The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Hawaii, you need the title, since Hawaii has no exception for selling without one. If it is lost, get a duplicate from your county motor vehicle office first, for $5 to $10 depending on county.
Sign the title in pen. No notary is needed, and a bill of sale is optional.
File Form CS-L(MVR)53 (Notice of Transfer) with your county within 10 days, by mail or in person, since skipping it can cost a fine of up to $100. Leave the plates on the car for the buyer.
What would buyers pay for your junk car in Hawaii?Fill in one form, including whether you have the title, and see which buyers make an offer.
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
- Buys any car in any condition, running or not
- Free towing, with no fees taken off the offer
- You can cancel before pickup at no cost
- Pays by check on the spot at pickup
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
- Buys damaged cars, even ones that can't be driven
- The engine and transmission must still be in
- Free towing, included with every offer
- Picks up within 48 hours, sometimes the same day
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Offer amount 30% 4.5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 2/5
- Owned by Copart, the salvage auction company
- Buys almost any vehicle with a motor, running or not
- Free towing, and it handles the title transfer
- Hands you a check at pickup, or mails it
Automated assistant: general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
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How Do You Sell a Junk Car in Hawaii?
A Hawaii junk sale runs in six steps, and the last is the notice of transfer to your county.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
The forms start with the year, make, model, mileage and ZIP code, then ask if the car runs.
If the VIN is asked for, it is on the title and on a plate at the base of the windshield.
Describe rust, damage and missing parts honestly, the catalytic converter and wheels included. The driver checks the car against the form.
You will also be asked whether all four wheels turn and whether the car has been in a flood. Both change how the truck has to lift it.
Get at least three quotes. None of them commits you to anything.
Step 2: Check your paperwork
Get the title and a photo ID out before you accept anything. The name on the title has to be yours, and no lender can still be listed on it.
- Title required to sell: yes.
- Bill of sale: recommended.
- State bill of sale form: Form CS-L (MVR) 40.
- Odometer reading: required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles rated over 16,000 lbs exempt.
Every form you might need
The first is for a title problem, the second goes to the county after the sale, and the third is for an estate.
Replacement title
Form CS-L (MVR) 10 in Honolulu County; other counties use their own forms
Each county has its own. Fee and wait.
Inherited car
Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Automobile) of the Decedent, Form 3C-E-312
For an estate’s car. What to bring.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
Accept the quote on the website or over the phone. The buyer passes the job to a tow company near you, and that company contacts you to set a pickup window.
You meet the driver, sign the title, and take the money. If someone else will do that for you, tell the buyer when you book.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
Tell the tow company about a steep driveway, a narrow lane or a car in a condo garage when it calls. On a neighbor island, ask the buyer whether it collects there before you book.
Take everything out of the car before the truck comes: glove box, trunk, door pockets, under the seats and the spare tire well. Take off any toll pass or parking permit.
Plates: the plates stay on the vehicle for the buyer.
Lost keys do not stop the pickup, because the driver winches the car on. Say so on the form, and our guide to selling a car with lost keys explains what else to mention.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
The driver looks the car over and you sign the back of the title in pen, as the name reads on the front.
You are paid before the car goes on the truck, so count the cash or read the check before it moves.
Keep any paper the driver leaves with you, and check your inbox, because some buyers email the bill of sale and the confirmation instead. The notice of transfer asks for the buyer, which is the company in your offer confirmation, not the driver.
Step 6: File the notice of transfer
If it is filed late or not at all: a fine of up to $100.
Handing plates back releases you from liability: no, plates stay with the car so plate surrender does not apply; filing the Notice of Transfer releases liability.
Keep the insurance until the notice is in and the car is gone. The car is yours until then.
Hawaii Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Is Your Junk Car Worth in Hawaii?
Across the country, half of all offers on old cars fall between $375 and $1,075, from our own quote data.
