Cash for Cars in Alabama: Sell Your Car, Truck or SUV

It depends on the car and on why there is no title. Alabama does not title vehicles more than 35 model years old, so in 2026 a model year 1990 or older vehicle has no title to hand over; a bill of sale and the old registration show the sale. If the Alabama title is in your name and lost, order a $15 replacement online through ALDOR's Public Title Portal or at your county designated agent. If you never had a title, ALDOR can issue one after a surety bond (MVT 10-1A, then MVT 10-1). Tell us your situation and we will tell you which route applies.

The titled owner or the recorded lienholder applies online through the Alabama Department of Revenue's Public Title Portal, or in person at any designated agent, such as your county license plate issuing official. The fee is $15 and is non-refundable.

The seller signs the owner's assignment section of the Alabama title and gives it to the buyer, along with a bill of sale and, for vehicles under 20 model years old, the odometer reading. The buyer then applies for a new title in their name at a designated agent, such as the county license plate issuing official, a licensed dealer, or a bank or credit union. The state title fee is $15 plus a $1.50 agent fee (some counties add local fees), and the buyer has 20 calendar days to register. The seller keeps the license plate.

In the owner's assignment section of the Alabama title, where you also write the buyer's name and address, the sale date and the mileage. Sign exactly as your name appears on the front. If two owners are joined by "and", both sign; if joined by "or", one signature is enough. No notary is needed.

A bonded title is a title the Alabama Department of Revenue issues after the applicant posts a surety bond, used when ownership cannot be fully proven, for example if you bought a car and never received a title. You request Form MVT 10-1A in ALDOR's Surety Bond Portal, complete MVT 10-1 (Certificate of Title Surety Bond) with an insurer once approved, and apply for the title at a designated agent within 90 days. If your vehicle is more than 35 model years old, you do not need one: Alabama does not title it.

No. The Alabama Department of Revenue says it does not require the assignment of a title to be notarized. If the owners' names are joined by "and", both sign; if they are joined by "or", one signature is enough.

Alabama has no official bill-of-sale form. For a private sale, include the buyer's name and full physical address, the date of sale, the full vehicle description (VIN, make, year, model and body type), the seller's name and full address, and the signatures of the seller and the buyer. These are the items Alabama license offices check for. Add the price so the buyer's sales tax is figured on it, and keep a copy.

Yes. Under Alabama law the plate is removed and kept by the seller when the vehicle is sold; plates do not go with the car. You can move it to a replacement vehicle of the same class for the rest of the license year. If you do not get another vehicle, there is no refund. The buyer has 20 calendar days to register the vehicle.

Not if it is more than 35 model years old. Alabama's title law exempts any motor vehicle more than 35 model years old, and the cutoff moves forward every January 1. In 2026 that means model year 1990 and older. The Department of Revenue keeps no title record for exempt vehicles, so the sale is shown with a bill of sale and the prior registration.

For most cars, yes: the mileage is certified on the title assignment, or on Form MVT 5-5, the Odometer Disclosure Statement. Vehicles 20 or more model years old are exempt, as are vehicles over 16,000 lb GVWR.

The buyer. Alabama charges a 2% state tax on a vehicle bought from someone who is not a licensed dealer, plus county and city tax where the buyer lives, collected when the buyer registers. A private seller collects nothing.

Sometimes. Under Alabama rule 810-5-75-.48, when a vehicle at least 12 model years old and worth $1,000 or less is bought to be dismantled or recycled into scrap, the buyer may file a Notice of Motor Vehicle Acquisition (Form MVT 5-18) through the state's SCRAP portal. It is the buyer who files it, not the seller, and it is optional, not a title waiver for every car. Ask us whether your vehicle qualifies.

Yes, once the lien is released. The lienholder signs the release on the title or sends a release letter with your name, the full VIN and a signature. Tell us about the loan when you ask for an offer. Alabama also treats old liens as satisfied after a set time (generally 12 years after the lien date, or 4 years for a vehicle older than 12 model years).

If the estate went through probate, the person signing for it provides letters testamentary or letters of administration. If it did not, the next of kin completes Form MVT 5-6, the Next of Kin Affidavit, with a copy of the death certificate. A power of attorney cannot be used to sign for the executor or next of kin.

Local junk car buyers, scrap and parts yards, and online car buyers like CashSellCar, which buys junk, damaged and running cars, trucks and SUVs across Alabama and tows them free. Whoever you sell to, sign the title over, keep your plate and keep a bill of sale.

You are paid by check at pickup, when the vehicle is loaded. Towing is free across Alabama and nothing is deducted for it, whether the vehicle runs or not.

No. We buy all types of cars, trucks and SUVs in Alabama: wrecked, flood- or storm-damaged, non-running, and vehicles that still drive. Salvage and rebuilt titles are accepted. The vehicles on this page range from a $500 2011 Infiniti M37 to a $2,200 2009 Honda Civic.