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The bottom line: To sell a junk car in South Carolina, sign the title over to the buyer. No notary, bill of sale or inspection is needed. If you still owe on the car, pay off the loan first and get the lender’s release.
If you lost the title, order a duplicate with Form 400 for $15, online, by mail or at an SCDMV branch.
Without a title, you can sell only to a licensed demolisher or scrap metal recycler, using Form TI-014A. The car must be 12 model years or older, have no plate on it, and have no engine or not run at all.
Take your plates off before the car leaves, then send the SCDMV Form 416, the Notice of Vehicle Sold, right away. Until you do, you can stay liable for the car.
In South Carolina, the typical offer in our data for a junk car 10 years or older is $490.
What would buyers pay for your junk car in South Carolina?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
- Free towing
- Fast payment
- Buys non running cars
- Pays by 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
- Buys cars without keys
- Buys cars missing parts, engine still in
- Pays cash or check at pickup
- 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
- Free towing from nearly 200 locations
- Buys any vehicle with a motor, running or not
- Backed by Copart auction yards
- Pays a check right at pickup
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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Start With Your Situation
Pick the card that matches your car.
How Do You Sell a Junk Car in South Carolina?
Six steps, in the order they happen.
Step 1: Get quotes from several buyers
A quote form wants the year, make, model and mileage, your ZIP code, and whether the car starts. One takes a few minutes to fill in.
Some forms also ask for the VIN. It is stamped on a plate at the bottom corner of the windshield on the driver’s side, and it is printed on the registration card too.
Describe the car as it stands today. Say if the catalytic converter has been cut off, if a wheel is missing, or if the engine is out, because the quote is built on those answers.
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.
The mileage line on the back of the title has a rule of its own in South Carolina: the seller discloses the odometer reading on the back of the title at transfer, required for vehicles model year 2011 or newer, under 16,000 pounds, and self-propelled.
Every form you might need
With the title in your hand, the only form on this list you fill in is the first one, and that is after the sale. The other two are for a title that is lost.
Junking without a title
Form TI-014A Affidavit of Disposal of Vehicle to a Demolisher/Secondary Metals Recycler
Signed at the yard. Which cars qualify.
Step 3: Accept an offer and book the pickup
Accepting is a click or a phone call. The buyer passes the job to a tow company near you, and that company calls 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
A flatbed backs up to the car and winches it on, so it needs a clear run and space behind the car. If the car is behind a gate, on soft ground or hemmed in by another vehicle, say so when you book.
Take everything out of the car before the truck comes: glovebox, trunk, door pockets, under the seats and the spare tire well. Take off any toll pass or parking permit.
Plates stay with you. Take them off before the truck arrives.
Lost keys do not stop the pickup, because the driver winches the car on. Say so on the quote form, since without a key the driver cannot check whether the car starts. Our guide to selling a car with lost keys covers the rest.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
The driver looks the car over and you sign the back of the title.
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 sale asks who bought the car: write the company’s name and address from your offer confirmation, not the driver’s.
Step 6: File the notice and deal with the plates
Keeping the plate for another car: $10 to transfer plates to another vehicle you own.
How to tell the state: drop off Form 416 at any SCDMV branch, or mail it to SCDMV Mail-in Registration in Blythewood
Deadline: as soon as the car has gone.
If you skip it: you stay listed as the owner on record until the buyer transfers the title, and remain liable for any incidents involving the vehicle.
Keep a copy of the notice with the date on it. The buyer’s paperwork does not do this for you.
Cancel the insurance last, after the car has gone and the notice is filed. A car that is still in the driveway is still yours to insure.
South Carolina Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Is Your Junk Car Worth in South Carolina?
A typical junk car in South Carolina is offered $490 (cars 10 years and older, 170 offers, ranked 26 of 44 states). Across the country, half of all offers on old cars fall between $375 and $1,075.
