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Learn how to sell your car the smart way. Our guides cover salvage titles, junk cars, private sales, financed cars, and more. Get answers before you sell.

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Cartoon man holding a vehicle certificate of title, a death certificate and court letters

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 37 min
Last updated: October 16, 2026

The bottom line: Before you can sell a deceased person's car, you need legal authority to sign its title. That means going through probate court, becoming an estate executor, or using a simplified procedure like a small estate affidavit. If the car was jointly owned, had a Transfer-on-Death beneficiary, or you are the surviving spouse, most of that falls away....

Cartoon man holding a sign that reads "Sell a car without a title?"

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 13 min
Last updated: October 17, 2026

The bottom line: You can sell a car without a title, but your best first step is getting a replacement title from your state's DMV. It opens up every selling option and gets you the most money. Fees run from $2 in Texas to over $100 in Oregon. The wait runs from the same day over a counter in Minnesota,...

Cartoon man holding a car loan agreement stamped "Paid in Full"

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 17 min
Last updated: October 16, 2026

The bottom line: With a loan on the car, the money has to reach your lender before the title can reach the buyer, because the lender holds a claim on the title until the balance is cleared. Get your payoff figure before you do anything else. Then pick a route that settles it: a private buyer paying your lender, a...

Cartoon man holding California and New York license plates and a DMV form

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 11 min
Last updated: October 16, 2026

The bottom line: In most states, you remove your license plates when you sell your car, then transfer them to your next vehicle or return them to the DMV. states () require standard plates to stay on the car when you sell it. Kentucky did too until January 1, 2024, when it switched to an owner-keeps-plates system. In a few...

Cartoon man holding an accordion file of title, bill of sale and service records

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 11 min
Last updated: October 15, 2026

The bottom line: Selling a car out of state isn't complicated. You handle your own state's paperwork, and the buyer handles registration in their home state. Select your state in the tool to see exactly what yours requires. If you'd rather skip paperwork entirely, compare offers from multiple online buyers who handle all of it remotely. In-State Sales Follow your...

Cartoon man pointing at a phone app with a "Get Offer Now" button for a car

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 21 min
Last updated: October 20, 2026

The bottom line: Our top picks are Carvana for newer vehicles, Peddle for cars in any condition, and CarGurus for comparing multiple dealer offers. Online car buyers let you get instant quotes, book a pickup or drop-off, and receive payment without stepping foot in a dealership. The best offer fair prices and reliable service, and handle the sale paperwork. You...

Sell a car in Texas

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 15 min
Last updated: October 12, 2026

The bottom line: To sell a car privately in Texas, sign the title over to the buyer and fill in the odometer reading on it. No notary is needed. The plates stay with you, so move them to another car you own or destroy them. Within [tx-filing-deadline] of the sale, file Form VTR-346 online, by mail or at a TxDMV...

Cartoon man holding an accordion file of title, bill of sale and service records

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 15 min
Last updated: October 5, 2026

The bottom line: Selling a car to an online buyer takes paperwork in three stages: before you request a quote, at pickup, and with the DMV after the sale. Which documents you need at each stage depends on your buyer, your state and your car's situation. The stage that catches people out is the last one, because most people think...

Cartoon man holding a sign that reads "Sell for Free"

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 29 min
Last updated: October 14, 2026

The bottom line: Most of the 10 places we picked charge you nothing to sell your car. Facebook Marketplace takes no commission on a sale paid in person, and Cars.com, Peddle, Wheelzy, CarBrain and CashForCars all have zero seller fees. Three charge fees worth knowing before you pick. Algo deducts $125 from your payment, and Carvana may charge a pickup...

Cartoon man holding a broken-down car with its hood open

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 14 min
Last updated: October 14, 2026

The bottom line: The best places to sell a car that won't start are Peddle, Wheelzy and CashForCars, which buy it as it is and tow it for free. In our offer data, buyers offer less for a car that won't start than for a similar car that drives. In our test of five non-running cars, Peddle offered the most...

Cartoon man holding a tablet reading "Top Rated Online Car Buyers" with five stars

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 9 min
Last updated: October 13, 2026

The bottom line: We scored the major online car-buying companies on a weighted average of their ratings from Trustpilot, the Better Business Bureau, Google Reviews, Yelp, Sitejabber, and Facebook. Each platform counts in proportion to its number of reviews, so a rating built on a larger sample carries more weight. For example, a platform with 175,000 reviews carries more weight...

Cartoon man on the phone holding a vehicle bill of sale stamped "Sold"

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 11 min
Last updated: October 13, 2026

The bottom line: Cancel your car insurance last, once you've finished your own steps: signing over the title, creating a bill of sale, filing any DMV notification your state requires, and closing out your plates and registration. You don't wait for the buyer to register the car. Every step that releases you is one you take yourself. Canceling too early...

