STILL ACCEPTING DONATIONS. SEE OUR COVID-19 FAQ >

Car Donation FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions About Donating A Vehicle To Wheels For Wishes & Wellness

We accept most carstrucks, vans, fleet vehicles, trailers, boatsmotorcycles, and RVs, subject to approval. If you have any questions about what you can donate, please call us toll free at 1-844-476-9474

In most cases we will need the title to the vehicle, but each state has its own requirements. Check out our vehicle donation title FAQ for more information. Even if you do not have title papers, call us anyway; other arrangements can be worked out in most cases. You may contact us by calling us toll free at 1-844-476-9474

Yes, we are able to accept most vehicles whether they run or not. For more information, please call 1-844-476-9474

Yes, vehicles donated on this site are tax deductible.

Car donations to an IRS approved 501(c)(3) charity is still tax deductible and will fall into one of these categories:

  • For vehicles sold for under $500, you can claim the fair market value up to $500.00 without any additional paperwork.  The preliminary tax receipt will be mailed after vehicle has been confirmed picked up.
  • If the gross proceeds for the sale of your donated vehicle exceeds $500.00, your deduction will be limited to the actual sale price. You will also be asked by the donee organization to provide your Social Security for the purposes of completing its IRS Form 1098-C form.

We will provide you with a receipt stating the final sales price of your vehicle within 30 days of its sale.

We will arrange to have your vehicle towed away at a scheduled time.

Call 1-844-476-9474 any time, day or night, and our representatives will assist you.  Our agents will send your donation order to the nearest towing partner to contact you directly to schedule the pickup.

On the day we receive your vehicle, our insurance provides coverage. We will handle all transfer documents according to your local state Department of Vehicle Services guidelines, and provide you with receipts and information for your tax deduction.

Check out our vehicle donation title FAQ to get your vehicle title questions answered. If you have any other questions, contact our Title Department at 1-844-476-9474

Car Donation Foundation, d/b/a Wheels for Wishes, is a federally registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. You receive a tax deduction for the total amount that your car sells for. See here for tax information.

Car Donation Foundation thanks you for your generosity and truly appreciates your donations. While the costs of turning donated vehicles into cash are high compared to other forms of charity fundraising, through your donations, Car Donation Foundation has donated over $114,000,000 to local charities across the nation since 2010.

Proceeds from donated vehicles go to Car Donation Foundation, which in turn provides direct cash donations to other charities such as local children's charities. The amount that your vehicle ultimately sells for is based upon its make, year, mileage and condition. These are the sales proceeds from your vehicle. Car Donation Foundation also has normal expenses involved in directly promoting the car donation program (advertising) and costs involved in turning your donated vehicle into cash (towing fees, auction fees, administrative costs). Car Donation Foundation's cash donations to children's charities are based upon the sale proceeds of all donated vehicles during a given month, less deductions for normal monthly costs such as towing, advertising, auction fees and administrative fees. Because of the difference in sales proceeds from one vehicle to the next and because of the costs involved in turning your donated vehicle into cash, the donation that Car Donation Foundation makes to children's charities from the sale of your individual vehicle can be a larger percentage for a higher value vehicle, or much lower for an older low valued non-running vehicle that is recycled. The lower percentage is a result of there being minimum fixed costs incurred to obtain, tow and sell each car. These fixed costs can sometimes be a high percentage of the selling price of a low valued scrap vehicle. Car Donation Foundation does receive a large number of donated scrap vehicles, which can bring the estimated average donation per vehicle percentage down. For the first quarter of 2020, the average percentage of the sale price donated to benefitting charities was approximately 39%.

Car donation programs do have higher costs to promote and operate, compared to other forms of charity fundraising. If you are concerned about giving 100% of the value of your vehicle to a charity, the best way to do so is to sell your vehicle yourself and directly donate your sale proceeds to your favorite charity. We invite you to read more about the Overhead Myth published by the three leading guides in nonprofit information.

Car Donation Foundation’s Wheels for Wishes & Wellness car donation program benefits local children's charities.

Can't Find What You Were
Looking For?


Call Us @ 1-844-476-9474

Excellent 9.3 out of 10
CDF also runs the following programs:
Wheels for Wishes benefiting Make-A-Wish®, Wheels for Wishes & Wellness benefiting local children's hospitals and charities, Vehicles for Veterans benefiting disabled veterans, and Animal Car Donation benefiting animal rescue organizations.

Read More
CDF's mission is to help these benefitting charities fulfill their missions with proceeds from CDF's car donation programs. CDF and all benefitting charities are separate and unaffiliated 501c organizations.
© 2009 - 2024 Wheels For Wishes (Car Donation Foundation)
A federally registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
chevron-down