Title check
A car's title is the legal record of what it is and what has happened to it. A branded title — salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, or lemon buyback — is the single most important thing a vehicle history report can tell you, because it usually signals damage or a defect serious enough to have been recorded by an insurer or a state. Here's what each brand means and how to check for it.
Every used car carries a title, and the title is where a car’s most serious history is recorded. When something major happens — an insurer writes the car off, a flood ruins it, a manufacturer buys it back — a state can add a permanent brand to the title. That brand travels with the vehicle for the rest of its life, through every future sale, which makes the title one of the most trustworthy things you can check before buying.
What a title brand is
A title brand is a permanent legal notation on a vehicle’s title. Unlike an accident entry, which is a report of an event, a brand is a status the vehicle now carries. The common brands each tell a different story:
- Salvage — an insurer declared the vehicle a total loss, usually because repair costs exceeded a large share of its value.
- Rebuilt (or reconstructed) — a salvage vehicle that was repaired and passed a state inspection allowing it back on the road.
- Flood or water damage — the vehicle was damaged by flooding, which brings its own long-term corrosion and electrical risks.
- Junk or non-repairable — the vehicle is fit only for parts or scrap and cannot legally be retitled for road use.
- Lemon buyback (manufacturer buyback) — the manufacturer repurchased the car under a state lemon law because of a defect it couldn’t fix.
Why the title is the first thing to check
A branded title affects almost everything about owning a car: its safety, its resale value, whether you can insure or finance it, and how easily you can sell it later. A salvage or flood brand can cut a car’s value by a third or more and narrow the pool of future buyers. That’s why, when you read a vehicle history report, the title line is where to start — before accidents, before mileage, before anything else.
How brands get recorded — and how they get hidden
Most title and brand data traces back to the federal NMVTIS system, which links state title records so a brand applied in one state follows the car when it’s retitled in another. That design exists to stop “title washing” — the practice of moving a car between states to shed a brand. NMVTIS makes washing much harder, but it doesn’t make it impossible, because reporting depends on states and insurers participating fully.
Title washing still happens
How to check a title before you buy
- Run the VIN through a report that includes NMVTIS-based title and brand data.
- Read the brand status and the states where the car has been titled.
- Watch for a car that changed states right around a reported accident or total loss.
- Confirm the title in hand matches the report — brand, VIN, and owner details.
- For any brand, price and inspect the car as the special case it is.
The guides below break down each brand in detail: what it means, how it affects value and safety, whether the car is worth considering, and what to check before you commit.
Common questions
A branded title carries a permanent notation — such as salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, or lemon buyback — added because the vehicle was damaged, written off, or bought back. The brand follows the car for life.
No. A clean title means no brand was applied in the records checked. Damage that was never claimed, or title washing across states, can leave a serious car with a clean-looking title, which is why title data is paired with accident and inspection checks.