Sell your car in Philadelphia: running, theft-damaged or won't start
We buy cars in Philadelphia whether they run or not. Ask for an instant cash offer online; the car is picked up at the curb where it's parked, so you don't need a driveway.
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When the Parking Authority gets to the car first
- A booted car can't leave until the boot comes off. The PPA can boot and tow a car with three or more delinquent parking, red-light or speed camera tickets. Removal takes the $150 boot fee, paid in full, plus the tickets paid or put on a payment plan, which starts with a hearing examiner. The $175 tow fee doesn't apply until the car has been booted for 72 hours.
- A towed car costs more each day. Storage is $25 plus 22.5% tax for every 24 hours. To release the car, the PPA wants the fees paid in full and every outstanding ticket settled, including tickets on cars you owned before, and you show registration, insurance and a driver's license.
- Unclaimed cars go to auction after 21 days. The PPA sells them at an online public auction (PPA). If the police towed the car as abandoned instead, call the Neighborhood Services Unit at 215-685-9500, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where we pick up around Philadelphia
Pickup covers every neighborhood from Center City to the far Northeast, including a car parked in a shared back alley. Past the city line it reaches Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Cheltenham and Abington, and out as far as Media, Norristown, Bensalem and Levittown. Parked in one of the 14 neighborhoods on the city's mechanical street cleaning routes? The 2026 season runs Monday to Thursday through Oct. 29, with no-parking windows between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on posted blocks. Mention it when you book, and we'll plan around it.
Is this the car on your residential parking permit? The PPA ties the permit to the plate. If you move the plate to your next car, the permit can move with it. A new plate needs a new permit, with a $10 replacement fee. The permit line is 215-683-9730 (PPA).
Cash for your car in Philadelphia
Philadelphia can class a parked car as abandoned for several reasons, and not being drivable is one. After a 311 report, the police decide whether it counts, and their Neighborhood Services Unit handles removal. The city's list of signs includes a car with flat tires or missing parts, one whose inspection and registration expired more than 90 days ago, and one that's illegally parked and inoperable for more than 48 hours. The owner may get a courtesy notice first, with a short time to fix it. A rear driveway doesn't always shelter it either: the city says some are part of the common drive, not private property (Philly311).
Tell us whether the car starts and where it sits, and the truck handles the rest, so cash for cars in Philadelphia doesn't depend on a running engine. A car that failed emissions gets an offer too. If yours is past repair, selling a junk car explains what changes; junk cars in Philadelphia still get curbside pickup.
If yours won't start because the engine seized or overheated, or won't move because the transmission slips or has no reverse, selling a car with engine problems and selling a car with a bad transmission cover selling it as it is. So do crash damage and a car an insurer wrote off, in selling an accident-damaged car and selling a totaled car.
When a car goes missing from a Philadelphia block
A car missing from where you parked it may not be stolen. The Police Department sometimes relocates cars parked in a Temporary No Stopping area without ticketing or impounding them, and the police district where you parked can tell you. The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) can tell you whether it towed the car, at 888-591-3636 (City of Philadelphia, PPA).
If the car came back from a theft with a broken steering column, know that the city treats a broken column as a sign of theft. Its abandoned-vehicle report asks whether the column is broken, and residents who see one broken or missing its cover are told to call 911. A recovered car left on the street with its column still broken can look stolen all over again. A recovered theft doesn't stop the sale. Getting a copy of the police report is covered in the questions below.
What the theft numbers say about Philadelphia
- •Roughly 14,000 vehicles were stolen in Philadelphia in 2024, according to police, down from 24,000 reported thefts in 2023 (source)
- •Philadelphia County accounted for 68% of Pennsylvania's auto thefts in 2025. Thefts there rose 4% while they fell 3% statewide, per Pennsylvania Unified Crime Reporting data as of March 1, 2026 (source)
Asked by Philadelphia sellers
How does a car trade-in value in Philadelphia compare with a cash offer?
Count the tax. For a Philadelphia resident, the 8% sales tax on the next car is charged on its price minus the value of the trade-in, according to PennDOT. So a $5,000 trade-in also saves $400 in tax. The 8% is the state's 6% plus the city's own 2%. Add that saving to a dealer's number when you compare it with a cash offer. For the wider comparison, see trading in versus selling.
How do I get a copy of the police report on my stolen car?
Ask the Department of Records for a police incident or offense report, in person or by mail, at the Public Safety Records Unit, City Hall, Room 170. It's open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Police Department processes the request, and the city's estimate is 10 to 12 weeks, so ask early. Pay by cash, money order, business check or certified check. Personal checks and cards aren't accepted. Questions go to (215) 686-2266.
My E-ZPass came from the DRPA. Who do I call after the sale?
NJ E-ZPass. The Delaware River Port Authority runs the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Betsy Ross and Commodore Barry bridges, and its transponders are issued by NJ E-ZPass, so that account is where the sold car comes off. Its customer service line is 1-888-288-6865, and the website is EZPassNJ.com.
What does a Philadelphia Snow Emergency mean for a car parked on a posted route?
Once the city declares a Snow Emergency, as it did on Feb. 22, 2026, residents must move vehicles off the designated Snow Emergency Routes, with parking restrictions and towing enforcement. The PPA's ticket for a car left on a posted route during one is $51.
The PennDOT side of the sale, which is the same across Pennsylvania, is on our Pennsylvania selling page.