Of the junk cars quoted in South Carolina, 36% are sedans, coupes and hatchbacks, offered $335 in the middle. Ford is the make quoted most often, and its typical offer is $585. Cars 15 years and older are offered $345, 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 -76%. 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 -48%.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in South Carolina
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Buys junk cars across South Carolina
- Hauls the car away after you take the offer
- Buys used cars whatever their condition
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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. An offer comes back within minutes.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy buys cars in any condition, running or not
- Free removal from anywhere in South Carolina
- Branches in 30 South Carolina cities, Aiken to West Columbia
- No dealer, title-transfer or removal fees in the state
- Pays by cashier's check, cashable 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
Wheelzy repairs what it can and parts out the rest, so a car that has not moved in years is still worth quoting. With the title missing, say so on its form, because it asks for the title at pickup once you accept.
CashForCars
CashForCars is owned by Copart and buys cars in any condition
- Yards in Columbia, Greer, North Charleston and Spartanburg
- Offer in 60 seconds, from the form or one phone call
- Sellers report being paid by check at pickup
- 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. Sellers report scheduling a drop-off at a CashForCars yard. If you try it at one of its four South Carolina yards, arrive well before closing, since one seller’s drop-off took over an hour.
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 $346 apart.
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Can You Sell a Junk Car Without a Title in South Carolina?
Yes, to one kind of buyer, and only for a car that meets every condition in the statute.
Option 1: Junk the car without its title. The rule in South Carolina: a car can be sold without a title to a licensed demolisher or secondary metals recycler if all four conditions are met: the seller is the owner with the title lost or destroyed (or the vehicle is abandoned on the seller's property), the vehicle is twelve model years old or older, has no valid registration plate affixed, and has no engine or is otherwise totally inoperable. The statute behind it: SC Code 56-5-5670(E)(1) permits disposal of a qualifying vehicle to a licensed demolisher or secondary metals recycler without a title certificate.
The yard’s paperwork for that route: Form TI-014A Affidavit of Disposal of Vehicle to a Demolisher/Secondary Metals Recycler. You sign it when you hand the car over, and the yard keeps it.
An online buyer sends whichever tow company it works with, and that company may or may not hold the license the statute names. Say on the quote form that the title is missing and let the buyer answer.
Option 2: Replace the title. Every buyer can then quote the car.
Option 3: Sell the parts. No title changes hands when a part is sold. It is slow, and the shell still has to go to a yard. Our guide to selling a car for parts covers it.
Getting a Replacement Title in South Carolina
What a replacement title takes in South Carolina:
- Application: Form 400
- Where to submit: online through the SCDMV EZ Duplicate Title portal, by mail to SCDMV Titles, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0024, or in person at any SCDMV branch
- Fee: $15
- Processing time: 7 to 10 business days for South Carolina replacement titles by mail
- Rush option: same-day expedited duplicate titles are available in person only at any SCDMV branch
Send the application the same day you ask for quotes. A quote does not need the title in hand, so the two waits overlap instead of adding up.
Should the old title turn up later, tear it up. The replacement is the one you sign over.
If a lender still holds the title
Your lender releases it one of these ways: the lender either signs off directly on the title or provides a signed lien release letter, and the loan must be paid off before the sale. Ask the lender for the payoff figure before you accept a quote, because a junk offer lower than the balance leaves you paying the rest.
Our guide to selling a financed car has the payoff and the release.
If your title is electronic
If the car is titled in another state
A car with a Georgia or North Carolina title can be junked in South Carolina without being retitled here. Name the issuing state on the quote form, and the buyer works from that title.
South Carolina only replaces titles it issued. A lost out-of-state title is replaced by the state that issued it, on that state’s form and at that state’s pace.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
The buyer pays whoever is named on the title. For a car that belonged to someone who has died, the paperwork the SCDMV accepts is one of these: A Probate Court Order, an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property Pursuant to Small Estate Proceedings, or a Certificate of Appointment for a Personal Representative, submitted with Form 400 to the SCDMV. Once the title is in your name, the junk sale is the same as any other.
South Carolina’s rule on a gifted car: The transfer must be a genuine gift rather than a sale. Qualifying removes the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee, which is capped at $500.
A car somebody else left on your property is not yours to sign away. It goes through the abandoned vehicle process, which starts with law enforcement, not with a buyer.
Local Dismantlers vs Online Buyers in South Carolina
Selling to a local yard
A yard quotes over the phone, by the weight of the car and the scrap price that week. Nothing is in writing until you are standing at the scale.
Ask two things before you agree: whether the yard collects the car, and whether the tow comes off the price. Ask too what license the yard holds, since the no-title route depends on it.
