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The bottom line: To sell a junk car in Washington, sign the title over to the buyer. Every owner on the title must sign. No notary, emissions test or safety inspection is needed.
Add the sale price and date to the title, or fill in a bill of sale (Form 420 065).
If you lost the title, use an Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest (Form 420 040) in its place, signed before a notary or a licensing agent. If a loan is still open, the lender must release its interest too.
Keep your plates, and file a Report of Sale within 5 business days, online, in person or by mail. Until you do, you may be liable for towing charges and other costs the new owner runs up.
In Washington, the typical offer in our data for a junk car 10 years or older is $435.
What would buyers pay for your junk car in Washington?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
Jump straight to your situation.
How Do You Sell a Junk Car in Washington?
Step 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 whether the car starts.
If a buyer wants the VIN, look through the windshield at the driver’s side of the dashboard, or read it off the title.
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 $346 apart. So get at least three quotes.
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.
A missing title and a title in someone else’s name each have their own form. A lender on the title has to release it first.
Every form you might need
The first card is the one every Washington junk sale needs, once the car has gone. The others cover a missing title, the odometer line and an owner who has died.
Reporting the sale
After the sale: Form 420-062 (Vehicle Report of Sale)
Tells the state the car is no longer yours. When and how.
Lost title
Use: Form 420 040 (Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest)
Covers a title that is lost or damaged. What the state accepts.
Odometer disclosure
Inherited vehicle
Use: Affidavit of Inheritance/Litigation (Form TD-420-041)
For an heir or an executor. The rest of it.
Step 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.
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
Clear a path to the car for the tow truck. Move whatever is parked in front of it, and mention a steep drive, a gate or soft ground 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.
The plates are yours, not the buyer’s, so take them off before the truck arrives.
Wheelzy buys cars without keys regularly, so lost keys don’t have to stop the sale. Mention them on the quote form, and our guide to selling a car with lost keys explains what else to say.
Step 5: Sign the title and take payment
The driver looks the car over and you sign the back of the title. Your name goes on the seller’s line exactly as the front of the title shows it.
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. The report of sale asks who bought the car, so give the company’s name and address from your offer confirmation, not the driver’s.
Step 6: Report the sale and deal with the plates
- What to do with the plates: transfer to a like-kind vehicle, or surrender at a vehicle licensing office.
- How: File online through the Department of Licensing website, in person at a vehicle licensing office, or by mail with Form 420-062.
- Deadline: 5 business days.
- If you skip it: you may remain liable for towing charges and civil and criminal liabilities the new owner runs up until you file the Report of Sale.
Cancel the insurance last, after the car has gone and the notice is filed. A tow that slips to the next day leaves the car yours for another night.
Keep a photo of the signed title, the payment record and the filing confirmation in one place. Together they show the day the car stopped being yours.
Washington Junk Car Checklist
Before the Sale
At Pickup
After the Sale
What Is Your Junk Car Worth in Washington?
In Washington, a typical junk car is offered $435 (cars 10 years and older, 405 offers, ranked 41 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 Washington, 39% are sedans, coupes and hatchbacks, typically offered $390. The make quoted most often is Ford, typically offered $383, and a car 15 years or older is typically offered $358, from our own quote data.
A Washington car 10 to 14 years old is offered more than the national figure. From 15 years on it’s offered less, and the gap is widest at 18 to 19. The chart sets our Washington offers against every offer nationally at each age.
Typical offer on old cars in Washington 405 Washington offers · 12,312 nationally · Age of car when the offer was made (years)Show the numbers
Age (years) Washington Offers All cars nationally Offers 10-12 $1,395 72 $1,235 2,808 13-14 $850 33 $720 1,746 15-17 $500 93 $555 2,735 18-19 $350 63 $465 1,527 20-24 $315 79 $410 2,331 25+ $290 65 $350 1,165 
Pickups, SUVs and cars are all offered less in Washington than across the country. Pickups are offered the most, and sedans, coupes and hatchbacks the least. SUVs and crossovers fall furthest below their national figure.
Typical offer on old cars in Washington by body type 308 Washington offers, cars 10 years and olderShow the numbers
Body type Washington Offers All cars nationally Offers Pickup truck $750 37 $855 1,035 SUV / crossover $543 112 $665 3,437 Car (sedan, coupe, hatch) $390 159 $505 5,115
Nothing moves the offer more than the catalytic converter. With the converter gone, a car is offered about 76% less than a comparable car with it, once age and mileage are matched. If it’s missing, say so on the form.
Whether the engine starts is the next thing. A car that won’t start is offered about 48% less than a comparable car that drives, once age and mileage are matched. Our guide to selling a non-running car explains what the buyer wants to know, and the junk car value statistics page shows how each figure is worked out.
Companies That Buy Junk Cars in Washington
Peddle
Peddle buys junk, salvage, and non-running cars
- Buys junk cars across Washington and hauls them away
- Tell it about the car online and see the offer on screen
- Buys used cars in any condition, including ones that have sat for years
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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 pickup in 42 Washington cities, Arlington to Yakima
- Guaranteed offer in minutes, then a team member confirms it
- No dealer, title-transfer or removal fees in Washington
- Cashier's check at the car, 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 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 Graham, Pasco, Seattle and Spokane
- Sixty seconds on the form or the phone gets you a number
- You are paid on the spot, as the truck loads the car
- 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.
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Compare Instant Offers
Can You Sell a Junk Car Without a Title in Washington?
The rule as Washington writes it: a title is required for all sales; the Department of Licensing accepts an Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest in place of the original paper title. The law behind it: RCW 46.12.520.
What you use in place of the title: Form 420 040 (Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest).
Say on the quote form that there’s no title, and ask the buyer whether it takes the affidavit before you accept its offer.
