When a vehicle suffers damage or a history event that a state considers material to future buyers, the state marks the title. Common brands include salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, lemon law buyback and odometer discrepancy.
Brands are meant to follow the vehicle permanently, including across state lines. In practice the wording and the threshold for applying a brand differ from state to state, and that variation is what people exploit when they move a vehicle to shed its history.
A brand is not automatically a reason to walk away. A properly repaired rebuilt vehicle can be a sensible purchase at the right price. What a brand does mean is that the price, the inspection and the insurance conversation all change.
Why it matters
A branded vehicle is typically worth substantially less than a clean-titled equivalent, and some lenders and insurers will not write full coverage on one.
How to check it
A history report shows brands recorded against the VIN in any state, not just the current one. That matters more than the paper title in front of you.
Does this apply to the car you are looking at?
Run the VIN or plate and see what is actually on record.
Related terms
Definitions are general guidance, not legal advice. Title rules, total loss thresholds and inspection requirements are set by each state and change over time, so confirm the position with the motor vehicle agency for the state the vehicle is titled in before relying on it.