What is a branded title, and what does each brand mean?

Names vary by state. These are the common ones, as NMVTIS, the federal title database, records them.

• Junk, non-⁠repairable, or certificate of destruction?

  Walk away
  Written off as parts or scrap. Under NMVTIS's definition, it should never be titled or registered again, so a road title on one is a red flag.
  How that can happen

• Salvage?

  Serious
  An insurer declared it a total loss, or its damage passed the state's limit, like 70% of its value for a newer car in Wisconsin. It can't go back on the road until it's rebuilt and retitled.
  Salvage and rebuilt titles

• Rebuilt or prior salvage?

  Proceed with care
  A salvage car that was repaired and retitled so it can be driven again. Many states inspect it first, but Texas stopped in 2025. Either way, it will always be worth less.
  Should you buy one?

• Flood or water damage?

  Serious
  The car sat in fresh or salt water. Water can damage the electrical system, including air bag sensors, and the trouble may not show up right away.
  How to spot flood damage

• Fire damage?

  Serious
  The car was damaged by fire. Texas treats this brand as salvage, so the car can't be driven there until it's rebuilt and retitled.

• Hail damage?

  Proceed with care
  Hail damaged it badly enough for a state to brand it. In Wisconsin, that means repairs costing more than 70% of the value of a car under seven years old.

• Recovered theft?

  Proceed with care
  An insurer paid a theft claim, and the car was later found, repaired, and inspected. Ask what was damaged, and confirm it's no longer listed as stolen.

• Lemon law or manufacturer buyback?

  Proceed with care
  The carmaker took it back over a defect it couldn't fix under warranty. Ask what the defect was and what was repaired. In California, it must be fixed, disclosed in writing, and warranted for a year.
  How lemon laws work

• Not actual mileage?

  Serious
  The odometer doesn't show the car's true miles and shouldn't be relied on. Texas uses this brand for everything from a replaced odometer to proven tampering.
  Check the mileage history

• Exceeds mechanical limits?

  Proceed with care
  The car has more miles than its odometer can show. Ask how many it really has, and price it for those.

Other brands include owner retained (totaled, but the owner kept it; treat it like salvage), prior taxi or police, gray market (built for sale outside the U.S.; if it wasn't converted to U.S. standards, some states, including Texas, won't register it), and replica.

1. 1

   Read the title

   Look for brand words on it. On newer California titles, they're in a red “Vehicle History” box near the top right.
2. 2

   Run an NMVTIS title report by VIN

   It lists the brands states reported and when, plus insurer total losses and salvage-yard records. It's free at VehicleHistoryReport.com if you give your name, email, and ZIP code, which the site shares with EpicVin, another report company, and you may get offers. The paid report in the VIN check above (VINsmart, $9.95) adds a lien search; we may earn a commission if you buy it.
3. 3

   Check the state's own record

   Each NMVTIS report links to how to get the current state's full title record, which can include more than NMVTIS has. Many states give it only to the owner, so ask the seller to request it from the state's motor vehicle agency.

1. 1

   Find out what happened

   Ask what the damage or problem was. Get photos, repair invoices, and any state inspection papers.
2. 2

   Get your own inspection

   Passing a state inspection doesn't prove the repairs were done well, and some states, like Texas, don't inspect rebuilt cars at all. Have a mechanic you choose check the frame, air bags, and wiring. Plan the inspection.
3. 3

   Call your insurer and lender

   Get a quote on the exact VIN before you buy. Insurers may refuse a rebuilt car or charge more, and many lenders won't finance one.
4. 4

   Pay far less than for a clean title

   The brand stays, so the car will be worth less when you sell it too. Compare its price with clean-⁠title cars of the same year, model, and miles.

A brand is meant to last for the car's life, and NMVTIS keeps the brands states report. But a car re-titled in a state that doesn't use that brand, or doesn't check the car's history, can get a clean title. That's title washing.

AAMVA, the association of state motor vehicle agencies that runs NMVTIS, says some states will even title and register a car another state branded non-repairable. A brand on the report but not on the title is a warning sign. Here's how to spot a washed title.

NMVTIS collects what states report but doesn't change their terms or rules, the Justice Department says. A few examples:

• Repaired salvage: “Rebuilt Salvage” in Texas and Wisconsin, “Revived Salvage” in California, and “Reconstructed” in Pennsylvania. But in NMVTIS and Wisconsin, “reconstructed” means a car heavily altered from its original build.
• Parts only: a nonrepairable title in Texas, or a certificate of destruction in Florida, which won't title the car again.
• Lemon buybacks: “Lemon Law Buyback” in California, with a decal on the driver's door frame, and “Manufacturer Buyback” in Texas and Wisconsin.

Vermont and Wisconsin carry brands from out-of-state titles onto their own, but not every state uses every brand. So check the report, not just the paper.