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What Actually Happens to Your Donated Car

5 min read

People often ask where the money goes, and it is a fair question. Here is the chain, in order.

Pickup and title transfer

A licensed towing partner collects the vehicle and the ownership paperwork is processed so the vehicle is no longer in your name. You keep a record of the pickup.

Assessment

The vehicle is evaluated for the route that returns the most value: retail resale, wholesale auction, or dismantling and recycling.

Sale

Once sold, the gross amount is known. This is the number the rest of the process depends on, and it is why no honest program quotes it in advance.

Costs deducted from gross

  • Towing and transport
  • Title and DMV processing
  • Auction or sales fees
  • Program administration

Net proceeds to the charity

What remains goes to the participating organization you selected. Because vehicle values and costs vary, the share reaching the charity varies too — a running late-model car generally nets far more than a scrapped one.

Your paperwork

After processing you receive documentation reflecting the donation for your records and any tax filing you discuss with your accountant.

Turn your car into good carma.

Free pickup, no hassle, and you choose the cause it supports.

Donate My Car
Donate My Car(800) 940-6416