What is a rebuilt title? What the state inspection checks

At a glance

Rebuilt vs. salvage title, side by side

The two titles mark the same car at two stages, before and after the rebuild. For using the car, rebuilt is the better title, because it is the one that can be registered. It is not proof the repair was sound, as the state table below shows.

From salvage to rebuilt: the car is repaired, passes the state's inspection and gets a new title. In Georgia, anyone who buys a salvage car to rebuild must be a licensed rebuilder; when a state inspector inspects it, the car must be towed, not driven, and inspection and title fees are $118. What made the car salvage in the first place is covered state by state in our salvage title guide.

• Drive it. Salvage: no; Georgia, for example, bars salvage cars from public roads. Rebuilt: yes, once the car is registered.
• Register it. Salvage: not until the rebuild is approved. Rebuilt: yes; Virginia may issue a title and registration once its DMV examination finds no irregularities.
• Insure it. Salvage: Progressive says salvage cars cannot be insured. Rebuilt: Progressive says not every insurer covers one, some limit the options, and comprehensive and collision coverage depend on the insurer. Get a quote before you agree on a price.
• Finance it. Salvage and rebuilt: lenders can see the brand on NMVTIS, the federal title-history system overseen by the U.S. Department of Justice. The law behind NMVTIS requires its information to be available to buyers, including lenders that finance car purchases. Ask the lender whether it finances a branded title before you agree on a price.
• Sell it. Salvage: in Arizona, a salvage car that has been rebuilt cannot be transferred until its restored salvage title is issued. Rebuilt: an Arizona seller who knows of that title must disclose it in writing or electronically before the sale.

What each state's rebuilt inspection checks

Our table shows who inspects a rebuilt car in 11 states and what each state's law or motor vehicle agency says the inspection covers. Not stated in the table does not mean a state never looks at a car's condition; it means the text we read does not mention a safety inspection.

Eight states describe a check of the car's identity or a search for stolen parts: Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington. Eight require paperwork for the parts used in the repair: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Washington shows how far an identity check can go. The inspection must confirm that the vehicle identification number (VIN) is genuine and matches the title. A State Patrol VIN specialist must also make sure every major part used in the rebuild was obtained legally. The specialist attaches a marking at the driver's door latch pillar showing the car was destroyed or declared a total loss, and removing it is a class C felony.

Florida's examination covers the identity of the car and of every major part that was repaired or replaced. The inspection file must include receipts for those parts and repairs, and proof that the rebuild was reported to NMVTIS.

In New York, the DMV's salvage vehicle examination is not a safety inspection; it checks whether the car or its parts are stolen. The safety inspection comes first, at an inspection station, before you apply for that exam. New York is one of three states in our table that require a safety inspection, with Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Pennsylvania requires an enhanced vehicle safety inspection, done at an enhanced inspection station, against all equipment and inspection requirements. Once titled and registered, a reconstructed car there is subject to periodic safety inspections, and emissions inspections where required.

In Virginia, the DMV examination does not certify the car's safety or roadworthiness; the law calls it an antitheft and antifraud measure. It follows a state safety inspection by an inspector unconnected to the owner, and Virginia's DMV may charge $125 for it. The exam is not required for a car at least 10 years old, not an antique, with a resale value under $10,000, if the rebuilder has been licensed for at least 10 years without penalties.

California sits in between. Its DMV can issue a branded title and registration once a total-loss car has been rebuilt and meets its requirements. A DMV employee or the Highway Patrol inspects the car, with a Verification of Vehicle (REG 31) form or a Highway Patrol inspection certificate. The car also needs an electronic Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection (VSSI) certificate, which replaces the old brake and light certificates. A car built with airbags must have airbags in good working order to be registered again.

Of the seven states whose text does not mention a safety inspection (all listed in the table), Arizona says its inspection is to determine the car's proper identity. Georgia's rule sets when the car is inspected, after it is restored but before it is painted, without saying what the inspector checks. Texas's rule lists the documents for a rebuilt title. The only inspection it names is an identification number inspection, for a car last titled in another country. The owner files a rebuilt statement listing the repairs and each major part with its federal identification number. The rebuilder states that all parts were obtained legally. In these states, treat the rebuilt brand as evidence of identity and paperwork checks, not of safety.

Each state's name for a rebuilt car or its title brand:

• Arizona: restored salvage
• California: revived salvage
• Florida: rebuilt
• Georgia: rebuilt
• New Jersey: operable salvage
• New York: REBUILT SALVAGE: NY
• North Carolina: salvage rebuilt
• Pennsylvania: reconstructed
• Texas: Rebuilt Salvage
• Virginia: rebuilt
• Washington: rebuilt

Whether a rebuilt car is worth the price

It depends on the repair, which the title cannot show, and NMVTIS does not hold a car's repair history. The steps below cover the inspection to get before you buy.

The brand follows the car at resale: it stays on the car's NMVTIS record, which later buyers and lenders can see.

None of the government sources we read publishes a typical rebuilt-title discount. To judge a price, compare the car with clean-title listings of the same model, year and mileage.

Steps

1. Read the title for a rebuilt-type brand; the state table section above lists each state's name for it.
2. Ask which inspection the car passed, and for the paperwork. Arizona sellers of salvage cars must tell buyers that ownership documents for certain replacement parts are needed for the inspection.
3. Ask for photos of the car before it was repaired. New Jersey requires before and after photos, and Georgia wants photos of the wrecked car taken before repair work starts.
4. On a car rebuilt in Washington, look for the State Patrol marking on the driver's door latch pillar.
5. Search the VIN through an approved NMVTIS data provider; the Justice Department lists them on its NMVTIS site. Treat a clean result with care: until all entities report as required, a search may return a false negative such as no junk or salvage history.
6. Ask the titling state for its full title record. Each NMVTIS consumer report links to the current state's full title record, and the Justice Department says you can request a complete copy from that state's motor vehicle titling agency.
7. Get an insurance quote, and ask the lender whether it finances a branded title, before you agree on a price. Progressive says not every insurer covers a rebuilt car, and lenders can see the brand on the car's NMVTIS record.
8. Have a mechanic you choose inspect the car, including the airbags, before you pay.
9. Check which safety recalls cover the car's make, model and year with our free VIN check at automotor.news/vin-check/, then whether any is still open on that VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the automaker's VIN lookup.