What paperwork is needed to sell a junk car?

The title is the cleanest. In Illinois, if you don't have it, the buyer checks which of your other papers work for a scrap sale. In Indiana, a recycler needs the title or a BMV certificate of authority. Either way, have the papers you agreed on the call ready for the driver.

Should I take the battery out before junking my car?

Not unless you agreed that on the call. The battery, wheels and converter are part of what the figure was based on, so taking one off afterwards means the car on the truck isn't the car that was priced.

Can I leave things in the car?

Best not. Once the car is on the truck, anything inside it leaves with it, so go through the glovebox, the trunk and under the seats before the pickup.

Selling your car to a junkyard, step by step

By Top Dollar Junk CarsPublished February 16, 2022Updated October 6, 2026

What do you need to do before selling a car to a junkyard?

Before a junkyard's truck arrives, find the title or the papers agreed on the call, take off the license plates, empty the car of anything personal, and leave on the parts the offer counted. Once the car has gone, cancel the insurance. Top Dollar Junk Cars goes over the same list with you when the pickup is booked.

The figure comes first, of course: if you haven't had one yet, start with how junk car value is worked out. This guide picks up once you've said yes and a pickup is booked.

Jobs before the tow

1. Settle the papers

Find the title and check that the name on it is yours. If it's in a relative's name, or a lender still holds it, say so now rather than on the day. If the title names a business, see who signs for a company vehicle. No title at all? The route depends on the state, and our no-title page sets out Illinois and Indiana.

2. Take the plates off

The plates aren't part of the sale. Illinois plates stay with the owner, not the car, so unscrew them before the tow and keep them; the Secretary of State's title and registration pages explain transferring or turning them in. A screwdriver and five minutes does it, though rusted screws on an old car can take longer, so don't leave it to the last minute.

3. Empty the car

Work through it once, slowly. The places people forget:

The glovebox and the console: old registration cards, receipts, a spare key
The visors: a garage-door opener or a parking pass
The windshield: a toll transponder such as an I-PASS
The trunk, under the spare wheel, and under the seats

4. Leave the parts the figure counted

It's tempting to pull the battery or a good set of wheels before the car goes. If you want to keep something, say so when you get the quote, so the figure is for the car that will actually be collected. Taking a part off after you've agreed a number for the whole car leaves both of you with a mismatch on the day.

5. Find the keys, if there are any

Keys help, but a car without them still sells. Just mention it on the call.

6. Make the car reachable

Move other cars out of the way, unlock the garage, and tell the shop or the lot manager if the car is at a repair shop or in an apartment lot. Need the full picture of the day itself? See what happens when our truck arrives.

Dark grey SUV sitting on the deck of a flatbed tow truck in a parking area — SUV on the deck, ready to go

After the car has gone

Cancel the insurance once the car is off your hands, not while it's still parked outside; our guide to insuring a car that's waiting to be junked covers what Illinois expects until then. Keep whatever record of the sale you were given. If the plates are going on another car, the Secretary of State's office handles the transfer.

Why sell to a local junkyard

A buyer near you is one you can check. A local junkyard or pickup buyer has a listing with an address, a phone that's answered in your time zone, and reviews from people in your area, all of which you can look at before you agree to anything. That's harder to do with a buyer who exists only as a web form.

The other reason is the tow. A buyer whose trucks already work your area has less reason to charge for one. Still, ask every buyer the same questions; our guide on how other kinds of buyer price a car explains why a scrap yard and a parts yard can quote the same car very differently. Not yet sure you want to junk it at all? Read junking it against selling it privately first.