The other route is a replacement title in your own name. Every buyer can then quote the car.
You can also sell the parts one by one. A transmission or a set of rims changes hands with no title. It’s slow, and our guide to selling a car for parts explains how.
Getting a Replacement Title in Washington
A replacement title in Washington takes:
- Application: Form 420 040
- Where to submit: by mail to a vehicle licensing office, or in person at any vehicle licensing office or Quick Title office
- Fee: $39.50
- Processing time: 4 to 6 weeks in person, or 6 to 8 weeks by mail
- Rush option: $89.50
Send the application in the same week you collect quotes. A buyer quotes the car from your description, so the title wait and the quotes run side by side.
Take your photo ID with you if you apply in person.
If a lender still holds the title
How the lien comes off in Washington: the lender is the legal owner on the title; when the loan is paid in full it usually sends the DOL what it needs to remove its name, and otherwise the title with the lienholder's releasing signature, or the Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest with the lienholder's notarized signature, goes to a vehicle licensing office.
When the payoff is more than the offer, you pay the difference before the lender releases the title. Our guide to selling a financed car goes through the options.
If your title is electronic
Electronic titles in Washington: ELT for lienholders only; sellers need paper title.
If the loan is paid off and no paper title ever reached you, ask the lender for it before you apply for a replacement.
If the car is titled in another state
A car titled in another state can be junked in Washington on that title. Give the issuing state on the quote form and sign where that title marks the seller.
A lost out-of-state title is replaced by the state that issued it, on that state’s form and at its fee. Our guide to selling a car out of state explains the rest.
Selling a Junk Car That Isn’t in Your Name
The buyer pays whoever is named on the title. When that isn’t you, get the title into your name before you ask for quotes.
If the owner has died, the title moves to you with the Affidavit of Inheritance/Litigation (Form TD-420-041). Once the title is in your name, the junk sale is the same as any other.
Washington’s rule on a gifted car: The previous owner must have paid Washington retail sales or use tax. A vehicle with an outstanding loan generally does not qualify until the lien is cleared.
A car someone left on your land isn’t yours to sell. It goes through the abandoned vehicle process instead.
Local Dismantlers vs Online Buyers in Washington
Selling to a local yard
Ask a local yard to put its price in writing.
Ask who tows the car to the yard and whether that comes off the price.
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 Washington
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.
Our guide on how to store a junk car has more on keeping it until pickup.
Washington Motor Vehicle Resources
- Licensing agency: Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL)
- Selling a vehicle, the official page: Washington DOL, Buying and Selling Vehicles
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to sell a junk car in Washington?
The comparison tool returns offers within minutes, and Peddle’s pickups typically happen within 24 to 48 hours of scheduling.
Add the state’s replacement wait if the title is missing, and the lender’s release time if there’s a loan.
Is a bill of sale required to junk a car in Washington?
In Washington, a bill of sale is required when the sale price and date are not on the title.
State form: Form 420 065.
Notarized: not required.
Write one regardless, with our bill of sale generator. It’s your dated record of who took the car and what they paid.
Does handing in the plates release me from liability for a junk car in Washington?
Washington’s answer: no, you must file a Report of Sale to release liability.
Does anything have to be notarized to junk a car in Washington?
Does a junk car need an emissions test or safety inspection to sell in Washington?
Junk buyers don’t ask for test results.
Emissions test to sell: no testing required.
Safety inspection to sell: not required.
Can I sell a junk car with expired registration in Washington?
Yes. Registration is what lets the car on the road, and this one leaves on a truck. You don’t need to renew it first.
What if the junk car offer changes when the driver arrives in Washington?
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 junk car or sell it in Washington?
Set the repair estimate against two figures: what the car is offered now, and what it would be offered running. When the repair costs more than the difference, the repair loses money.
What happens to my junk car after I sell it in Washington?
That depends on the buyer. Wheelzy repairs the cars it can, and recycles or parts out the ones that are beyond repair.
Article Update History
Washington offers by age and body type now come from Sell Car Advisor quote data.
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
Title Notarization Explanation
"The title assignment itself never needs a notary; the Affidavit of Loss requires notarization or signing in front of a vehicle licensing agent" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
What to Do With License Plates
"transfer to a like-kind vehicle, or surrender at a vehicle licensing office" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Form 420 065" 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
Release of Liability Form Name
"Form 420-062 (Vehicle Report of Sale)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Form 420 040 (Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Sell Without Title: Legal Authority
"RCW 46.12.520" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Where to Submit Duplicate Title Application
"by mail to a vehicle licensing office, or in person at any vehicle licensing office or Quick Title office" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Emissions Testing Required to Sell?
"no testing required" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Inherited Vehicle Title Transfer Form
"Affidavit of Inheritance/Litigation (Form TD-420-041)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
How to Complete a Gift Transfer
"The previous owner must have paid Washington retail sales or use tax. A vehicle with an outstanding loan generally does not qualify until the lien is cleared" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Separate Odometer Disclosure Form
"none; built into the title for newer vehicles; a separate odometer disclosure form is available at any vehicle licensing office (not downloadable)" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Release of Liability Filing Deadline
"5 business days" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
"the lender is the legal owner on the title; when the loan is paid in full it usually sends the DOL what it needs to remove its name, and otherwise the title with the lienholder's releasing signature, or the Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest with the lienholder's notarized signature, goes to a vehicle licensing office" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Electronic Title Handling Note
"ELT for lienholders only; sellers need paper title" Accessed Sep. 10, 2026
Typical offer on old cars in Washington, Junk Car Value Statistics
"405 Washington offers · 12,312 nationally" Accessed Oct. 2, 2026
Typical offer on old cars in Washington by body type, Junk Car Value Statistics
"308 Washington 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. 2, 2026
