In the United States, every vehicle has a title issued by the state. When something significant happens to the vehicle — usually an insurance write-off — the title is "branded". The brand stays with the vehicle, so it is one of the most important facts on any auction listing.
The common title types
- Clean — no brand recorded. It does not guarantee the vehicle was never damaged, but no insurer declared it a total loss in a way that branded the title.
- Salvage — an insurer declared the vehicle a total loss, usually because repair cost exceeded a share of its value. The reason can be a collision, flood, hail, fire or theft recovery.
- Rebuilt / reconstructed — a former salvage vehicle that was repaired and passed a state inspection to return to the road.
- Certificate of destruction / non-repairable — intended for parts or scrap only; not road-legal again in the US.
Names and rules differ between states, which is one reason we always read the state and the exact wording on the listing.
"Salvage" does not tell you why
A salvage title from hail dents and one from a flood are very different vehicles. Under Ghana's GS 4510 requirements, enforced from 1 October 2026, vehicles that were flood-damaged, fire-damaged, or have chassis or safety-cage damage cannot be imported. So for any branded title we look for the cause — in the listing's damage fields, the history report and the photos — before presenting the vehicle to you.
How we show this in your portal
Each vehicle option shows its title status, accident history and damage notes next to its Ghana import check. You approve the vehicle knowing all of this — and your approval is recorded with the date and time.
General information only — not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules and rates change; check with the relevant authority before relying on any figure.
