Editorial policy

Our guides help people sell, junk or recycle a car and deal with the paperwork. Getting a title rule wrong can cost someone money or a fine, so these are the rules every page follows.

Sources come first

• Every factual claim links to a primary source: a state motor vehicle agency or statute, or a federal agency such as the FTC, EPA, NHTSA, IRS or the NMVTIS program, or an industry body such as ReMA.
• Sources are listed as numbered references at the end of each guide, so you can check them yourself.
• We don't cite other junk car buyers or lead sellers as sources.

No made-up numbers

We don't publish prices, payouts, statistics, ratings or testimonials we can't source. Where a number depends on your car and your area, we explain how it's worked out instead of guessing.

Reviewed and dated

Each guide shows the date it was last reviewed. State rules change, so we recheck them against the agency's own pages and update the date when we do.

Not legal advice

Guides and state summaries are general information. For your exact situation, check with your state's motor vehicle agency, or ask a lawyer when an estate, lien or dispute is involved.

Independent of buyers

Yards and partners can't pay to change what a guide says. How we earn money is explained on how we make money.

Corrections

Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us with a link to the source. We check every report and fix confirmed errors.