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Title brands in a history report, explained

A title brand is a word a state puts on a car’s title to record something serious in its past. History reports such as CARFAX and AutoCheck list the brands reported for a VIN. Here is what each one means and what it should change about how you look at the car.

By Tayron Bram

Updated October 2026 · 6 min read

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Key takeaways

  • States apply title brands, not CARFAX or AutoCheck. History reports list the brands states recorded for the VIN, with the state and date.
  • Look at every state in the report, not just the current title: a brand missing from a title issued later in another state is how title washing works.
  • Brands generally stay. A repaired salvage car gets a new brand such as rebuilt, and the salvage record stays in its history.
  • Any odometer brand other than “actual” means you can’t take the mileage on the dashboard at face value.
  • No brand isn’t a clean bill of health: a car repaired without an insurance claim may never have been branded, so have it inspected either way.
On this page
  1. Who applies a brand, and why it follows the car
  2. Total-loss and salvage brands
  3. Water, fire, hail and other damage
  4. Buybacks and earlier uses
  5. Odometer brands
  6. Paperwork and identity brands
  7. Reading brands in a report

Who applies a brand, and why it follows the car

Brands are applied by state motor vehicle agencies, not by CARFAX or AutoCheck. The federal title database, NMVTIS, keeps a history of the brands any state has applied to a vehicle, so a brand from one state stays on record after the car is re-titled somewhere else. History reports pick up those records and list them with the state and date.

Each state sets its own names and rules, so the same event can produce different words in different states. The definitions below follow the national brand list as Vermont’s DMV publishes it, with other states’ wording where it differs.

Total-loss and salvage brands

Wording and thresholds differ by state. A rebuilt car keeps its salvage past on record.
BrandWhat it means
SalvageDamaged or destroyed so badly that repairs would cost more than a percentage of the car’s value that the state sets. In Wisconsin, for a vehicle under seven model years old, that’s 70% of its fair market value. In most states it can’t be driven on public roads until it is repaired and inspected.
Salvage – stolenTreated as salvage because the insurer took ownership after a theft.
TotaledDeclared a total loss by a state or an insurer.
Owner retainedDeclared a total loss, but the owner kept the car instead of handing it to the insurer.
RebuiltWas branded salvage, then repaired and passed the state’s anti-theft and safety inspections. Texas titles show “Rebuilt Salvage”.
ReconstructedOn the national list: permanently altered from its original construction by removing, adding or swapping major components. Some states use the word for a repaired salvage car.
JunkCan’t be operated safely and has no value except as parts or scrap.
Dismantled / parts onlyCan only be sold as parts and can’t legally be driven. California’s “Salvaged” brand also covers previously dismantled (junk) vehicles.
Non-repairable / repairedWas declared non-repairable, then re-titled after meeting the state’s criteria. Texas calls it “Prior Non-Repairable / Repaired”.
CrushedThe frame or chassis was destroyed and can’t be reused.

For what to check on these cars, see the salvage title check and the rebuilt title check.

Water, fire, hail and other damage

BrandWhat it means
Flood damageDamaged by a freshwater flood, or by a flood where it isn’t known whether the water was fresh or salt. In Wisconsin the brand applies when the repair would cost more than 70% of the car’s fair market value.
Salt water damageDamaged by a saltwater flood.
Fire damageDamaged by fire.
Hail damageDamaged by hail. Wisconsin applies it to a vehicle under seven years old damaged only by hail, where the repair would cost more than 70% of its fair market value.
CollisionDamaged in a collision.
VandalismDamaged by vandals.
Recovered theftWas salvage because of a theft, then repaired and inspected.
Disclosed damageHad damage that the state’s law requires to be disclosed.

A flood brand deserves an inspection by someone who knows water damage; our flood damage check explains what to look for.

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Letters and numbers, no I, O or Q. It’s on the dashboard by the windshield, on the driver’s door frame, and on the title.

Buybacks and earlier uses

BrandWhat it means
Manufacturer buybackBought back by the manufacturer under a lemon law or a similar rule, usually after a defect it couldn’t fix. Wisconsin includes buybacks by a dealer or distributor the manufacturer compensated.
Warranty return / lemon law buybackCalifornia’s wording for a vehicle returned to its manufacturer under the state’s Lemon Law.
Prior taxi / prior policeWas registered as a taxi or a police vehicle, which often means high mileage.
Gray marketBuilt for sale outside the US. California’s “Non-USA” brand covers cars modified to meet federal and California safety and emissions standards.

Odometer brands

BrandWhat it means
ActualThe reading is believed to be the true mileage.
Not actualThe reading is known to be wrong.
Not actual – tamperedThe reading is wrong because someone tampered with the odometer.
Exceeds mechanical limitsThe car has gone past the highest number the odometer can show.
ExemptThe vehicle qualifies for an exemption from odometer disclosure.
Odometer replacedThe odometer isn’t the one fitted at the factory.
Odometer discrepancyThe state believes the reading is wrong based on earlier records.

Any odometer brand other than “actual” means the mileage on the dashboard can’t be taken at face value. Our odometer rollback check shows how to compare the readings in a report.

Paperwork and identity brands

  • Bond posted: ownership couldn’t be proven with the usual documents, so a surety bond was filed. Wisconsin holds the bond for five years.
  • Reissued VIN / state-assigned VIN: a new VIN was issued for the vehicle, sometimes after it was rebuilt. Find out why, and make sure the paperwork explains it.
  • Kit, replica, street rod: a car built or modified away from the maker’s original design.

Reading brands in a report

  • Look at every state, not the current title. A brand applied in one state can be missing from a title issued later in another. That gap is how title washing works, and the history is how you catch it.
  • Read the dates. A brand that came right after an auction sale or a flood season tells a story the word alone doesn’t.
  • Several brands can stack. A car can be salvage, then rebuilt, then flood. Each is a separate event.
  • No brand isn’t a clean bill of health. A car repaired without an insurance claim may never have been branded. NMVTIS itself warns that a branded car may be unsafe, and recommends an inspection either way.

A CARFAX report lists the brands reported for a VIN in any state. It costs $8.99 here, against $44.99 on carfax.com.

Questions

Does CARFAX decide whether a car gets a brand?

No. States apply brands. CARFAX and AutoCheck report the brands that states have recorded for the VIN.

Can a brand be removed?

Generally no. Wisconsin, for example, says most brands are permanent and carry over to later titles. A salvage car that is repaired gets a new brand, such as rebuilt; the salvage record stays in its history.

Is a rebuilt car always a bad buy?

Not always, but it should cost less, and it can be harder to insure and resell. The brand tells you what happened; an inspection tells you how well it was fixed.

Why do two states use different words for the same thing?

Each state writes its own titling law. The national list gives common codes, but a state can name its brands and set its thresholds differently.

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About the author

Tayron Bram

Data Validation Officer

Tayron Bram is the Data Validation Officer at Smart VIN Check, with 41 years of experience in used-car sales, auto auctions and vehicle data. Tayron has checked thousands of vehicle history reports and worked with dealers importing cars from the US. At Smart VIN Check, Tayron checks that every fact in our guides matches its source, from state title rules to NMVTIS and NHTSA records, and goes back to those sources when they change. Before a guide is published, Tayron reads it the way a buyer would, looking for anything unclear, out of date or not backed by a source. Tayron also keeps the prices we quote from other sellers current, so the comparisons on our pages stay accurate.

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