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The bottom line: Selling a junk car in Illinois takes about two days from quote to pickup. The part people forget is the report of sale, which the state wants mailed in right away. There is no online filing, so the car stays yours on the record until that envelope lands.
Peddle, Wheelzy, and CashForCars all buy junk cars here. Most bring $150 to $500. Heavy trucks and SUVs with a good catalytic converter go higher.
On pickup day you need two things: the signed title and a photo ID. No notary, no emissions test, no safety inspection.
Lost the title? You can apply for a replacement, or use the scrap-only route Illinois allows. Both are covered further down.
Start by seeing what your car is actually worth. Compare offers from multiple buyers before you call anyone.
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Start With Your Situation
Most people land here with one specific problem. Jump straight to yours.
How to Sell a Junk Car in Illinois in Six Steps
Quotes come back in minutes, and the tow truck shows up within 24 to 48 hours of you saying yes.
The only thing that stretches it out is missing paperwork.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
Every quote form asks the same handful of things. Year, make, model, mileage, whether it starts, and what’s damaged.
Some ask for the VIN. It’s on a small plate where the dashboard meets the windshield on the driver’s side, and on your insurance card.
You’ll have a number in about two minutes. It isn’t a binding contract, but the three buyers below all hold their offer for seven days, so you have time to weigh them up.
Describe the car honestly. The price holds at pickup when the car matches what you typed in.
Filling in three separate forms takes three times as long as it needs to. Compare offers from multiple buyers in one form instead.
Top junk car buyers in Illinois. All three reach Chicago and the collar counties, plus the corridors through Rockford, Peoria, Champaign, Springfield, and Metro East. Rural pickups can take an extra 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% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
- Quote stays valid for 7 days
- Handles all the paperwork too
- Buys cars that are missing keys
- Pays cash or check 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
- Assists with replacement titles
- Buys cars stripped for parts
- Driver pays you before loading
- Quote often needs a phone call
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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
- Over 200 locations nationwide
- Drop off your car at any yard
- Backed by Copart auction yards
- Pays a check right at pickup
Step 2: Check your paperwork
Two documents do the work here.
- Title required to sell: yes
- Photo ID: a driver’s license or state ID matching the name on the title
- Odometer disclosure: required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR exempt
- Bill of sale: recommended
- Bill of sale form: no state-issued bill of sale form; a generic document works for titled vehicles
Most junk cars are old enough to skip the odometer line entirely. Our bill of sale generator makes the receipt in a couple of minutes.
Expired registration doesn’t stop any of this. Neither does a dead battery, a missing bumper, or four flat tires.
If the title is missing, damaged, still with a lender, or in someone else’s name, each of those has its own fix below. None of them stop you getting quotes today.
Every form you might need
Most junk sales need no forms at all. These come up when something is missing or the car isn’t straightforwardly yours. All of them are statewide, filed with the Secretary of State rather than a county office.
Lien release
What the lender does: the lienholder signs off on the back of the title in the lien release area, or provides a separate lien release letter on company letterhead with the VIN
Needed on any car that was financed. How to clear it.
Inherited vehicle
Which one depends on the size of the estate. The three paths.
Report of sale
Form: Form VSD 703 (Seller's Report of Sale)
The one form nearly every seller does need. When to send it.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
You accept online or by phone, and a local tow company calls within a few hours to set a window. Expect a window of several hours, not a set time.
Whoever meets the driver has to be the person named on the title, because that’s who signs it over.
Say where the car sits when you book. A car in a tight alley or on a Chicago street with alternate-side parking needs a different truck than one in an open driveway.
Step 4: Get the car ready for the tow truck
Empty it out. Glovebox, center console, trunk, under the seats, and the visor where insurance cards hide.
Lost keys are normal on a junk car. Drivers winch cars onto a flatbed all day and don’t need to start yours.
Clear a path to the car. If it’s been sitting through a few Illinois winters, check the tires aren’t frozen into ruts and that snow isn’t packed underneath.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
Sign at the car, not before. A title signed in advance and left in a drawer is a title anyone can use.
The driver takes the signed title with them. For the section-by-section walkthrough of the title itself, see our guide to selling a car in Illinois.
Payment is usually cash or check. It depends on the tow company.
Photograph the signed title before it leaves, and get a receipt showing the date, the VIN, and the buyer’s business name.
Step 6: Close it out with the state
Plates stay with the seller, so pull them off before the truck loads the car. Afterwards you can transfer your plates to another vehicle you own, or destroy them.
That transfer costs $25.