Sell a car in North Carolina

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 14 min
Last updated: October 12, 2026

The bottom line: To sell your car privately in North Carolina, sign the back of the title as seller in front of a notary, then hand the title to the buyer. If two owners are on the front, both sign. Fill in the assignment carefully, with the odometer reading on a 2011 or newer car, because an alteration voids it....

Sell a car in Ohio

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 16 min
Last updated: October 6, 2026

The bottom line: To sell your car privately in Ohio, sign the title over to the buyer in front of a notary. Only your signature needs notarizing, and a notary at your County Clerk of Courts title office charges $5. If the title names two owners, both must be there unless one brings a notarized power of attorney. On a...

Cartoon man holding a ,500 dealer quick offer and a ,800 private buyer agreement

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 11 min
Last updated: October 16, 2026

The bottom line: For a car in good shape, selling privately gets you the most money. A dealer will usually offer you less than a private buyer would pay, sometimes a lot less, because its costs and profit come out of the trade-in offer. The average franchised dealer made gross on each used car it resold in the year to...

Cartoon man holding a wrecked car with a red "Salvage" tag

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 16 min
Last updated: October 20, 2026

The bottom line: For most salvage title cars, online junk car buyers like Peddle or Wheelzy are your fastest, easiest path. They buy salvage vehicles in any condition and tow them free. With Peddle the tow company contacts you within a business day, and pickup typically comes 24 to 48 hours after you schedule it, sometimes the same day. Most...

Cartoon man holding a replacement vehicle title form and a map of the United States

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 9 min
Last updated: October 13, 2026

The bottom line: Getting a replacement car title is usually a simple process you handle with your DMV, online, by mail or in person. You fill out an application, show proof of identity and that you own the car, and pay a fee. Fees vary by state, and the table has your state's exact cost. Processing times range from same...

Cartoon man holding an auto loan payoff confirmation

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 23 min
Last updated: October 16, 2026

The bottom line: Several major car buying companies handle your auto loan payoff when you sell to them. Five buy your car directly and pay your lender themselves: Carvana, CarMax, AutoNation, ALGO and Driveo's local partner dealers. CarGurus, KBB Instant Cash Offer and TrueCar are dealer platforms that connect you with a local dealer who handles the payoff. With CarGurus,...

Cartoon man holding a rusty pipe wrench and an old carburetor

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 14 min
Last updated: October 7, 2026

The bottom line: For most junk cars, national junk car buyers like Peddle and Wheelzy offer the best combination of convenience and value. They buy non-running vehicles too. In the last year of our offers, half of all offers on cars 10 years and older fell between . Even a completely junked car has a baseline value in its scrap...

Cartoon man holding a laptop showing a Kelley Blue Book value of ,450

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 13 min
Last updated: October 20, 2026

The bottom line: KBB Private Party values are a useful starting point, but they can run higher than what a buyer actually offers. Trade-in estimates tend to be closer to real dealer offers, but still vary with your car's condition and your local market. The private party gap usually comes from the condition grade. KBB's picker stops at Fair, while...

Cartoon man holding a trade-in sales tax form

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 22 min
Last updated: October 14, 2026

The bottom line: Yes, trading in a car reduces sales tax in most states. You pay tax only on the difference between your new car's price and your trade-in value, typically saving you hundreds or thousands of dollars. A $12,000 trade-in on a $30,000 car takes $350 to $1,260 off the tax bill, depending on your combined state and local...

Cartoon man holding out a car key fob to a buyer

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 8 min
Last updated: September 22, 2026

The bottom line: Yes, give buyers a test drive when you sell your car. It's what buyers expect, and refusing will hurt your chances of making a sale. Test drives go fine when you set the terms first: meet somewhere public, see the license and the insurance card, and ride along. Even with the buyer driving, your own insurance policy...

Cartoon man holding a glowing digital vehicle e-title

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 10 min
Last updated: October 14, 2026

The bottom line: Most states now issue vehicle titles electronically in some form, but most of those systems are built for banks and lenders, not for selling your car. Only Arizona, Utah and Virginia let you complete the whole transfer online with no office visit. Indiana and Texas issue titles electronically but want a paper copy printed before a private...

Cartoon man holding a vehicle certificate of title

Author: Tomas Gutauskas
Reading time: 11 min
Last updated: October 12, 2026

The bottom line: The word between the names on your title decides whether you can sell the car alone or need every owner involved. Before you accept any offer, sort out who needs to sign, pay off any loans on the car and have the paperwork ready. That way the sale doesn't stall at the last minute. Once you're ready,...

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