Looking to donate your car to a great cause? There are many car donation organizations but make sure you are prepared with these easy tips.

What are the rules for donating a car?

1. Make Sure You Have Your Title And VIN Number

Proof of ownership is required when donating a car. Make sure you have the vehicle title and VIN number for your vehicle.

2. Schedule Your Free Towing

The process is simple and takes less than a minute:

1. First, give us a call at 1-855-278-9474 or visit our online donation form.
2. Next, we’ll schedule your free towing that comes to you, no matter where you are. Within 24 hours of the next business day, we will contact you to set up a good time for your free vehicle pick up.
3. When the donation is complete, we will send your tax-deductible receipt in the mail. You can use this on your 1098-c form to claim your tax deduction. Make your vehicle donations tax deductible through Wheels For Wishes.

Wheels For Wishes is an IRS 501(c)(3) charity that takes your donated cars and benefits Make-A-Wish or other children's wish & hospital charities throughout the United States. Your donation to Wheels For Wishes benefits local children facing critical illness.

Make-A-Wish helps bring hope to these kids by granting them a life-changing wish. Other children's wish & hospital charities grant wish experiences and fund important services of children's hospitals. You can be a part of that process by donating your unwanted vehicle.

We make it very easy to donate your vehicle to charity and maximize your tax deduction. We'll tow almost any vehicle from almost any location in the U.S.!

3. Get Your Tax Return

If you have any questions after your donated property is picked up, our donation representatives are happy to help. We want you to get that tax return maximized! Sometimes the tax-deductible receipt can get lost in the mail. If you have been waiting for longer than a month to receive your receipt, please give us a call. We might need some more information from you or it might be as simple as updating your address. Once we have all the information that is needed we will send you your tax deductible receipt right away.

Check out our what a car title looks like page if you have questions about your title.

How Does My Car Donation Benefit Charity?

If you are thinking to yourself. How does my junk car that doesn’t even run help Make-A-Wish or other children's wish & hospital charities? The better condition the vehicle is in the more we can give. Your car donation is auctioned off and the proceeds benefit the kids of Make-A-Wish or other children's wish & hospital charities, depending on your location. The goodwill of your vehicle donation services can change a child’s life forever.

If you have a junk car that is no longer running we are still able to use it to help a child’s wish come true. We will recycle your junk car for parts not letting any of the vehicle go to waste. The proceeds of the parts will go to local wish kids. Instead of letting a vehicle that is no longer running sit in your yard or taking up space in your driveway. Let us take that off your hands and help a child who wishes to experience something new outside of their hospital room walls.

Granting wishes is easy with Wheels For Wishes! To learn more about the wishes you grant with your car donations, check out our page here.

Find A Local Make-A-Wish Chapter Here

Where can I donate my car? You can donate your motorized vehicles almost anywhere in the United States to benefit your local chapter of Make-A-Wish. We accept vehicle donations in the following states: Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming

If your state wasn't listed, give us a call. Your vehicle donation can still benefit a children's charity!

Donate Almost Any Type Of Vehicle

• Cars
• Boats
• Motorcycles
• Motorhomes
• Trucks
• SUV’s
• RV’s
• Jet Skis
• Watercraft
• Trailers
• All types of vehicles, running or not!

Here's What You Get Back For Your Donated Car For Kids In 2026

• Your car donation is tax deductible for 2026’s taxes.
• The proceeds from your car or cars will help benefit Make-A-Wish or other children's wish & hospital charities, depending on your location.
• You won’t have to go through the hassle of trying to sell your unused car. Wheels For Wishes takes all types of cars. Making it easy for you to make a charitable contribution to a child in your local community. Click here to see why donating is easier than selling.

If you have any questions at all about donating cars or tax breaks please give us a call at 1-855-278-9474 You can also check out our tax information page. We are happy to answer all your questions about the car donation process and the IRS federal tax forms.

What Is Fair Market Value?

