Title Brands by State: A Plain Glossary

A title brand is a permanent note on a car's title that records something significant in its past. The exact words differ between jurisdictions, but the meanings group into a short list. Here is what the common brands are telling you.

Loss and repair brands

• Salvage. An insurer declared the car a total loss. It cannot be driven or registered until repaired and inspected.
• Rebuilt or reconstructed. A salvage car that passed inspection after repair and can be registered again.
• Junk or certificate of destruction. The car is fit only for parts or scrap and cannot legally return to the road.

Cause-of-loss brands

• Flood or water damage. Submersion damage, with a lasting risk of corrosion and electrical faults.
• Fire. Fire damage, which can hide structural and wiring problems.
• Hail. Storm damage, often cosmetic but sometimes extensive.

Disclosure brands

• Lemon or manufacturer buyback. Repurchased by the maker for a defect it could not fix.
• Odometer discrepancy. The mileage is not trusted.
• Not actual mileage or exceeds mechanical limits. The reading cannot be relied on.

Reading a brand you do not recognise

If a brand's wording is unfamiliar, look it up against the issuing jurisdiction's definitions rather than guessing. A brand is a permanent flag, so understand exactly what it means before you value the car.