Sell your car in Portsmouth: running, crash-damaged or not running
To sell your car in Portsmouth, describe it online or by phone and get an instant cash offer. We come to you for pickup, in the city or a Seacoast town nearby. Moving away? Get the offer once your dates are set and book pickup for your last week in town.
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Moving your plates to the next car at City Hall
- Hold on to the old registration. A plate transfer needs the original registration for the car the plates came off. The office can provide a certified copy, for $23 (City motor vehicle page).
- Go in person. Plate transfers can’t be done through the city’s online renewal. The Tax Office is at City Hall, 1 Junkins Avenue. It’s open until 6 p.m. on Mondays and closes at 1 p.m. on Fridays.
- Bring originals for the new car. For a 2000-or-newer car from a dealer, that means the original Certified Title Application (CTA), which usually has “Town Clerk Copy” in red at the bottom. The office doesn’t accept copies of a CTA, title or registration.
Where we pick up around Portsmouth
We buy cars anywhere in Portsmouth (03801), downtown and the South End included. Pickup also covers New Castle, Rye, Greenland and Newington, plus the city of Dover (03820). Durham, Stratham and Exeter (03833) are on the route too.
Portsmouth tip: for a winter pickup, call the city's Snow Phone at (603) 766-7669 the night before to hear any parking-ban update (snow impacts). If the car sits on a tight street or in a snug driveway, say so when you book and we'll plan for it.
Leave the for-sale sign off a Portsmouth street
Portsmouth's parking ordinance makes it unlawful to park any vehicle displayed for sale on a street (Chapter 7, Section 7.322). That covers a car at the curb with a sign in the window, even outside your own home. If you're showing the car to private buyers, keep it in a driveway.
Selling to us needs no sign at all: we pick the car up from the driveway or the street where it's parked.
Cash for your car in Portsmouth
Winter is when a car that won’t start becomes a problem on a Portsmouth street. Once 2 inches of snow has fallen, the Public Works Director can declare a snow emergency (Chapter 7, Section 7.321). Cars left on city streets during the ban are ticketed and towed (snow impacts), and a car that can’t be driven can’t be moved out of the way. After a tow, call the Police Department’s Station Officer at (603) 610-7412 (police FAQ).
If yours is old, damaged or doesn’t run, ask for an offer while it’s still parked legally. Cars in that shape get offers too, and we pick them up where they sit. If it’s worn out for good, you can sell a junk car in Portsmouth the same way.
If your car was damaged in a crash, selling a damaged car spells out what you have to tell a buyer, and if the insurance claim ended in a total loss, selling a totaled car explains the payout and the salvage title. If it stopped running after it overheated or blew a head gasket, read selling a car with engine problems.
City accounts tied to the car you sold
- •Resident parking discount. It's tied to each vehicle's registration and expires with it, so fill out a new application at the Tax Collector's office when you register the next car. Enrolled Portsmouth plates also park free in the new Resident Access Parking pilot zones. Those are parts of Parrott Avenue, Hanover Street and Washington Street, starting July 1, 2026 (resident discount, RAPP pilot)
- •Monthly garage pass. Hanover and Foundry Place passes are issued to the person, not the car, so selling the car doesn't end the lease. To end it, tell the Parking Clerk's Office at 100 Foundry Place, in writing or in person, by the 1st of the month. Return the card to get the $100 deposit back (parking rules)
- •Recycling Center sticker. The free resident sticker goes on the driver's side windshield, so it leaves with the car. For a new one, bring the next car's registration to the Recycling Center or Public Works (vehicle sticker)
Asked by Portsmouth sellers
I just moved to Portsmouth from Maine or Massachusetts. What proof of address does City Hall want?
One document that shows you live here. A utility bill or pay stub with your Portsmouth address works if it's dated within 30 days. So does a USPS change-of-address confirmation. A lease or a letter from the property owner counts only if it's notarized (proof of residency list). If the car you're selling still has your old state's title, see our guide to selling a car with an out-of-state title.
A snow ban is coming and my pickup is later. Where can the car wait?
If it runs, residents can park it in the Hanover or Foundry Place garage for a flat $8 per exit. The rate runs from the advance warning until 2 hours after the ban ends. Show proof of residency to the attendant, because the automated pay machines can't apply it (snow impacts). A car that won't start can't make that move.
Where do I request a Portsmouth crash report?
Ask the Records Unit at the Police Department, 3 Junkins Avenue. It works by appointment Monday to Thursday, so call (603) 610-7446 first, or mail in the request form with a copy of your photo ID. The $15 report fee isn't charged to the car's owner or driver (Records Unit). For the sale itself, see our guide to selling a damaged car.
Where New Hampshire’s inspection program stands, and how the title is signed over, are covered on our New Hampshire page.