
Federal regulations have changed recently in the area of car donation, and there's a lot of misinformation floating around for those who want to donate a car for tax deduction. It seems like with these new regulations, it's no longer a financially good choice to donate a car. However, this analysis is an oversimplification. Donating your car can be financially beneficial; it just depends on whom you donate it to.
Donate a Car for Tax Deduction
Vehicles for Change is an organization that accepts a variety of car types for donation and provides them to families in need. The vehicle you're considering donating probably falls under one of these four categories:
A vehicle in good condition a family can use. These cars, trucks, or SUVS typically have less than 150,000 miles on them and are usually 10-12 years old. These cars can normally be fixed up for use for under $1000. After they are repaired by Vehicles for Change technicians, they will give at least two years of reliable service. The donor of these vehicles receives the full fair market price in tax deductions.A luxury vehicle in good condition. Luxury vehicles are typically expensive to maintain and repair. Therefore, they aren't ideal vehicles for lower-income families. With this in mind, Vehicles for Change performs the repairs and then sells the repaired vehicles to Freedom Wheels - a non-profit used car organization operated by Vehicles for Change. The proceeds from these sales allow Vehicles for Change to repair more cars for families in need. People who donate these luxury cars receive the selling price in deductions, which is usually around the fair market value.
A vehicle that needs a major repair, but is otherwise in good condition. Typically, these vehicles aren't ideal for donating to a needy family. Therefore, these vehicles are sold to Freedom Wheels. People who donate these kinds of cars receive deductions for the full fair market value of the car, minus the estimated cost of the repairs. This estimate is provided by Vehicles for Change.A vehicle that isn't financially feasible to repair. Some cars are too damaged to be worth repairing by Vehicles for Change. Technicians from the organization will perform minor repairs and then auction it off to the organization's partners, usually with a minimum bid. Proceeds go to repairing more vehicles for families in need. Donors can donate the selling price of the car from their taxes, which is usually 1/3 to ½ of fair market value.