Wheels For Wishes is an 501(c)(3) IRS publication vehicle donation program. This means that your donation is fully tax-deductible. Depending on the condition of your vehicle it will fall into one of these categories:

• If your vehicle is not in good running condition and we either have to recycle it or if it goes to auction and doesn’t sell for more than $500. You can claim the vehicle's fair market value of the vehicle up to $500.00 without any additional paperwork. The preliminary tax receipt will be mailed to you after the vehicle is picked up. If you don’t receive your tax-deductible receipt a few weeks after your vehicle picked up please don’t hesitate to call. We are happy to help!
• If the total proceeds from the sale of your donated vehicle exceed $500.00, your deduction will be limited to the actual sale price of your vehicle. We try to get you as close to car's fair market value as we can. You will be asked by the charitable organization to provide your Social Security number to complete its IRS Form 1098-C form. If you have questions about this please give us a call. Our call center representatives can help explain this further.

Always Speak With A Tax Advice Specialist When Calculating Your Exact Tax Deduction

Once we have all the correct information we will provide you with a receipt stating the final sale price of your vehicle within 1 month after our charity sells your vehicle. At times the auction process can take longer. If you are still waiting for your receipt after 30 days please give us a call. Sometimes other factors cause the receipt to be delayed or we may have some wrong information. We can help walk you through why it is taking longer than 30 days to get your receipt. It may be as simple as updating some of your information. We can get your tax-deductible receipt in the mail immediately after your car donation is processed.

Your tax professional or your tax service can help you get the best tax deductions.

Is Donating Cars For Kids Worth It?

You might have a lot of questions about donating a car or cars to charities. Depending on what condition your car is in determines if you will get close to fair market value for your car. Wheels For Wishes is a charitable organization that benefits Make-A-Wish or other children's wish & hospital charities. Wheels For Wishes will either put your vehicle up in public auction or they will recycle it for parts. It all depends on the condition of your car.  Here are some more factors to why donating your car is worth it.

Here's How To Donate A Car:

1. Start by filling out our online car donation form or giving us a call at 1-855-278-9474 and one of our call center representatives will assist you through the donation process. No matter what option you choose to donate your vehicle it will be fast and hassle free!
2. Next, you will receive a call within 24 hours of the next business day to schedule your vehicle pickup. Once your pickup is scheduled please remove all your personal belongings from the vehicle.
3. Once our charity sells your vehicle, we will mail you a tax deductible receipt within a few weeks of your car donation. It's that easy!

You'll need a title transfer when donating your car. The title transfer is a seamless process with our knowledgeable car donation representatives.

Stop your search for the best car donation program. Donate cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. All we need from you is a phone number, an email address, and a VIN number to get started. Your contributions to local kids are so important. Each car donation brings a wish kid closer to getting their wish granted, or the help they need from a children's hospital charity.

Get great tax benefits when you donate! Our tow company partners pick up any motor vehicles without any additional steps.

More Car Donation Information From Wheels For Wishes

Looking for car donation information? Wheels For Wishes is a car donation charity benefiting Make-A-Wish or other children's wish & hospital charities. We help fund them to grant life-changing wishes to children facing critical illness. We have pages with all the vehicle donation information you need!

• Wish Stories: Read the stories from Make-A-Wish children who our donations benefit.
• Tax Deduction Information: We break down how your car donation is tax-deductible. Then we explain how it works for you.
• Free Vehicle Pick Up And Tow: Learn how Wheels For Wishes comes to you, and picks up your car for free!
• Car Donation FAQ: We answer your frequently asked questions about us and car donation.
• How To Donate A Car: Read how to donate your vehicle in three easy steps.
• Online Car Donation Form: This is our convenient form for online donations.
• Vehicle Title Information: Find out your state’s rules for your donated car's title.
• Donating A Car That Doesn’t Run: Learn how, if, and why you can donate your non-running car to Wheels For Wishes.

Vehicle donations to our vehicle donations program get you a tax benefit when we mail you your tax receipt. Your car donation receipt is what you will use to get that tax deduction. Hang onto that donation receipt for tax time. Our vehicle donation program recommends you speak to a tax professional when deducting the sale price of your car donation.

The sale price of your vehicle will be the determiner for your tax deduction. Our vehicle donation process is fast and simple. Give us a call to see if we'll accept your farm equipment, farm machinery, or construction equipment. The donation value will be the same in most tax situations. Speak to a tax advisor to make sure you know exactly how much you'll be getting back from your car donation to our nonprofit organizations.