Sell My Junk Car: 6 Steps From Offer to Payment

To sell my junk car: request two or three online offers, line up your title, and let a free tow truck haul the car away. You hand over the title when payment is in your hand. Peddle says offer to payment usually takes 2 to 5 days, and sometimes the same day.

Want the steps first? Jump to the 6 steps.

Sell a junk car in 6 steps

The short answer to “how do I sell my junk car” is these six steps, in order. For the full paperwork and DMV walkthrough, see how to junk a car.

1. Pick your route. Online buyer, scrap yard, parts yard, private sale or donation. The table below shows the trade-offs.
2. Gather the car’s details. Year, make, model, mileage, whether it starts, and what is missing.
3. Get two or three offers. Answer every question honestly. Offers are free.
4. Sort the paperwork. Signed title, a bill of sale if your state wants one, plates, insurance.
5. Book the pickup. Peddle and CarBrain both put typical pickup at 24 to 48 hours. Peddle says same-day cannot be guaranteed.
6. Hand over the title when payment is in your hand, then tell your DMV.

Where to sell my junk car: your options compared

You can sell a car for junk five ways. Prices below are as of October 2026. If your insurer already declared the car a total loss, read how to sell a totaled car first, because the settlement decision comes before any of these routes.

Online instant-offer buyers (Peddle and CarBrain)

This is the easiest route if you want a price before anyone shows up. You enter the car online, get a price, and a local tow partner picks it up. Peddle buys in all 50 states, running or not, with free towing. CarBrain lists 48 states (not Alaska or Hawaii) and accepts blown engines and failed transmissions, but says a car missing its engine or transmission does not meet its minimum standards. Peddle does not buy motorcycles, RVs, campers, trailers or boats.

Peddle publishes no average payout. CarBrain’s junk car page says $250 to $750, with no date on it. Peddle’s Texas page lists five sample payouts from $305 to $370, without saying what condition those cars were in. Junk car buyers compares more companies side by side. For the complaint record behind each one, read our CarBrain review and Peddle reviews: is Peddle legit, or put the two head to head in CarBrain vs Peddle.

Local junkyard or scrap yard

Yards pay by weight. iScrap’s crowd-sourced figure for a complete car was $183.63 per ton as of October 23, 2026, and its yard reports from June to September ran from $150 to $250. Divide the car’s curb weight by 2,000 and multiply by the rate.

That is our arithmetic, not a yard quote. A yard weighs the car as delivered and may pay less for missing parts. iScrap defines a complete car as one with the engine, transmission, catalytic converter, battery, radiator, rims and tires, and wiring harness, and warns that selling the converter separately could drop you into the lower incomplete rate. Look up the catalytic converter scrap price for your converter type before you pull it.

Look up your weight in how much a car weighs, or let the junk car value calculator do the math. Scrap car prices shows how the per-ton rate moves, and our junk car worth guide breaks prices down by car type. Call two yards and ask about towing and paperwork.

Selling a car to a junk yard: what the yard will ask

If “sell my junk car for cash” means a local yard to you rather than an online buyer, expect a short checklist. Pull-A-Part’s Memphis page asks whether the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are present, whether all wheels are on, and whether the doors, hood and trunk are intact. It says a quote is good only on the day it is issued, pickup takes 24 hours to 3 days, and you are paid cash at pickup. Our cash for junk cars page compares more yards and buyers that pay at pickup.

Rules at smaller yards can be stricter. Wrench A Part, a Texas yard, wants the physical title signed by the owner on the front (no photocopies), an adult 18 or older present to sign, and pays by certified business check. It won’t pick up from garages, low carports, locked gates or impound lots, and it disposes of plates left on the car. Ask every yard the same four things: payment method, tow cost, paperwork, and where the truck can reach.

Private sale, parts yard or donation

If you are still deciding between a repair and a sale, run the numbers in is my car worth fixing before you list it. A private buyer can pay more than a yard, but you handle the listing and the meetups. If the car still drives and isn’t quite junk, Peddle vs Carvana compares an instant offer with a buyer that only takes drivable cars. Craigslist charges $5 to post a car. The FTC warns about fake checks: a buyer overpays, asks you to send back the difference, and the check turns out fake weeks after your bank released the funds. Then you owe the bank.

Pick Your Part gives an instant online quote and pays on the spot at pickup, but says there may be deductions for accident damage and for whatever keeps the car from running. A donated car pays no cash, only a tax receipt. Here is how that compares with a sale. If the charity sells the car for more than $500, your deduction generally can’t be more than what it sold for, and the charity reports that on Form 1098-C. If you claim $500 or less, you can deduct the smaller of $500 or the car’s fair market value. A deduction isn’t cash: it only helps if you itemize, and it saves you your tax rate times the amount. For example, a $300 deduction at a 22% rate saves about $66, against the $350 median offer in our quote data. Donation can still make sense if you want the charity to have it or can’t get a buyer. Check the IRS donor rules in Publication 4303 before you claim anything. If you claim more than $500 for it, IRS Publication 526 generally limits your deduction to the smaller of the charity’s sale price or the car’s fair market value.

How to get real offers when you sell a junk car

Buyers ask the same two questions however you sell a car as junk: does the car match your description, and do you have the title?

Gather the details buyers ask for

Have the year, make, model, mileage and whether it starts and drives. Know if the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still on it, and what is damaged. Expect questions about title status and your ZIP code. CarBrain says a VIN and photos improve its offer, and Peddle says an offer can change if you edit an answer, change the ZIP or the VIN decodes to a different car.

Describe the car honestly

Peddle says its offer is locked once you accept, as long as your description is accurate and no major parts are missing. Its terms let it recalculate the offer or refuse pickup if the car does not match, even for a missing part it never asked about. CarBrain’s How It Works page says its offer is good for up to seven days and will not be subject to change.

