a national average near $178 (iScrap, September 2026). Yard reports over the past year ran from about $105 to $250. Yards want complete cars, and iScrap warns that selling the catalytic converter separately could reclassify yours as incomplete.

Online buyers price the whole car

CarBrain says junk cars average $250 to $750. Peddle publishes no average. It asks for year, make, model, trim and a run of condition questions, and its Texas page shows sample payouts from $305 to $370, such as $345 for a 2010 Chevrolet HHR, without saying what shape those cars were in. Both say towing is free and payment usually comes by check at pickup. Both give you up to seven days to accept.

Trustpilot shows Peddle at 4.7 out of 5 from 210,482 reviews and CarBrain at 4.8 from 7,789 (September 30, 2026). Both companies pay for Trustpilot subscriptions and invite customers to review. The low-star reviews repeat two complaints: price cuts around pickup, and tow drivers who ran late or never came. Details are in the Peddle review and the junk car buyers list.

How to get the most for your junk car

1. Keep the car complete. Peddle says a missing catalytic converter can cut value by 30% or more, and the EPA says removing one without an approved replacement is tampering under federal law. A June 2026 BBB complaint says CarBrain cut a $470 offer to $250 at pickup over a missing converter, and CarBrain replied that the details submitted did not match the car. A battery, which iScrap counts in a complete car, is worth about $6 to $15 on its own (30 to 75 pounds at iScrap’s $0.20 per pound).
2. Answer every condition question honestly. Peddle’s terms let it recalculate the offer if a major part is missing, even one nobody asked about.
3. Collect three numbers. One local yard, one Peddle offer and one CarBrain offer.
4. Have the title ready. More on that below.
5. Check the price before the truck loads. The amount the driver quotes should match your screen or email.
6. Pull parts only if a parts buyer wants them. Taking them off can cost you complete-car status. See selling a car for parts.

How your title changes the offer

CarBrain says it requires a title in the seller’s name. Peddle buys cars without one, but says a missing title can affect the offer, so answer the title question honestly in its flow.

A few states let you junk an old, low-value car without a title when the buyer is a licensed scrap processor or parts dealer. Georgia allows it with a sworn statement for cars at least 12 model years old and worth $850 or less. New York’s MV-35 covers cars worth $1,250 or less and at least 8 model years old, sold to a registered dismantler, itinerant vehicle collector or certified scrap processor. Florida’s derelict vehicle rule needs a value under $1,000 and at least 10 model years.

In most other states, expect to need a title or a duplicate. As of September 2026, a duplicate costs $20 in New York and $2 by mail or $5.45 in person in Texas, and California says duplicates usually arrive by mail in 15 to 30 days. Order it early, because mail takes weeks. Confirm with your DMV, then read junking a car without a title.

When your car is worth more than scrap

If it runs

A car that starts, drives and passes your state’s inspection is a used car, not a junk car. Price it against local private-sale listings before you call a yard. Peddle says it buys cars running or not, so it works as a fast fallback, and the trade-off is speed and free towing against a possibly lower price. A private sale takes longer and can pay more. One CarBrain reviewer on Trustpilot says a 2011 Ford E350 van in good shape drew offers of $600, then $800, and sold for $7,000 on Facebook Marketplace.

If you sell privately, verify a cashier’s check with the issuing bank and never refund an overpayment. That is the fake check scam the FTC describes.

If it was totaled

Your insurer decides whether the claim is a total loss, and your state decides the title brand. If you keep the car, the insurer generally pays actual cash value minus the car’s salvage value, so what a buyer pays for the wreck offsets part of that cut. CarBrain says it works alongside insurance settlements. In Texas you cannot sell a retained car until a salvage or nonrepairable title is issued. Read selling a totaled car before you sign anything over.

If the engine or transmission is shot

A seized or failed engine still sells, because CarBrain lists blown engines, transmission failure and blown head gaskets among the problems it buys. A missing engine or transmission is different. CarBrain says those cars fall below its minimum standards, while Peddle’s blog rates them a big hit to value but still buyable. See selling a car with a blown engine or a bad transmission.

Why offers drop at pickup, and how to stop it

Online offers rest on your answers. Before you accept, Peddle says an offer can change if you edit an answer, change your ZIP code or the VIN decodes to a different car. After you accept, it says the amount holds unless the car was misrepresented or a major component is missing. CarBrain says its accepted offer stands when the car is described accurately.

Even so, Trustpilot reviews of both companies and BBB complaints against CarBrain describe cuts around pickup. Recent Peddle reviewers describe an $865 quote cut to $600 by the tow driver and a $435 offer on an Impala cut to $200. In its BBB replies, CarBrain has blamed details that did not match the car, an out-of-state title and a missing emissions sticker. In one February 2026 case it said its own staff had made a mistake and it would honor the original offer. These are customer accounts and company replies, not findings. Peddle lets you cancel with no fees before or after accepting.

Your next step: two offers and one phone call

Run your car through the junk car value calculator for a scrap-only baseline. Then request the Peddle and CarBrain offers on this page. Both are free, and each stays open for up to seven days. Call one local yard for the third number and ask whether towing is included, because it varies by yard.

Pick the highest number and get the amount in writing before the truck arrives. After the car leaves, cancel the insurance and file your state’s release-of-liability notice with the DMV. The car can stay in your name until the buyer re-registers it, and deadlines vary by state.

FAQ

How much will a junkyard pay for a car?

Most yards pay about $140 to $200 per ton for a complete car, with a national average near $178 (iScrap, September 2026). That works out to roughly $210 to $350 for a 3,000 to 3,500 pound sedan and up to about $545 for a full-size SUV. Single yard reports over the past year ran from about $105 to $250 per ton, so call at least two yards. See what junkyards pay for cars.

How do I calculate the scrap value of my car?

Divide the car’s curb weight in pounds by 2,000, then multiply by the yard’s price per ton. A 3,000 pound car at $177.58 per ton is 1.5 tons, or about $266. Use curb weight, not GVWR, which includes a full load. Yards weigh the car as delivered, and iScrap says missing parts can push it into a lower incomplete-car rate. The junk car value calculator runs the math for you.

Who pays the highest price for a junk car?

No buyer wins every time. Scrap yards pay by weight. CarBrain says its offers weigh demand for the car and its parts, and Peddle prices by year, make, model and condition. Get one yard quote, a Peddle offer and a CarBrain offer, then take the highest number that fits your title and timing. The junk car buyers list compares more.

Is a junk car worth more with the catalytic converter?

Yes. A converter left on the car keeps it a complete car for yards, and Peddle says a missing one can cut the value by 30% or more. Off the car, RR Cats’ buyer list averaged $103.30 per converter on September 30, 2026, with categories from $15 to $1,150. Don’t add that to a Peddle or CarBrain offer, which price the whole car. See catalytic converter scrap prices.

Do I need a title to sell a junk car?

Usually, yes. CarBrain requires a title in your name. Peddle buys cars without one, but says a missing title can affect the offer. A few states let you junk an old, low-value car without a title when the buyer is a licensed processor or dealer, such as Georgia (12 or more model years, $850 or less) and New York (8 or more years, $1,250 or less). Confirm with your DMV, then read junking a car without a title.