Everything you need to know before donating your car

Donating your car to charity is a wonderful way to give back to the community and help those in need while at the same time disposing of an unused or unwanted vehicle. Donating your car is a very simple process. There are a few things you should do before you donate your car in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton or anywhere in Southern Ontario. Keep reading to learn more.  

Remove your personal effects 

Remove all of your personal items from the car before you donate it. You may also want to take things that can be transferred to another car, like seat-covers and other removable accessories. Don’t forget any key fobs and your 407 ETR transponder. The car does NOT need to be cleaned of any dirt — just your personal belongings.

Prepare to hand over the car

Please remove the license plate. License plates can be used on another vehicle or can be returned to the Ministry of Transportation for a partial refund (depending on your date of birth and the date of return). Also, sign the back of the ownership where it states “seller’s signature”. You will hand this over to the tow truck driver upon pickup or leave it in the glove compartment of the car. 

Arranging for pickup

We do the rest for you. Homeless Cars will work with you to arrange a convenient and free pickup within 24-48 hours of donation. The option is yours when it comes to whether or not you would like to be present when the tow truck arrives. It is not necessary and most of our donors are not. If you prefer not to wait for the tow truck, please leave the keys and signed ownership in the glove compartment with the doors unlocked (or in your home’s mailbox or under a planter for example) and we’ll take care of the rest. Just make sure to let our agent know what your preference is. If you wish to be present for pickup, we cannot provide an exact pickup time, just a window of usually four hours. 

Estimate the market value 

When you’re making an in-kind donation to a charitable foundation, the market value is what determines how much your donation is worth. At Homeless Cars, we use the largest auction database in North America in order to accurately calculate the fair market value of your car coupled with the expertise of the owners who have three generations of industry experience evaluating fair market value of vehicles.

Where does the money go?

Homeless Cars is a charitable foundation that will distribute the funds from the donation of your vehicle, to homelessness charities in the city you made your donation in. You will ultimately be helping the homeless in your very own communities. Some of the homelessness-based charities we have partnered with and are supporting are 541 Eatery & Exchange, Out of The Cold and Ve’Ahavta 

When your car is prepped and ready to go, give Homeless Cars a call and we’ll arrange to have your car picked up by a local towing company. There’s no cost to you and you don’t even have to be at home at the time. You’ll receive your official charitable tax receipt approximately a month after the month in which you made the donation. 

Contact us today to learn more about how you can make a real difference in people’s lives when you donate your car to charity.