How Much Do Junkyards Pay for Cars? 2026 Estimates

Ask five junkyards what they'll pay for your car and you'll get five numbers. Each yard starts from the car's weight, then decides how much the parts are worth to it.

How do junkyards price a car?

Most yards start from the car's weight in tons times the going price per ton for complete cars, then add something for parts they can resell:

curb weight in tons × price per ton for complete cars

Curb weight is what the car weighs empty. A midsize sedan is about 3,300 lb (1.65 tons). A full-size pickup is about 4,800 lb (2.4 tons). Multiply by the going rate per ton and you have the metal value. Our scrap car price guide keeps a current table.

What moves the price up or down?

Parts

Yards that sell used parts will pay more for a car whose engine, transmission or body panels they can resell. A 12-year-old car with a good engine can be worth more than its metal value.

The catalytic converter

Converters use platinum-group metals, including palladium and platinum, to cut harmful exhaust emissions. The U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 names catalytic converters as the leading U.S. use of these metals. Its recycling note for 2025 counts "about 50,000 kilograms of palladium and 8,600 kilograms of platinum recovered from automobile catalytic converters in the United States." A car without its converter loses a noticeable chunk of value.

Completeness

Yards often pay less for "incomplete" cars: no engine, no transmission, missing wheels. Some price stripped shells per pound like loose scrap.

Towing

Many yards quote a price for a car you deliver. If they send a truck, the tow fee often comes off the top.

Region

What yards pay also varies from one area to another. Treat a national average as a starting point and check it against a couple of local quotes.

How much do junkyards pay for common cars?

These are metal values only, at about $186 per ton for complete cars (November 2026):

Vehicle	Weight	Metal value
Compact car	2,700 lb	about $250
Midsize or full-size sedan	3,300 lb	about $310
Small SUV or crossover	3,500 lb	about $330
Midsize SUV	4,200 lb	about $390
Pickup truck	4,800 lb	about $450
Heavy-duty truck or large SUV	6,200 lb	about $580

Cars that still run, or are less than about ten years old, usually sell for more because of their parts.

Licensed yards also have paperwork to do: federal rules (28 CFR 25.56) require auto recyclers, junk yards and salvage yards to report the junk and salvage vehicles they take in to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System each month (NMVTIS). Each report includes the car's VIN and who the yard got it from, so a yard that pays cash without asking who owns the car is skipping steps a licensed one has to take.

How do you get the most from a junkyard?

1. Call ahead with the year, make, model and whether it runs, and ask for the price after towing.
2. Leave the car complete. Pulling parts to sell separately rarely pays once you count your time.
3. Have the title ready. Some yards pay less, or won't buy, without one.
4. Compare the yard's number against a buyer who prices parts and tows for free. If you send a request through us, our buyer partner makes that offer, and we may earn a referral fee from it; you pay nothing.

Should you use a junkyard or an online buyer?

If you can tow the car yourself and it's mostly scrap, a local yard is a fine option. If the car doesn't move, or it's newer and has parts worth something, a buyer that comes to you and prices the parts often comes out ahead. See what yours is worth and compare.