Nothing moves the offer more than the catalytic converter. With the converter gone, and age and mileage matched, the offer against a comparable car with it moves by about -57%. If it is missing, say so on the form.
Whether the engine starts is the next thing. Against a comparable car that drives, once age and mileage are matched, a car that won’t start moves the offer by about -46%. Our guide to selling a non-running car goes into it.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Hawaii
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Buys junk cars in Hawaii in any condition
- Offer online, then the car is hauled away
- Takes clunkers and cars that are done for
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
Peddle buys a car with a blown engine, a failed transmission or crash damage.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy buys cars in any condition, running or not
- Free removal from any Hawaii location
- Branches in 16 Hawaii cities, Aiea to Whitmore Village
- No title-transfer or removal fees in Hawaii
- Cashier's check you can cash the same day
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Offer amount 30% 5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
When the title is missing, get the quote from Wheelzy first, because it helps with the replacement. In Hawaii the replacement time is not published.
CashForCars
CashForCars is owned by Copart and buys cars in any condition
- Its one Hawaii yard is in Honolulu
- Offer in 60 seconds, from the form or one phone call
- Free towing when it comes for the car
- Takes cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, RVs and boats
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Offer amount 30% 4.5/5
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Quote speed 20% 5/5
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Pickup speed 20% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 2/5
CashForCars is owned by Copart. The cars it buys in Hawaii are sold on through Copart’s auction yards. It doesn’t pick up from every ZIP code in Hawaii, so put yours in the quote form to see whether your island is covered.
Collect all three numbers even if the first one looks fine. When two or more buyers quote the same car on the same day through our own quote form, the highest and lowest offers are typically $314 apart.
If the car still starts and drives and has a clean title, a private sale usually pays more than a junk buyer. Our guide to selling a car privately in Hawaii covers the paperwork.
Can You Sell a Junk Car Without a Title in Hawaii?
No. Hawaii requires the certificate of title for the sale, so a missing one is replaced first.
The rule: none; Hawaii has no statutory exception for selling a vehicle without the certificate of title.
Option 1: Get a duplicate title, then sell. Every buyer can then quote the car.
Option 2: Sell the parts. Parts sell with no title, though the rest of the car still needs one to be junked. Our guide to selling a car for parts covers it.
Getting a Replacement Title in Hawaii
What a replacement title takes in Hawaii:
- Application: Form CS-L (MVR) 10 in Honolulu County; other counties use their own forms
- How to apply: in person at your county motor vehicle office, or by mail if the application is notarized first; online filing is not available
- Fee: $5 to $10 depending on county
- Processing time: not published
Apply in the same week you collect quotes. A buyer can quote from your description, so the county wait and the quotes run side by side.
If the old title turns up after the duplicate arrives, tear it up and use the duplicate.
If a lender still holds the title
How the lien comes off: the lender endorses the title in the lien release section or provides a separate lien release document.
A car with a lender on the title cannot go to a junk buyer. Ask for the payoff first, since any part of the loan the offer does not cover is yours.
Read our guide to selling a financed car for the payoff steps.
If your title is electronic
Hawaii does not offer electronic titles to private owners. The paper title is what the driver takes with the car.
If the car is titled in another state
A car shipped over on a California or Washington title can be junked in Hawaii on that title. Name the state on the quote form.
If that title is lost, the state that issued it replaces it. A Hawaii county office cannot.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
The buyer pays whoever is named on the title. When that person has died, the heir uses Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Automobile) of the Decedent, Form 3C-E-312 or the probate papers.
Once the title is in your name, the junk sale is the same as any other.
Gifted car: G-27, Motor Vehicle Use Tax Certification, with G-27A, the affidavit supporting a gift exemption.
Someone else’s abandoned car on your property is not yours to sell. The abandoned vehicle process comes first, and it starts with the county or the police.
Local Dismantlers vs Online Buyers in Hawaii
Selling to a local yard
A scrap yard prices by weight and the scrap rate that week. A phone price is not a written offer, and it can drop on the scale.
