The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Tennessee, sign the title over to the buyer. No notary or inspection is needed, and a bill of sale is recommended. If a lender still holds the title, you and the buyer sign a notarized bill of sale instead.
Without a title, a car 12 years or older can go to a licensed dismantler or scrap metal processor. They take your ID, signature and thumbprint at pickup, then wait three business days before scrapping it.
To replace a lost title, file Form RV-F1315201 with your county clerk, in person or by mail. The fee is $14 plus county fees.
Transfer your plate to your next car for $1, or hand it in at the county clerk’s office. Tennessee needs no seller’s report of sale. You may stay on record until the buyer titles the car, so keep copies of the signed title and bill of sale.
In Tennessee, the typical offer in our data for a junk car 10 years or older is $480.
What would buyers pay for your junk car in Tennessee?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 Tennessee?
1. Get quotes from several buyers
A quote form asks for the year, make, model and mileage, and the ZIP code where the car sits. It also asks what’s wrong with the car.
Have the VIN ready. It’s printed on the title and at the base of the windshield, on the driver’s side.
In our offer data, nothing moves the offer more than a missing catalytic converter. So be exact about damage and missing parts, the converter above all.
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. So get at least three quotes.
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. Fix either problem before the truck is booked.
Every form you might need
You need most of these only when the title is missing, a lender is on it, or the car came to you another way. The odometer form depends on the model year.
Replacement title
Use: Form RV-F1315201
For a title that is lost, damaged or never printed. Fee and wait.
Odometer disclosure
Use: Form RV-F1317001 (Odometer Disclosure Statement) for model year 2011 and newer vehicles
Check the model year on your title against that line.
Selling without a title
Use: none; the dismantler or scrap metal processor records the transaction at pickup
Inherited vehicle
Use: Form RV-F1310501 (Affidavit of Inheritance)
For a car left to you. When it applies.
3. Accept an offer and book the pickup
Accept the offer you want. Peddle’s tow company then contacts you within one business day to schedule the pickup, and CashForCars has one of its towing partners call you to set a time.
Be there to meet the driver and sign the title. If someone else will do that for you, tell the buyer when you book.
4. Get the car ready for the tow truck
Take everything out of the car: the glove box, the trunk, the door pockets and the space under the seats. Take off any toll pass or parking permit.
Move other vehicles and anything else in the way before the truck comes, and open any gate it has to pass through.
The plate is yours, not the buyer’s, so take it off before the truck arrives.
Put the keys somewhere you can find them. If they’re lost, say so on the quote form.
5. Sign the title and take payment
The driver looks the car over and you sign the back of the title. Photograph it before you hand it over, and have your ID ready to show.
Title transfers in Tennessee go through the local county clerk's office in person.
Peddle, Wheelzy and CashForCars all pay at pickup, so count the cash or read the check before the driver leaves.
Keep any paper the driver leaves with you, and your offer confirmation.
6. Handle the plate and the insurance
What to do with the plate: transfer it to another vehicle you own for $1, or hand it in at the county clerk's office if you do not want it.
Cancel the insurance once the truck has left with the car, not before. Keep the title photo and the payment record together.
Tennessee Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Is Your Junk Car Worth in Tennessee?
In Tennessee, buyers typically offer $480 for a junk car (cars 10 years and older, 268 offers, ranked 32 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 Tennessee, 44% are sedans, coupes and hatchbacks, typically offered $415. Ford is the make quoted most often, and its typical offer is $480. Buyers typically offer $385 for a car 15 years or older in Tennessee, from our own quote data.
A Tennessee car is offered less than the national figure at every age. The gap is widest on cars 10 to 12 years old and almost closes on cars 20 to 24 years old. The chart sets our Tennessee offers against every offer nationally at each age.
Typical offer on old cars in Tennessee 268 Tennessee offers · 12,312 nationally · Age of car when the offer was made (years)Show the numbers
Age (years) Tennessee Offers All cars nationally Offers 10-12 $1,025 69 $1,235 2,808 13-14 $665 35 $720 1,746 15-17 $415 47 $555 2,735 18-19 $370 31 $465 1,527 20-24 $385 55 $410 2,331 25+ $310 31 $350 1,165 
A Tennessee pickup truck is offered far more than the national pickup figure, and more than double a Tennessee car (sedan, coupe or hatchback). A Tennessee SUV is offered a little more than the national figure for SUVs, and a Tennessee car is offered less.