Some sellers report otherwise. A June 2026 BBB complaint says a $470 CarBrain offer for a 2004 VW Passat was cut to $250 at pickup over a missing catalytic converter. CarBrain told the BBB the details submitted did not accurately reflect the car. That is one seller’s account against the company’s reply.

Compare two or three offers

Request Peddle, CarBrain and one local yard. Peddle and CarBrain both say you have up to seven days to accept. Peddle adds that its buyers can change or retract an offer until you accept it, so lock in the number you like. Then ask for the amount in writing before the truck is booked.

Paperwork to sell a junk car: title, bill of sale, plates

Rules vary by state, so confirm with your DMV. This is a general checklist, not legal advice. If the owner on the title has passed away, see who can sign a deceased owner’s title.

Title

The signed title is the main document (here is how to fill out the title without voiding it). CarBrain requires one in your name. Peddle calls it the primary document, but says to contact it in advance if you don’t have one because alternatives may exist, and that a missing title can change the offer. Peddle says a title issued in a different state from where the car sits is still sellable, though CarBrain has cited an out-of-state title in BBB replies about lowered offers, so mention it up front. If you still owe money, the lien has to be settled first, and CarBrain says it can help get the title released. Some states want the title notarized, and Peddle says that fee is yours. If your title is already branded junk, read what a junk title means for the rules that come with it.

If you lost yours, order a duplicate from your DMV before you book the tow, because it takes time. California says duplicates usually arrive by mail in 15 to 30 days, and Texas charges $2 by mail or $5.45 in person.

Bill of sale

Peddle lists 16 states that require a bill of sale as of 2026: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Peddle says it should show the VIN, sale price and both signatures. Add the date, and keep a copy even where it is optional.

Plates and release of liability

Pull your plates if your state requires it, then tell the DMV the car is sold. California gives you 5 calendar days to file a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. It moves parking and traffic violations after the sale to the buyer, but only the buyer’s transfer application removes your name from the record. Texas gives you 30 days to file its Vehicle Transfer Notification, and TxDMV says that means you cannot be held responsible for parking tickets and toll violations the buyer racks up.

Insurance

Cancel coverage after the car is gone, not before. Peddle’s checklist says to cancel after the sale. If the next car is already lined up, get its insurance quote before you cancel this policy.

Pickup day checklist

Before the truck arrives

Empty the glovebox and trunk, remove personal items, and clear paired-phone and navigation data. Put the keys, signed title and ID in one place. Park where a tow truck can reach the car. Peddle’s carriers do not do emergency recovery, and impound or tow-yard fees are yours. CarBrain says storage and repair costs before the sale are yours too. Peddle’s carrier contacts you within one business day of acceptance. For details on the tow itself, see junk car removal.

When the driver shows up

The driver gives the car a quick once-over and checks it against what you reported. If it matches, you sign, hand over the keys and get paid. If the driver offers less, you can decline. Peddle says you can cancel with no fees or obligations, but you would have to request a new offer, and it may differ.

Both companies score high on Trustpilot as of October 23, 2026: Peddle 4.7 from 213,198 reviews, CarBrain 4.8 from 7,834. Both invite customers to review. The low-star reviews on both mostly repeat two complaints: offers cut after acceptance or at pickup, and tow drivers who run late or never show.

What to do if the price changes at pickup

You can say no. Until you sign the title and hand over the keys, the car is still yours. Peddle’s help center says the accepted offer is what you get if the car matches your description, and that if the carrier finds a discrepancy and presents an updated offer, “you are not obligated to accept the new amount.” CarBrain’s pages say an accepted offer doesn’t change, but in a June 2026 reply on BBB it called a $470 offer cut to $250 (missing catalytic converter) an “offer reduction at the time of inspection upon pickup.”

Sellers have posted cuts like these:

• A 1995 BMW 318i seller says Peddle’s partner driver deducted $75 for a non-factory catalytic converter (sale in February 2026).
• A 2008 Kia Rondo quoted $765 by Peddle drew $350, then $550 by phone, then $400 and $300 from a rep at the car, a $365–$465 cut. The owner declined (September 2026).
• A van seller says Wheelzy’s driver handed over a $2,600 check, then Wheelzy called minutes after the tow demanding $1,600, a $1,000 cut, and said it had stopped payment (November 2025).

Those are self-reported posts, and people post more when things go wrong, so read them as warnings, not a cut rate.

Before the truck comes

Photograph all four sides, the interior, the odometer, the engine bay and the catalytic converter, and keep a screenshot of the accepted offer. Answer the converter and missing-parts questions truthfully, because that’s where most cuts start. Our catalytic converter guide explains why the part moves the price.

At the curb

Don’t sign or hand over keys until the payment in your hand matches the accepted number. If the driver quotes less, ask what changed, compare it with your photos, and decline if it doesn’t hold up. Peddle says you can cancel with no fees and request a new offer.

If the tow already left

Call the buyer’s support line with your offer number and photos, and deposit any check the same day. File your release of liability right away, as in how to junk a car, so the car is off your record. If payment is stopped, keep every text and the check, and ask your bank what your options are. A price that drops at the curb is a new offer, and you’re allowed to turn down new offers.

Getting paid, and what to do next

Check, cash or ACH

Peddle’s default is a company check at pickup, handed over once the car is secured and the documents are exchanged. Its terms say the carrier pays at pickup in most cases. CarBrain also pays by check at pickup, or by mail if you choose.

Your next move

Request offers from Peddle and CarBrain below, call one local yard, and take the highest one that fits your title situation. File your DMV notice the day the car leaves. If you want the full process first, how to junk a car walks through it from the start.

Written and fact-checked by the Junk Car Worth team. Prices and buyer policies checked October 2026. How we estimate value.