Then report the sale. This is the step that gets the car out of your name.
- Form: Form VSD 703 (Seller's Report of Sale)
- Deadline: Immediately
- How to file: Mail Form VSD 703 to the Secretary of State Vehicle Services Department, or mail in the Notice of Sale section detached from the bottom of the title.
- If you skip it: no fixed dollar penalty, but you stay liable for parking tickets, tolls, abandonment, or accidents until you file the sale
Mail it the same day the car leaves. Every day it sits on your kitchen table is a day the state still has the car under your name.
Call your insurer last, once the car is physically gone. Cancelling while it’s still in the driveway leaves a gap you don’t want.
Your Illinois Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Your Junk Car Is Worth in Illinois
Most junk cars bring $150 to $500. A stripped shell with no wheels sits near the bottom. A heavy truck or SUV with its catalytic converter still attached can clear $1,000.
Two things drive the number. What the car weighs in scrap steel, and which parts are still worth pulling off it.
That’s why a rusted-out pickup often beats a tidy little sedan of the same age. Steel is sold by weight.
The exception is a car that still runs. Once it drives and holds a clean title, you’re not really in junk territory, and a regular buyer will pay more than a scrap yard.
The catalytic converter is the biggest single swing. Cars missing one lose a few hundred dollars off the offer, which is why buyers ask about it in the quote form.
Rust cuts deeper here than in most states. Road salt eats the frame and rockers, and a car that’s structurally soft is worth scrap weight and nothing else.
A common car is worth more broken. Yards want parts they can sell twice a week, so a fifteen-year-old sedan everyone drives beats a rare model nobody needs pieces for.
Wheels and a working drivetrain raise it. A car that rolls and steers is cheaper to load, and an engine that turns over is worth something to somebody.
Flood and fire damage lower it. Water kills the wiring and the interior at once, which takes most of the parts value with it.
Distance from a yard matters more downstate. The tow is free to you, but a buyer covering a long run from a rural county has less room in the offer.
For a fuller breakdown of who tends to pay the most, see who gives the most cash for junk cars.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Illinois
All three of these buy cars that don’t run. A dead engine, a blown transmission, or collision damage doesn’t disqualify anything, and the tow is free either way.
They all want a title, though. The route that skips one is further down.
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Quote stays valid for 7 days
- Handles all the paperwork too
- Buys cars that are missing keys
- Pays cash or check 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% 4/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 5/5
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Process ease 15% 5/5
Peddle picks up across Illinois, from Chicago and Naperville out to Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, and Belleville.
You get an instant offer online or by phone, and it holds for seven days. Pickup usually lands within 48 hours of accepting, and the driver pays you at the car.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy is best for older, junk or damaged cars
- Assists with replacement titles
- Buys cars stripped for parts
- Driver pays you before loading
- Quote often needs a phone call
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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
Wheelzy works through local partners in Chicago, Aurora, Joliet, Champaign, and Rock Island, and many of those areas offer same-day pickup.
The online quote takes about two minutes, though some cars need a short phone call to finish. Your price stays locked at pickup when the car matches your description, and the driver pays before loading.
CashForCars
CashForCars runs on Copart's nationwide auction yards
- Over 200 locations nationwide
- Drop off your car at any yard
- Backed by Copart auction yards
- Pays a check right at pickup
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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 and runs its own yards, which helps around Chicago, Elgin, Bloomington, and Springfield.
Quotes come back in about two minutes and hold for seven days. They handle the title paperwork themselves and will take boats, motorcycles, and RVs too.
Pick by situation. Wheelzy is the one to try first on a wrecked or non-running car and when you want it gone today, CashForCars tends to suit anything unusual or oversized, and Peddle is the steady option for an ordinary old car with a clean title.
The spread on the same car can be a hundred dollars or more, so seeing all three beats picking one blind. One form does that without you typing the car in three times.
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Selling a Junk Car Without a Title in Illinois
Illinois has a route, but it is narrow. Here are your three options, in the order most people should try them.
- Get a replacement title. This keeps every buyer on the table, including the three above, and it’s the only option that lets you shop the car around.
- Use the scrap-only route under 625 ILCS 5/5-401.3, covered below.
- Sort the ownership out first. If the car was inherited, gifted, or left on your property by someone else, no route works until the name problem is fixed.
The conditions on option two: sale must be to a licensed scrap processor or automotive parts recycler, the vehicle cannot return to the road, and the seller must furnish documentary proof of ownership such as registration plus photo ID.
That first condition is what decides your day. It rules out the national online buyers, so you’d be calling local yards one at a time and comparing offers by phone.