Typical offer on old cars in Tennessee by body type 224 Tennessee offers, cars 10 years and olderShow the numbers
Body type Tennessee Offers All cars nationally Offers Pickup truck $1,145 31 $853 1,088 SUV / crossover $710 71 $670 3,629 Car (sedan, coupe, hatch) $415 122 $510 5,380
Whether it starts. Buyers offer about 46% less for a car that won’t start than for a comparable car that drives, once age and mileage are matched.
Whether the catalytic converter is still on the car. With the converter gone, buyers offer about 57% less than for a comparable car with it, once age and mileage are matched. If it’s missing, say so on the form.
How each figure is worked out, and the same numbers for every state, is on our junk car value statistics page.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Tennessee
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Buys junk cars anywhere in Tennessee
- Offer online in a few minutes
- Buys damaged and non-running cars
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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 makes offers on cars in all conditions, including damaged cars and cars with missing parts.
Wheelzy
Wheelzy buys cars in any condition, running or not
- Free removal in 33 Tennessee cities, Bristol to Memphis
- No title-transfer or removal fees in Tennessee
- Usually a cashier's check you can cash the same day
- Buys sedans, trucks, vans and SUVs in any 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% 5/5
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Vehicle acceptance 15% 4/5
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Process ease 15% 4/5
Wheelzy buys cars with any amount of damage, including totaled cars that can’t be driven.
CashForCars
CashForCars is owned by Copart and buys cars in any condition
- Yards in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville
- Sixty seconds on the form or the phone gets you a number
- The tow costs nothing, wherever the car sits
- Motorcycles, RVs and boats as well as cars, trucks and SUVs
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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 it buys everything from used cars to damaged and total-loss ones.
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 Tennessee covers the paperwork.
Can You Sell a Junk Car Without a Title in Tennessee?
Yes, for some cars. There are three ways to do it.
Option 1: Use the state’s scrap rule. Tennessee’s rule, in TCA § 55-3-203: vehicle must be 12+ years old, sold to a licensed dismantler or scrap metal processor for parts, dismantling, or scrap; 3-business-day waiting period before processing; ID, signature, and thumbprint collected at pickup.
Say on the quote form that there is no title, and let the buyer tell you whether it can buy the car that way.
Option 2: Apply for a duplicate title and wait for it. Every buyer can then quote the car.
Option 3: Sell the parts one by one. Selling parts doesn’t transfer the car, so no title is needed. It’s slower than either of the other two.
Getting a Replacement Title in Tennessee
Apply for the replacement the same week you collect quotes. What a replacement title takes in Tennessee:
- Application: Form RV-F1315201
- Where to submit: local county clerk's office, in person or by mail
- Fee: $14 (plus county fees)
- Processing time: varies by county; typically 7 to 10 business days, with 3 business days in Shelby County and 4 to 6 weeks by mail
- Rush option: yes, in person at the county clerk's office (varies by county)
Get the duplicate for any car that doesn’t meet the scrap rule.
If a lender still holds your title
Peddle and CashForCars don’t buy a car with a loan still on it, so the lien comes off first. How the lien comes off in Tennessee: the lienor signs the title release section, returns the tear-away portion with date and signature, or sends a lien release letter on lienor letterhead with the VIN to the Vehicle Services Division.
If you owe more than the offer, pay the lender the difference before the sale.
If your title is electronic
Tennessee’s electronic title system: Optional through the ELT program. While a lien is recorded through a participating lender the state keeps the title as an electronic record instead of printing one. When the lien is satisfied an electronic release is sent, and the title may then be printed or kept electronically.
If your loan is paid off and you have no paper title, have the title printed before you accept an offer.
If the car is titled in another state
A car in Tennessee with a title from another state can be sold the same way. You sign that state’s title following its instructions. Tell the buyer which state issued the title when you get the quote.
A lost out-of-state title is replaced by the state that issued it, not by Tennessee.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
The title has to be in your name before the pickup. You can get quotes while the paperwork is being processed.
The owner died. An heir uses Form RV-F1310501 (Affidavit of Inheritance). Once the title is in your name, the junk sale is the same as any other.
Someone gave you the car. A gifted car is transferred with RV-F1301201, Affidavit of Non-Dealer Transfers of Motor Vehicles and Boats.
A stranger abandoned the car on your land. It isn’t yours to sell, so it goes through the abandoned vehicle process instead.
Local Dismantlers vs Online Buyers in Tennessee
Selling to a Tennessee scrap yard
Ask a local yard to put its price in writing, and ask whether that price includes towing.