Selling to an online buyer
An online buyer quotes from a form, in writing, and three of those quotes fit on one screen. The number is set before any truck is booked.
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 working engine and a common model name may find a mechanic or a hobbyist who pays more than a scrap buyer. Plan on weeks, not days, and on a buyer who brings a trailer.
Storing a Junk Car in South Carolina
Whether a non-running car can sit in view of the road is a town or county rule, and the town or county enforces it. Ask the local office before the car sits for months.
A car parked outside through a South Carolina summer takes in damp. Mold can grow in the cabin, and the wiring under the hood can corrode.
If it has to wait, our guide on how to store a junk car covers the battery, the tires and the fuel.
South Carolina Motor Vehicle Resources
- Motor vehicle agency: South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV)
- Selling a vehicle: SCDMV, Buying or Selling a Car
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sell a junk car in South Carolina?
With the title in hand, a few days from the first quote to the truck. The tow company picks the day, and an address far from the nearest city can wait longer.
Without the title, add the replacement wait first.
Is a bill of sale required to junk a car in South Carolina?
Bill of sale: not required.
Make one for yourself all the same, because it records the price and the date in your own file. Our bill of sale generator builds one from the details on the title.
Does dealing with the plates release me from liability in South Carolina?
Dealing with the plates releases you from liability: no, you must file Form 416 with the SCDMV to release liability.
The plates and the notice are separate jobs. The notice is the one that puts a date on the record.
Does anything have to be notarized to junk a car in South Carolina?
Title notarization: not required.
Bill of sale notarization: not required.
Does a junk car need an emissions test to sell in South Carolina?
Emissions test to sell: no testing required.
Junk buyers do not ask for test results.
Can I junk a car with expired registration in South Carolina?
Yes. Registration covers driving on the road, and a car leaving on a flatbed is not being driven. You don’t need to renew it first.
Keep the old registration card if you still have it, because it carries your name and the VIN.
What happens to my junk car after I sell it in South Carolina?
The yard takes off what can be sold again, such as the engine, the converter, the wheels and the doors. What is left is crushed and sold as scrap steel by weight.
What if the junk car offer changes when the driver arrives in South Carolina?
The driver compares the car with the description on the form. A converter or a wheel that is missing and was not mentioned is what lowers the number.
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.
Is it worth repairing my car instead of junking it in South Carolina?
Get the repair estimate, the junk offer, and a price for the car once it runs. When the repair costs more than the difference between the last two, the repair loses money.
A car with a sound engine or a rare part can also be sold for parts.
Article Update History
South Carolina junk car offers now come from Sell Car Advisor quote data.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"the seller discloses the odometer reading on the back of the title at transfer, required for vehicles model year 2011 or newer, under 16,000 pounds, and self-propelled" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form 400" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form 416 (Notice of Vehicle Sold)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Form TI-014A Affidavit of Disposal of Vehicle to a Demolisher/Secondary Metals Recycler" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"A Probate Court Order, an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property Pursuant to Small Estate Proceedings, or a Certificate of Appointment for a Personal Representative, submitted with Form 400 to the SCDMV" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Conditions to Sell Without Title
"a car can be sold without a title to a licensed demolisher or secondary metals recycler if all four conditions are met: the seller is the owner with the title lost or destroyed (or the vehicle is abandoned on the seller's property), the vehicle is twelve model years old or older, has no valid registration plate affixed, and has no engine or is otherwise totally inoperable" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"$15" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Generic bill of sale for most sales, with the SCDMV-issued form required only when the sales price and odometer cannot be recorded on the back of the title" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Electronic Title Handling Note
"South Carolina issues paper titles to owners, while the Electronic Lien and Title programme keeps a lienholder's title electronic until it is printed" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
What to Do With License Plates
"remove your plates before the car leaves, then transfer them to another vehicle you own or surrender them at any SCDMV branch or by mail" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"$10 to transfer plates to another vehicle you own" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Filing Deadline
"as soon as the car has gone" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Junk Car Value Statistics, Sell Car Advisor
"On this page: 10 figures from 17,628 instant cash offers, and 3 figures from same-day quotes by several buyers" Accessed Oct. 2, 2026