Bring your registration and photo ID. The yard has to record who you are at the counter.
Form to file: no specific seller form; statute allows other similar documentary proof of ownership instead of a title
Expect less money this way. A yard buying without a title has fewer ways to resell the car, and the offer reflects that.
Learn more: How to Sell a Car Without a Title
Getting a Replacement Title in Illinois
A replacement costs $50 and takes about 3 to 4 weeks once the application is received.
That wait is the annoying part, and there’s a way around it.
- Form: Form VSD 190
- Expedited service: yes, expedited service available
- Expedited fee: $30 on top of the standard fee, with requests before noon shipped via FedEx the same day
- How to apply: complete Form VSD 190 online through the Electronic Registration and Title system, then mail it or bring it to a Secretary of State facility with the $50 fee
- Where to submit it: by mail to Office of the Secretary of State, Vehicle Records Processing Division, 501 S. 2nd St., Room 424, Springfield, IL 62756, or in person at any Secretary of State facility
Apply and get quotes on the same day. Offers only hold for a week, so there’s no reason to wait for the envelope before finding out what the car is worth.
Is it worth it? On a car in the $150 to $500 range, yes, because a titled car goes to whoever pays most instead of whoever will take it.
On a stripped shell worth under $150, the fee eats too much of the payout, and the scrap route makes more sense.
When a lender still holds the title
The lien has to come off before anyone can buy the car. Even a loan you finished paying years ago can still show on the title.
What the lender does: the lienholder signs off on the back of the title in the lien release area, or provides a separate lien release letter on company letterhead with the VIN
Call the bank before you book a pickup, because a letter can take a week or two to arrive. If you still owe more than the car is worth, our guide on selling a financed car covers your options.
Electronic titles
So there should be a paper title in a drawer somewhere. If you can’t find it, treat it as lost and apply for a replacement.
A car titled in another state
Buyers here will take a car on an out-of-state title. The paperwork follows the state that issued it, not the state the car is parked in.
So if the title says Indiana, a replacement comes from Indiana, and the report of sale goes to Indiana too. Tell the buyer up front, because it changes how they process the sale.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
You can’t sell a car the title doesn’t say is yours. What you can do is get it into your name first, and the route depends on how the car came to you.
Our guide to selling a car of a deceased person walks through the order to do these in.
If someone gave it to you: Form RUT-50 with Form VSD 190; the buyer marks the transaction as a gift and pays the applicable use tax
A car left on your property by someone you can’t reach is a different problem entirely. That’s an abandoned vehicle, and it starts with local law enforcement rather than a quote form.
What Counts as a Junk Car in Illinois
There’s no mileage or age cutoff that makes a car junk. It’s a label the buyer applies when the car is worth more as scrap and parts than as transport.
What matters is where the car ends up, because that decides your paperwork and whether the car can ever be driven again.
| How you sell it | What you hand over | Can it go back on the road | What you file after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online buyer, title in hand | Signed title and photo ID | The buyer decides | Report of sale |
| Local yard, title in hand | Signed title and photo ID | The buyer decides | Report of sale |
| Licensed scrap processor, no title | Other proof of ownership and photo ID | No | Nothing, the yard records it |
| Car isn’t in your name | Estate or gift paperwork first | Not until the title moves | Report of sale |
Row three is the one to think hardest about. That path is a one-way door, which is fine for a rusted-out shell and a mistake for something you might have repaired.
Local Yards vs Online Buyers in Illinois
An online buyer gives you a number in two minutes and sends a local tow company to collect. A yard gives you a number over the phone, sometimes after asking you to drive over.
The online buyers are usually easier and often pay similarly, because they’re routing your car to those same yards anyway.
Yards win in two spots. When you have no title, and when you want to pull parts off the car yourself first, which some yards will price around.
If you go local, ask whether the tow is free and whether the quote is for the car delivered or collected. That one question explains most of the gap between two yard quotes.
Either way, get an online number first. It’s free, and it tells you whether the yard down the road is being fair. Start by seeing which junk car buyers cover your area.
Storing a Junk Car While You Sort It Out
If you’re waiting on a replacement title, the car sits for a few weeks. Where it sits matters more here than in warmer states.
Many Illinois towns have ordinances about inoperable vehicles parked in view, and a car left on a snow route can get ticketed or towed. A driveway or a spot behind the home is safer than the curb.
Keep basic insurance on it while it’s still yours, and don’t park it somewhere a flatbed can’t reach in February. Our guide on how to store a junk car covers fluids, pests, and tire flat spots.
