Donating a car in some states and the requirements
Donate a car in California
Donating a car in California follows the usual car donation steps with just few exceptions. The exceptions are listed below:
- You must have a clear title. If you misplaced your title or the title belongs to a deceased family, some charities can help you get a duplicate title.
- You must get the Release of Liability from DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). This is to save you from any future liability incurred on the car.
- You don’t need to remove the license plate when you are donating.
There are lots of charities you can donate your car to in California. The best of them of all is the one you know well and support. Other reliable organizations are Goodwill, Kars4Kids, Vehicles for Veterans and Wheels for Wishes.


Donate a car in New Jersey
Just like with California you need a title to donate a car in NJ. Though in New Jersey, if a car does not have a title, it can be crushed. In a case where a charity intends to use or sell your car, you will need to provide a clear title.
If you can’t provide the title at the time and you want to donate you intend to donate your car without further delay, you need to have the following
- Your driver’s license number.
- A copy of your car’s documents.
- Lien Release in a case where it was issued.
- You have to sign two notarized PoA (Power of Attorney).
All of these documents should be given to the charity at the point of donation. Also, you can remove the license plate of your car before pick up in NJ. Lastly, you don’t need to fill a Release of Liability form in NJ as the transfer of title covers any future liability from the vehicle.
Goodwill, Kars4Kids, Vehicles for Veterans and Donate Car for charity are some of the best places to donate your car in NJ.
Donate a car in Arizona
Car donation in Arizona is an easy process. The requirements are as follows
- All cars from 1925 till date must have a title. If you have lost the title but you are the registered owner of the car, you can apply for a duplicate. You can also have the charity do it for you. In the case of dead relatives, you need to provide the death certificate of the owner(s). This coupled with the estate executor’s signature makes it eligible for donation.
- You must remove the license plate.
- You must complete the Release of Liability form.
Notable non-profit organizations you can donate your car to in Arizona include the National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting service and Goodwill.
It is important to state that in every other state in the USA, you most probably need to provide a title for donation. You must remove your license plate with the exception of California, Minnesota, Alaska and Hawaii. Finally, you don’t need to fill a Release of liability form except in Minnesota, California, Washington and Illinois.

How can I donate my car for cash?
In some cases, a car is so ridden that even a charity will not be able to accept it. This might be due to their terms, the overall condition of the car or complications with the title.
All hope is not lost as you can donate your car to a junkyard and get cash in return. The junkyard helps in recycling the metal in the car or sometimes sells the parts for scrap.
The process with which you will donate a junk car to a junkyard is similar to that of charity. The similarities are in the need to provide an accurate title for the car, having the documents of the car and if the car is running, preferably dropping it in person.
However, there are differences between donating to junkyard and a charity. The major difference is that instead of the free donation in the case of charity, you get paid for donating to a junkyard. Another notable difference is the need for you to tow a non-running car to a junkyard instead of the free towing with charity.
Finally, since junkyards are majorly non-profit organizations, you are unlikely to get a tax-credit on any car donated to a junkyard.