US title types explained, from clean to parts only

The title is the paper that proves who owns a car, and its brand tells you a lot about the car's past. At Copart and IAAI you will see many US title types, and some of them limit what you can legally do with the car. This guide explains the main ones in plain terms.

What a title brand is

In the United States, each state's motor vehicle agency issues the title. When something serious happens to a car, the state can add a brand to it, a word that stays with the car's record. The most common reason is an insurance total loss: the insurer pays the owner, takes the car and sells it, often at a salvage auction.

When a car counts as a total loss, and which brand it then gets, is decided by state law and by the insurer. The thresholds and the names are not the same everywhere.

The main US title types

These are the titles you will meet most often on auction lots. The exact names vary by state.

• Clean. No brand on record. A clean title does not mean the car has no damage: a car can be damaged and still carry a clean title, for example when no insurer was involved.
• Salvage. The car was declared a total loss or badly damaged. In most states it cannot be registered for the road until it is repaired and passes the state's checks.
• Rebuilt or reconstructed. A salvage car that was repaired and passed the state's inspection. Some states use other words, such as revived or prior salvage. The brand normally stays on the title for good, and it usually lowers the resale value.
• Certificate of destruction, non-repairable or parts only. The car is not meant to return to the road in that state. It can be sold for parts or scrap. Some states call it junk.
• Other brands. Depending on the state you may also see flood or water damage, fire, hail, manufacturer buyback or lemon, and odometer brands such as not actual mileage.

Canadian provinces have their own systems, with brands such as salvage, rebuilt and non-repairable, and their own rules on what a car needs before it can be registered again.

Why the rules depend on the state

A salvage title from one state does not always mean the same as a salvage title from another. States differ on:

1. when a damaged car must be branded
2. which brands they use and what each one allows
3. what inspection a rebuilt car needs
4. how they treat a branded title brought in from another state

That is why auctions show the state with the title, and why the same words can lead to different paperwork. Always read the title type on the lot and, if you are not sure what it allows, ask the auction or your broker before you bid.

Why your country matters too

If you plan to export the car, the title in the US is only half of the story. Import rules for damaged and branded cars differ a lot between countries. Some accept salvage cars for repair, some limit their age or condition, and parts only cars may be accepted only as parts, or not at all.

Check the rules of your own country with its customs or vehicle authority, and ask your broker which US documents the export needs, before you place a bid.

Check it on Bidpier

Every lot on Bidpier shows its title details next to the photos, damage and mileage. Browse the catalog, or narrow it to Copart lots or IAAI lots. To see whether a car went through an auction before, search its VIN and look at its earlier sales, then compare its price with the auction prices statistics.