Illinois Motor Vehicle Resources
- State agency: Illinois Secretary of State
- Titles and registration: Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services
- Start a replacement title online: https://apps.ilsos.gov/pert/
Everything here is handled statewide by the Secretary of State, so there’s no county office in the process. Facility hours vary by location, and the Springfield mailing room is a different address from the counter you’d walk into.
Illinois Junk Car FAQ
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Illinois?
About two days. Quotes come back in minutes, and pickup is normally 24 to 48 hours after you accept, with same-day possible around Chicago.
Add a few weeks if you need a replacement title first, or a few days if you pay for expedited service.
Do I need a title to sell my junk car in Illinois?
Title required to sell: yes
The exception runs through 625 ILCS 5/5-401.3, where sale must be to a licensed scrap processor or automotive parts recycler, the vehicle cannot return to the road, and the seller must furnish documentary proof of ownership such as registration plus photo ID.
Learn more: Best Places to Sell a Car Without a Title
How much does a replacement title cost in Illinois?
It costs $50 and takes about 3 to 4 weeks once the application is received.
Expedited service costs $30 on top of the standard fee, with requests before noon shipped via FedEx the same day.
Does the title have to be notarized in Illinois?
Title notarization: not required
Bill of sale notarization: not required
Does my junk car need an emissions test or safety inspection in Illinois?
Emissions testing: not required of sellers
Safety inspection: not required
Who handles it: no, the buyer is responsible for emissions compliance at registration
What paperwork do I file with the state after selling in Illinois?
One form: Form VSD 703 (Seller's Report of Sale)
There’s no online option here, so it goes in the mail: Mail Form VSD 703 to the Secretary of State Vehicle Services Department, or mail in the Notice of Sale section detached from the bottom of the title.
Do I remove my license plates before pickup in Illinois?
Plates stay with the seller, so take them off before the truck loads the car.
After that you can transfer your plates to another vehicle you own, or destroy them.
Can I sell a junk car with expired registration in Illinois?
Yes. Registration proves the car was road legal, and a junk car isn’t going back on the road, so nobody asks for a current sticker.
Hang onto the old registration card anyway. It’s useful proof of ownership if the title turns out to be a problem.
Can I sell a junk car with a loan on it in Illinois?
Not until the lien is cleared. Call the lender before you book a pickup, because the release can take a week or two to arrive.
Buyers won’t take the car with a lienholder still showing on the title.
What happens to my junk car after I sell it?
It goes to a yard, where anything resellable comes off it. Doors, wheels, the engine if it’s good, and the catalytic converter.
What’s left gets crushed and sold as scrap steel. That’s why weight and parts demand set the price rather than how the car looks.
What if the offer changes when the driver arrives?
Offers are based on what you described, so a car matching its description normally gets the quoted price. A revised number usually means something was missed, like a converter that’s already gone.
You’re not obligated to accept. You can send the driver away and take the next best quote, which is the reason to get offers from several buyers before you book.
Article Update History
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"yes" Accessed May 20, 2026
"required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with model year 2010 and older, trailers, and vehicles over 16,000 lbs GVWR exempt" Accessed May 20, 2026
"recommended" Accessed May 20, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form VSD 190" Accessed May 20, 2026
Separate Odometer Disclosure Form
"Form VSD 333.4" Accessed May 20, 2026
"the lienholder signs off on the back of the title in the lien release area, or provides a separate lien release letter on company letterhead with the VIN" Accessed May 20, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Small Estate Affidavit for estates under $100,000, Attorney's Affidavit if the Small Estate Affidavit doesn't apply, or Letters of Administration/Testamentary if probated; submit with Form VSD 190" Accessed May 20, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form VSD 703 (Seller's Report of Sale)" Accessed May 20, 2026
"$25" Accessed May 20, 2026
Sell Without Title: Legal Authority
"625 ILCS 5/5-401.3" Accessed May 20, 2026
Replacement Title Processing Time
"about 3 to 4 weeks once the application is received" Accessed May 20, 2026
Title Replacement Expedited Option?
"yes, expedited service available" Accessed May 20, 2026
How to Complete a Gift Transfer
"the donor signs the title over to the recipient as in a private sale; the recipient submits Form VSD 190, the assigned title, and Form RUT-50 to the Secretary of State within 20 days, paying the title transfer fee and any applicable use tax" Accessed May 20, 2026
"Illinois Secretary of State" Accessed May 20, 2026
"https://apps.ilsos.gov/pert/" Accessed May 20, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"not required of sellers" Accessed May 20, 2026