Wrecked Your Car With No Coverage: What Now?

People often say “no insurance” when they mean “no collision coverage.” These are different situations. Find your declarations page, or call your agent and ask directly. In general terms:

This table is general information. Your policy wording controls. If someone was hurt, or you are being blamed for a large loss with no coverage, talk to an attorney before you make any statements about fault.

Take care of people first, and never try to move a car in a way that puts you in traffic.

• Do not leave it on the highway. RCW 46.61.590 makes it unlawful to leave a vehicle unattended within highway limits unless you are arranging prompt removal.
• Do not walk away from it. Under RCW 46.55.105, the last registered owner is presumed liable for removal, storage and disposal costs on an abandoned car.
• Do not drive it if it is unsafe. Leaking fluids, bent wheels or deployed airbags are good reasons to tow it.
• Watch street parking limits. Seattle’s limit is 72 hours on a block. Read our guide to that rule. Other cities differ.

If it was already towed, read what to do about a car in a tow yard today. Storage charges can add up.

1. Get a written repair quote

   Ask a shop to look at it in person, and ask what else might be hidden behind the visible damage. How to read a repair estimate helps.

2. Find what the car was worth

   Use our guide to finding your car’s value, based on real listings and your car’s true condition.

3. Get an offer for it as it is

   Ask for one or two offers on the wrecked car.

4. Do the math

   Compare: car value after repair, minus the repair quote, against the offer today. If repair still leaves you with a safe car and more money, repair may be right. A car you depend on for work can also justify a repair that looks poor on paper.

Our guide on repair or junk goes further on this choice.

Check your title and loan papers. If a lender is listed, it has to release its interest before you can give clean title to a buyer. Selling the car does not by itself end the loan. Call the lender early, explain what happened, and ask what your options are. See selling a car with a lien and owing more than the car is worth.

If you sell or dispose of the car, RCW 46.12.650 gives you five business days to report it. DOL also says sellers are legally obligated to remove the plates. Those steps help keep later tickets and towing bills away from you. Our Report of Sale guide shows how.

There is one more rule to know about. RCW 46.12.600 says an owner must report a destroyed vehicle within 15 days, and failing to do so is a gross misdemeanor from the 16th day. If the car is destroyed and you are about to sell it, ask the Department of Licensing how this applies before you mail in your title. You may need that title for the sale.

We buy wrecked cars around Seattle and Tacoma as they are, running or not, when they are yours to sell. We tow for free on a flatbed and pay cash at pickup. Offers depend on year and model, condition, demand for parts, weight and size, and towing distance. We need the Title, an Affidavit in Lieu of Title or a Junk Vehicle Affidavit. See our wrecked car page.