If you have no title, ask what license the yard holds. The no-title route depends on it.
Selling to an online buyer
The comparison tool shows each buyer’s offer in writing before any truck is booked, so you can compare them side by side.
Our guide to how online buyers work out an offer goes through what moves the number.
Storing a Junk Car in Tennessee
Before you store the car, check your city’s and county’s rules on a junked car kept in public view.
Park it on a hard surface and keep it closed up.
Tennessee Motor Vehicle Resources
- Motor vehicle agency: Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services Division
- Vehicle titling: Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Titling
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 Tennessee?
The comparison tool returns offers within minutes, and Peddle’s pickups typically happen within 24 to 48 hours of scheduling.
Is a bill of sale required to junk a car in Tennessee?
A bill of sale is recommended in Tennessee.
State form: Generic (no state form).
Write one either way, as your record of who bought the car and when.
Does anything have to be notarized to junk a car in Tennessee?
Title notarization is not required in Tennessee, and bill of sale notarization is required only when a lender or other lienholder holds the title.
Sign in ink in the seller’s section and nowhere else on the title.
Does my junk car need an emissions test or safety inspection in Tennessee?
Junk buyers don’t ask for test results.
Emissions test to sell: no testing required.
Safety inspection to sell: not required.
Do I have to tell Tennessee I sold the junk car?
No filing is required. Keep a copy of the signed title and bill of sale for your records.
Handing the plate back releases you from liability: no, plate surrender alone does not release liability; the state has no required release of liability filing.
If the buyer never retitles the car: no specific penalty; you may remain on record and liable for the vehicle until the buyer titles it in their name.
Can I sell a junk car with expired registration in Tennessee?
Yes. You don’t need to renew the registration first.
What happens to a junk car after it is sold in Tennessee?
That depends on the buyer. Wheelzy repairs the cars it can, and recycles or parts out the ones that are beyond repair.
What if the junk car offer changes when the driver arrives in Tennessee?
You don’t have to accept it. A price cut at or after pickup was the most common complaint sellers made about Peddle to the BBB in the year we read.
Until you sign the title the car is still yours, so you can send the truck away and use one of your other quotes.
Should I repair the car or junk it in Tennessee?
Get a repair estimate, then compare it with how much more buyers would offer once the car runs. A repair that costs more than that difference loses money.
A car with a good engine and a common body has a third option, which is selling it for parts.
What if I lost the keys to my junk car in Tennessee?
Wheelzy buys cars without keys regularly, so lost keys don’t have to stop the sale. Say so on the quote form.
Article Update History
Tennessee offers by age and body type now come from Sell Car Advisor quote data.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
"recommended" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Separate Odometer Disclosure Form
"Form RV-F1317001 (Odometer Disclosure Statement) for model year 2011 and newer vehicles" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"the lienor signs the title release section, returns the tear-away portion with date and signature, or sends a lien release letter on lienor letterhead with the VIN to the Vehicle Services Division" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Form RV-F1310501 (Affidavit of Inheritance)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Generic (no state form)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"not required" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
What to Do With License Plates
"transfer it to another vehicle you own for $1, or hand it in at the county clerk's office if you do not want it" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"local county clerk's office in person" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Where to Submit Duplicate Title Application
"local county clerk's office, in person or by mail" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Replacement Title Processing Time
"varies by county; typically 7 to 10 business days, with 3 business days in Shelby County and 4 to 6 weeks by mail" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Tennessee Department of Revenue, Vehicle Services Division" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"no testing required" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Penalty for Not Filing Release of Liability
"no specific penalty; you may remain on record and liable for the vehicle until the buyer titles it in their name" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"none; the dismantler or scrap metal processor records the transaction at pickup" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Electronic Title Handling Note
"Optional through the ELT program. While a lien is recorded through a participating lender the state keeps the title as an electronic record instead of printing one. When the lien is satisfied an electronic release is sent, and the title may then be printed or kept electronically." Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Duplicate Title Application Form
"Form RV-F1315201" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"RV-F1301201, Affidavit of Non-Dealer Transfers of Motor Vehicles and Boats" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Typical offer on old cars in Tennessee, Junk Car Value Statistics
"268 Tennessee offers · 12,312 nationally" Accessed Oct. 16, 2026
Typical offer on old cars in Tennessee by body type, Junk Car Value Statistics
"224 Tennessee offers, cars 10 years and older" Accessed Oct. 2, 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. 19, 2026
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