Ask whether the yard collects the car and whether the tow comes off the price.
Write the yard’s business name on your notice of transfer.
Selling to an online buyer
[“An online buyer’s offer is in writing before a truck is sent, which makes it easy to compare offers. It pays for parts worth selling again as well as the metal.”, ‘The tow itself is done by a local company, the same kind a yard would use. What changed is that the price was fixed first.’]
Our guide to how online buyers work out an offer goes through what moves the number.
When selling it yourself makes sense
A car with a healthy engine in a model people still drive on the islands can fetch more from a mechanic or a hobbyist. It takes weeks, and the buyer has to arrange the tow. You also handle the advertising, the questions and the paperwork, which a junk buyer does for you.
Storing a Junk Car in Hawaii
Each county sets its rules on a junked car kept in view. A notice can be followed by a fine, and then by a tow at your cost.
Salt air and rain work on paint, brake lines and the floor of a car that sits. Keep it covered if you can, on a hard surface.
Our guide on how to store a junk car covers what else to do while it waits.
Keep the plates on the car if it is staying, since Hawaii plates belong to the vehicle.
Hawaii Motor Vehicle Resources
- Motor vehicle agency: Hawaii Department of Transportation, Highways Division
- Registration: Hawaii Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Registration
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Compare instant offers before you accept one
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Hawaii?
An offer comes back within minutes. The tow company names the pickup day, and a car on a neighbor island may wait longer than one near Honolulu.
A missing title adds the county’s wait before any of it.
Do I have to tell Hawaii I sold the car?
Yes. The notice of transfer is due within 10 days of the sale.
Does anything have to be notarized to junk a car in Hawaii?
Title notarization: not required.
Bill of sale notarization: not required.
Does a junk car need an emissions test to sell in Hawaii?
Emissions test to sell: no testing required.
Junk buyers do not ask for test results.
Can I junk a car with expired registration in Hawaii?
Yes. The title is what matters to the buyer, and the car goes on a flatbed. You don’t need to renew it first.
Keep the old registration with your papers, since it names you with the VIN.
What happens to my junk car after I sell it in Hawaii?
It is stripped of parts worth selling, drained of fluids, and the shell is crushed for scrap.
On the islands the shell is usually shipped out, since there is no mill here to take it.
What if the junk car offer changes when the driver arrives in Hawaii?
If the car turns out different from the form, for example missing wheels or a converter, the driver can offer less. Nothing obliges you to accept the lower number.
Until you sign the title the car is still yours, so you can send the truck away and use one of your other quotes.
What paperwork should I keep after junking a car in Hawaii?
Keep a photo of the signed title and your copy of the bill of sale.
Keep the notice of transfer too, because it is your record that the county was told.
Is it worth repairing my car instead of junking it in Hawaii?
Compare the repair bill with how much more buyers would offer for the car after it. If the bill is bigger, the repair does not pay.
Article Update History
The page now covers the county notice of transfer and its deadline, and national junk car offers from Sell Car Advisor quote data.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"$5 to $10 depending on county" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Replacement Title Processing Time
"not published" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Filing Deadline
"10 days" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles rated over 16,000 lbs exempt" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"recommended" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form CS-L(MVR)53 (Notice of Transfer)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Automobile) of the Decedent, Form 3C-E-312" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"G-27, Motor Vehicle Use Tax Certification, with G-27A, the affidavit supporting a gift exemption" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Form Requirements
"Form 3C-E-312 plus the death certificate, whatever the estate is worth, for a car registered in the decedent's name. If the estate is in probate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court also work." Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Hawaii Department of Transportation, Highways Division" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
What to Do With License Plates
"the plates stay on the vehicle for the buyer" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Junk Car Value Statistics, Sell Car Advisor
"On this page: 4 figures from 17,628 instant cash offers, and 3 figures from same-day quotes by several buyers" Accessed Oct. 19, 2026
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