Selling a fire-damaged car

If the car is electric or a hybrid, safety comes before paperwork. Federal agencies say a fire-damaged lithium-ion battery can catch fire again days later, so it stays outside and away from buildings until it leaves.

Is it safe to go near?

A burned EV or hybrid needs more care than a burned gas car:

• Leave it where it is. The EPA says not to start, move, tow or charge a fire-damaged electric or hybrid car, because a damaged lithium-ion battery can reignite, explode and give off toxic gases. If you see smoke or flames, move at least 330 feet upwind and call 911 (EPA fact sheet).
• Keep it out of the garage. NHTSA's guidance says a badly damaged car with a lithium-ion battery shouldn't be stored inside a structure or within 50 feet of any structure or vehicle, and that owners shouldn't try to repair a damaged EV or hybrid themselves. Battery damage can release toxic, flammable gas right away or later on (NHTSA guidance).
• The danger lasts. The U.S. Fire Administration says damaged EVs have caught fire several days after the first fire seemed to be out, while sitting in impound lots and salvage yards (USFA).

The same NHTSA guidance says the agency doesn't believe electric vehicles carry a greater risk of fire after a crash than gas-powered ones. The difference is what a damaged battery can do afterward.

Where car fires start

The U.S. Fire Administration counted an average of about 171,500 highway vehicle fires a year from 2014 to 2016, with 345 deaths, 1,300 injuries and $1.1 billion in property loss each year. Sixty-two percent began around the engine, the wheels or the running gear. Mechanical failure played a part in 45%, and an electrical failure such as a short circuit in 21% (USFA report).

Some of those fires trace back to defects that get recalled. Hyundai's recall 23V-651 covers a fault in the anti-lock brake module, which can leak brake fluid and short out. That raises the risk of an engine compartment fire whether the car is parked or moving. About 1.65 million vehicles are listed under it in NHTSA's file. The owner letter tells owners to park outside and away from buildings until the free repair is done (owner letter).

It isn't a rare kind of recall. NHTSA's recall files, pulled on October 10, 2026, hold 26,141 campaigns, and 4,459 of them name a fire among the consequences. NHTSA flags 101 campaigns with a park-outside warning, 97 of them over fire, and 98 of the 101 were reported in 2020 or later.

Write the VIN down while you can still read it. NHTSA's lookup shows a car's unrepaired safety recalls, but not recalls already fixed, recalls so new that their VINs haven't been loaded, or most recalls more than 15 years old (NHTSA). If a fire recall was open on your car, give the campaign number to your insurer.

Insurance: which part of the policy pays

• Comprehensive is the one. The Texas Department of Insurance says comprehensive, or other than collision, coverage pays when a car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or anything else that isn't a collision (TDI guide). Its fire FAQ adds smoke and explosion damage to that list (TDI FAQ).
• Wildfire. Washington's insurance commissioner says liability and collision don't pay for wildfire damage to a car. Comprehensive does, even if you left the car behind during a mandatory evacuation, and it covers damage from heat, smoke, ash, or emergency crews fighting the fire (Washington OIC).
• The home policy won't step in. The NAIC says homeowners and renters insurance won't cover wildfire damage to your car, and a comprehensive auto policy likely would (NAIC).

If you carried only liability, your own policy won't pay for the car, and selling it as it is may be the only money left in it. If the insurer is weighing a total loss, the wrecked car guide explains how that decision is made and lists every state's threshold.

Fire on the title, state by state

In the state rules we read, fire usually shows up as one of the causes in a salvage or nonrepairable definition. Only a few states put the word on the title itself. These are the states whose own statutes or agency pages we checked, in October 2026:

As the Iowa and Texas rows show, a fire mark from one state can stay on the next state's title. Selling a salvage title car covers how brands and rebuilt titles work.

Smoke, soot and ash

We found no official guidance on getting smoke smell or soot out of a car's seats and vents. The EPA does publish guidance on ash from burned property. It isn't written for cars, but it's worth knowing before you go back to a car that sat in the ash:

• What's in it. Ash from burned buildings can hold asbestos, heavy metals such as lead and arsenic, and cancer-causing chemicals like PAHs, dioxins and furans (EPA).
• Don't stir it up. No dry sweeping or dusting, and never a leaf blower. Mist hard surfaces with as little water as you can, then wet-mop.
• Wear a real respirator. Look for a NIOSH-approved mask marked N95 or P100.
• Some people should stay out of it. The EPA says people with heart or lung disease, older adults and pregnant women shouldn't help clean ash.
• Don't carry it home. Wash your hands and change clothes and shoes before getting into a vehicle, and bag ash-covered clothing in the trunk.

If the burned car is going to be sold anyway, there's no reason to clean it. Leave it as it is.

If the title burned too

A house fire can take the glove box papers and the file cabinet with the car. If the title is gone, read selling a car without a title before you sell.

Selling the burned car

We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and a burned shell counts. Sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US, so you don't move it yourself.

For an accurate offer, we'll need to know:

• Year, make and model, and whether it's gas, hybrid or electric.
• What burned: the engine bay, the cabin, or the whole car.
• Where it's parked, and whether a truck can reach it.
• Whether an insurance claim is open on it.
• Whether you have the title, or need a replacement.

You can also call (877) 421-6008. After the car is gone, file your state's sale or release notice and deal with the plates; after you sell walks through both.