Salvage Title Value Calculator: How Much Is My Car Worth?
RecycleFind's salvage title value calculator estimates what a car with a salvage or rebuilt title is worth in 2026. A salvage title typically cuts 75% to 90% off clean-title value, while a repaired and inspected rebuilt title costs about 20% to 40%.
Estimate your salvage title car's value
What the same year, make, and model would sell for with a clean title. Look it up on Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds in good condition.
Sets the curb weight we use for the scrap-value floor.
The insurer totaled it and it has not been fixed.
Salvage title value by status (2026)
A title brand does not subtract a fixed dollar amount, it takes a percentage off what the same car would be worth with a clean title. These are the typical US ranges. Where your car lands depends on the damage, the repair quality, and your state's re-titling rules.
| Title and repair status | Share of clean-title value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Salvage title, not repaired | 10% - 25% | Totaled and still wrecked. Priced as parts and scrap, not as a used car. |
| Salvage title, drives but not re-inspected | 20% - 35% | Runs, but cannot be legally registered in most states until it is re-titled. |
| Rebuilt / reconstructed title | 60% - 80% | Repaired and passed state inspection. Legal to register, drive, and insure. |
| Clean title, prior salvage on history report | 80% - 90% | Brand is off the title but still on Carfax, so informed buyers negotiate. |
How much does a salvage title affect value?
A car gets a salvage title when an insurer decides repairing it costs more than it is worth. Depending on the state, that threshold is somewhere between 50% and 100% of the car's value, which is why an older vehicle can be totaled by damage that would be a routine repair on a newer one. The brand then follows the vehicle identification number permanently, so it is on every history report from that point forward.
The financial damage is bigger than most owners expect, because the brand does not just lower the price, it removes most of the buyers. Dealers will not retail a branded car, banks generally will not finance one, and insurers will not write full coverage on it. What is left is a smaller market of rebuilders, dismantlers, and cash buyers, and a smaller market means a lower price.
That is also why repairing the car and completing the state inspection is usually worth doing when the damage is moderate. Converting a salvage title to a rebuilt title moves the car from roughly 10% to 25% of clean-title value up to 60% to 80%. When the damage is severe or the car was low-value to begin with, the repair bill exceeds that gain and selling it as-is is the better outcome.
Salvage title vs rebuilt title vs clean title
These three describe the same car at different stages, and mixing them up is the most common mistake in a salvage sale. A clean title means the vehicle has never been declared a total loss. A salvage title means an insurer totaled it and it has not been repaired or certified since, so it usually cannot be registered or driven on public roads.
A rebuilt title (called reconstructed or restored in some states) is what a salvage car receives after it has been repaired and has passed a state salvage inspection. It is legal to register, drive, and insure. It is worth far more than a salvage title and still measurably less than a clean one, and the brand never disappears from the history report.
One more variation shows up in listings: a car with a clean title today that shows a prior salvage or total-loss record on Carfax or AutoCheck. This happens with title washing across state lines and with older brands. The title looks fine, but any buyer who runs a report will find the record and price accordingly, so expect a 10% to 20% discount.
Next step
See what your branded-title car could bring.
Selling a salvage or rebuilt title car?
Most dealers and private buyers won't take a branded title. Peddle buys salvage, rebuilt, and non-running cars outright, with a firm offer in about 2 minutes and free pickup.
Get My Peddle OfferHow to sell a car with a salvage title
Start by accepting who your buyers are not. CarMax, Carvana, and franchise dealers almost always decline branded titles, including on trade-in, because they cannot put the car on a retail lot. Private buyers usually walk once they see the title or run a history report. Time spent chasing those three groups is the main reason salvage cars sit for months.
Your realistic buyers are online junk-car and salvage buyers who purchase sight-unseen and tow for free, local dismantlers who want the car for parts, salvage auctions if you can access one, and rebuilders when the damage is cosmetic and the drivetrain is sound. Rebuilders pay the most for a lightly damaged car, and dismantlers pay the most for a complete one with valuable parts still on it.
Disclose the brand in writing before money changes hands. Concealing a salvage title is illegal in every state and can unwind the sale long after it closes. Have the title, repair receipts, and any inspection paperwork ready, since documentation of a quality rebuild is worth real money. Then collect at least two offers and compare the net figure after towing, not the headline number.
Before you accept an offer
- ⚠Never conceal the brand. Disclosure is legally required in every state and an undisclosed salvage title can void the sale.
- ⚠Know your scrap floor. A typical car holds $240 to $480 of metal, so no offer should land below that regardless of the title.
- ⚠Compare offers after towing. A higher number that requires you to pay for transport is often the worse deal.
- ⚠Percentages here are estimates. Damage type, mileage, repair quality, and your state's rules all move the real number.
Salvage title value: frequently asked questions
How much does a salvage title affect value?
A salvage title cuts most of the value out of a car. An unrepaired salvage vehicle is typically worth 10% to 25% of the same car with a clean title, because it is priced as parts and scrap. Once it is repaired and passes a state inspection, a rebuilt title recovers most of that: rebuilt cars usually sell for 60% to 80% of clean-title value, or roughly 20% to 40% less.
How much is a car worth with a salvage title?
Multiply the car's clean-title value by the percentage that matches its status. A car worth $10,000 clean is usually worth $1,000 to $2,500 as unrepaired salvage and $6,000 to $8,000 once rebuilt and inspected. There is also a hard floor: the metal itself is worth roughly $240 to $480 for a typical 3,000 to 4,800 lb vehicle, so no offer should fall below scrap value.
What is the difference between a salvage title and a rebuilt title?
A salvage title means an insurer declared the vehicle a total loss and it has not been repaired or certified. A rebuilt (or reconstructed) title means that same car has since been repaired and passed a state salvage inspection, so it can be registered, driven, and insured again. Rebuilt is the same car after the paperwork is finished, and it is worth substantially more.
Will CarMax buy a salvage title car?
Generally no. CarMax, Carvana, and most franchise dealers decline branded titles because they cannot resell them on their retail lots, and trade-in offers are usually refused for the same reason. Your realistic buyers are online junk-car buyers, salvage auctions, rebuilders, and dismantlers, all of whom buy branded and non-running vehicles as a matter of course.
How do I sell a car with a salvage title?
Disclose the brand up front, since hiding it is illegal in every state and voids the sale. Gather the salvage title itself, any repair receipts, and the inspection paperwork if the car was rebuilt. Then get more than one offer: an online buyer that purchases branded cars sight-unseen with free pickup, a local dismantler, and a rebuilder if the damage was cosmetic. Compare the net number after towing.
Can you insure a car with a salvage title?
Not while it is still branded salvage. Most insurers will not write a policy, and most states will not register the car, until it is repaired and passes a salvage inspection that converts it to a rebuilt title. After that, liability coverage is widely available, but comprehensive and collision are harder to get and some carriers still decline.
Is a salvage title bad?
It is a permanent mark that limits what the car is worth and who will buy it. Financing is difficult, insurance is limited, and resale is a fraction of clean-title value. It is not a safety verdict on its own, though: cars are totaled whenever repair cost exceeds a percentage of value, so a older car can be branded after damage that would be routine on a newer one.
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