Sell a junk car
Every state wants proof the car is yours before a yard can crush it. What counts as proof changes at the state line.
Pick your state for the title rule in plain words, the form numbers, what to do with the plates and what yards there paid for whole cars this fall, with a source and a date on every figure.
Want a number before you tow it anywhere? The Peddle offer on this page quotes online and picks the car up for free.
Pick your state
- Sell a junk car in Texas Texas yards need the title, or a TxDMV certificate of authority (Form VTR-71-2, $2). Since September 2025, a licensed parts recycler can also buy a car 13 or more years old that has gone unregistered for seven years without one. $120 to $180 a ton, Oct 2026. 525 yards that buy cars. Read the Texas rules →
- Sell a junk car in Florida Florida yards need a title in your name. A car 10 or more model years old and worth under $1,000 can go on a derelict certificate (HSMV 82137) filled out at the yard instead. $158 to $190 a ton, Sep 2026. 245 yards that buy cars. Read the Florida rules →
- Sell a junk car in Tennessee Tennessee yards need a signed title unless the car is 12 years or older and sold for parts or scrap. Then a signed statement, a thumbprint and a copy of your photo ID stand in. $160 to $220 a ton, Oct 2026. 127 yards that buy cars. Read the Tennessee rules →
- Sell a junk car in North Carolina North Carolina yards need the title with your signature notarized, unless the car is 12 model years or older and sold for scrap or parts with your photo ID and signed statements. $160 to $240 a ton, Oct 2026. 23 yards that buy cars. Read the North Carolina rules →
- Sell a junk car in Colorado Colorado expects the owner on the title to sign it over. Without that, a recycler can still take a car for crushing on a DR 2173 bill of sale, but it must hold the car seven business days and check the VIN first. $165 to $175 a ton, Sep 2026. 13 yards that buy cars. Read the Colorado rules →
Guides
How a yard prices a junk car
Weight first. The yard takes the car's weight in tons and multiplies it by what whole cars bring that week. A 3,269 lb Accord is 1.6 tons.
Then the parts. A complete car with its catalytic converter, engine and transmission brings more than one that has been picked over. The yard takes out towing if it sends a truck.
- Yards pay more for whole cars than for incomplete ones. CFC Recycling in Tullahoma and McMinnville, Tennessee posted whole vehicles at $11.00 per 100 lb and incomplete vehicles at $10.00 per 100 lb on October 16, 2026, a gap of $20 per ton.
- iScrap App treats a car as complete when it still has its radiator, battery, catalytic converter, motor, transmission, wheels and tires. It says a car missing any of these usually brings a bit less, and each yard prices it differently.
- A missing catalytic converter takes its value out of the offer. RecycleFind's 2026 benchmark puts most used converters at $90 to $550 each, with some hybrid units above $1,000, and says a missing converter removes that part's value.
Scrap prices lately
Ferrous scrap prices climbed in early 2026 and then eased slightly through the summer. The BLS producer price index for iron and steel scrap rose from 532.4 in December 2025 to a peak of 614.8 in March 2026, then slipped to 581.0 in September 2026, a month BLS can still revise. September 2026 stood 10.2 percent above September 2025 (527.2).
Questions
How much do junkyards pay for a junk car?
Published prices for whole cars ran $120 to $240 a ton across our five states in September and October 2026, from $120 at the low end in Texas to $240 at the top in North Carolina. A 3,269 lb midsize sedan is about 1.6 tons. A complete car with its catalytic converter brings more, and a picked-over shell brings less.
Can I sell a junk car without a title?
Sometimes. Tennessee lets a yard buy a car 12 years or older for scrap without one, and North Carolina does the same for cars 12 model years or older. Florida allows it for cars at least 10 model years old and worth under $1,000. Texas lets a licensed parts recycler buy a car 13 or more years old that has gone unregistered for seven years. Colorado lets a recycler take a car on a bill of sale if it holds the car seven business days. Otherwise you need the title or the state's replacement paper first.
What do I do with my license plates?
Take them off before the car leaves, in all five states. Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina plates belong to you, and they move to your next car or go back to the state. In North Carolina, turn the plate in before you cancel insurance. Texas sellers have had to remove plates since July 2025, and standard Colorado plates expire when the title transfers.
Do I have to tell the state I sold it?
In Texas (Form VTR-346, within 30 days), Florida (Form HSMV 82050, within 30 days) and Colorado (a Report Release of Liability through myDMV), yes. Tennessee and North Carolina have no seller notice of sale.