Got an old car that you don't want anymore? The charities listed below can take it off your hands for you, get you a tax deduction of $500 or more, and handle most of the IRS paperwork for you. They are also all reviewed by Charity Navigator with 4 or 3 star ratings, so the organizations listed here are all well-run and effectively serving their causes.


The four charities listed on this page all have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, so your donation to them is tax deductible. Do keep in mind that you can only get a tax deduction for a donated car if you itemize your deductions on your tax returns. If you do not itemize deductions, your donation might help your karma, but it will not help your bank account.

Another important thing to know is how much of a tax deduction you can expect to get for a donated car. Usually it is only about $500. That's because most donated cars are not actually used by the charities that take them. Instead, the charities typically sell the cars at auction, pay a portion of the sale to the auctioneer for their services, and then pocket whatever cash is left from the sale. Because you can only deduct what the charity actually gets for the sale in this instance, not the Kelly Blue book value of your car, the final figure for the tax deduction can be pretty low.

But in some cases (maybe 10% of the time or less) the charity will use the donated car, give the car to a needy person, or make "material improvements" (ie, major improvements) to a car. In these cases you can deduct the full Kelly Blue Book value of the car. It takes a bit more work to find the charities that actually accept and make use of donated cars, but with some effort you can find them.

New York City Coalition Against Hunger
50 Broad Street, Suite 1520, New York, NY 10004
212-825-0028 x206
http://nyccah.org/donatenow
This charity has ten different programs that work to feed the hungry in New York City and beyond. They strive to help people get out of soup kitchens and move into self-suffiency. They accept used vehicles as in kind donations. You will need to know the make and model of your car, the approximate value, and when you would like you car picked up. They outsource their car donations, so you will be working with a third party, but this is not entirely a bad thing, as the car donation processors are very well acquainted with the nuts and bolts of the car donation process, so you can know things are well taken care of.


Girl Scout Council of Greater New York
43 West 23rd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010 (212) 645-4000 ext. 247
http://www.girlscoutsnyc.org
The Girl Scouts does WAY more than sell cookies. Support the local chapter of this national institution by donating your car, SUV, truck or van. The car donation program is handled by Cars 4 Charities, so while you probably won't get more than a $500 deduction (because your car will be sold at auction), you will be working with people who handle car donations and tax deduction paperwork every day.


American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
424 E. 92nd St, New York, NY 10128-6804
(877) 999-8322
https://donate.aspca.org/sitecore/content/Home/Donate/aspca-vehicle-donation/
The NYC chapter of this national charity accepts all kinds of vehicles, whether they are running or not (including junk cars). All car donations for the ASPCA are handled by V-DAC, which operates nationally. They will pick up your car for free and handle most of the IRS tax paperwork for your deduction.


Habitat for Humanity - New York City
111 John Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10038 1-877-277-HFHI (4344)
http://www.habitatnyc.org/donate_inkind.html
Habitat for Humanity helps people build and improve their own homes. They are an international organization with a fine reputation, and they have their own program called "Cars For Homes" devoted to taking donated cars and actually giving them to needy people. They accept just about any vehicle in any condition.