Should I take the battery out before junking my car?

Not unless your offer was made without it. The battery is part of the car you described. Pulling it can lower the offer, and it's one more thing for you to get rid of.

Do I remove the license plates?

Take them off before the truck comes. What you do with them next depends on Illinois rules for your situation; the Secretary of State's office handles plates.

When should I cancel my insurance?

After the car is gone and you're paid, not before. Until then it's still your car, sitting where it sits. Call your insurer once the truck leaves.

What to take out of your car before it's junked

Q: What about my Chicago city sticker?

If you'll put a sticker on another car in Chicago, keep the old one. The City Clerk transfers a sticker when you bring the old sticker in any condition, the new car's registration card and the bill of sale for the new car. The transfer fee is at least $20.

Before a junk car is towed, take out everything that's yours and not the car's. That means papers, personal things, the license plates, any toll transponder, the garage door opener and a child seat. Leave the car's own parts on it, like the battery, the wheels and the catalytic converter, unless your offer was made without them.

By Cars Junk Man. Updated September 30, 2026.

The tow truck is coming. You have ten minutes. This is the list, written for Chicago junk car removal and a few things only Chicago drivers have to think about.

What should you take out of a car before it’s junked?

Papers from the glovebox, door pockets and sun visors
Personal things from the trunk, under the seats and the spare-tire well
License plates, front and back
Toll transponder (I-PASS or E-ZPass) from the windshield
Garage door opener and any parking permits or passes
Child car seat
Leave the battery, wheels and catalytic converter unless your offer was made without them

Glovebox, trunk and under the seats

Start with paper. Glovebox, center console, door pockets, sun visors. Old registration cards, insurance cards, repair receipts, mail. Some of it has your address on it, and you don’t want that leaving on a truck.

Then the places nobody checks. Under the front seats. Between the seat and the console, where phones and cards end up. The seat-back pockets. The trunk, including under the floor panel where the spare tire lives, because people store things there and forget. If the car sat for a long time, check for keys to other things: house keys, a mailbox key.

Last, anything plugged in or mounted: phone chargers, a dash camera, a phone holder, a USB drive in the stereo.

Plates, toll transponder and the Chicago city sticker

License plates. Take them off. Both, if the car has a front plate. What you do with them afterward is up to you and the Illinois Secretary of State, which handles plates. Don’t leave them on the car.

Toll transponder. An I-PASS or E-ZPass stuck to the windshield is tied to your account. Peel it off, and remove the car from your account online when you get a minute.

City sticker. Chicago city stickers aren’t refunded except for duplicate purchases or invalid information, according to the Chicago City Clerk. But they can be moved. If you’ll have another car registered in Chicago, the Clerk transfers the sticker when you bring the old sticker (in any condition), the new vehicle’s registration card and proof of purchase, such as a bill of sale. The transfer fee is a minimum of $20 when the license type doesn’t change. So scrape the old sticker off, or keep the pieces, before the car goes. Details are on the City Clerk’s sticker FAQ.

Parking permits. Residential zone permits, building parking tags, a disability placard hanging from the mirror. Those are yours.

What to leave on the car

Leave the car’s parts on the car. Some articles online tell you to pull the battery, the tires, the stereo and the catalytic converter before you junk a car. That usually works against you. The offer you get is for the car you described. Show up with parts missing and the number changes, and you’re left holding a battery and four tires.

If you really do want to keep something (new tires you just paid for, an aftermarket stereo), say so before you get the offer, so the number reflects it.

Leave the keys with the car if you have them. No keys? That’s fine too; see junking a car with no keys.

Cancel insurance after the tow, not before

Until the truck leaves, the car is still yours, and a dead car on the street can still get a ticket. In Chicago, a car left on the public way without registration for two or more days can be treated as abandoned. Keep the registration and insurance in place until the car is gone and you’re paid. Then call your insurer and cancel, or move the coverage to your next car. Ask them whether you need anything from the sale, like the date of pickup or a copy of the bill of sale.

Last look before the driver arrives

Walk around the car once: plates off, nothing on the roof or in the bed.
Open every door and check the pockets.
Open the trunk and lift the floor panel.
Check the windshield for the toll tag and the city sticker.
Have your title ready to show. No title? Have the papers we talked about on the call ready instead.

Then it’s quick. The driver checks the car, the car goes on the truck, and you’re paid at pickup. Towing is free, and if you want to know why that’s normal, read how junk car removal gets paid for.