thirteen Ways to Get a Free (Donated) Car

If you desperately need a car, then you may be able to find help from With Causes.

It’s important to note that With Causes states that if you currently receive assistance, such as TANF, SSI, SSDI, Welfare, or Food Stamps, then accepting tangible property, gifts, or financial assistance or services may affect or terminate your current benefits.

11. Modest Needs

Modest Needs provides assistance to individuals and families in the United States and Canada.

Modest Needs doesn’t offer free cars per se, but it provides grants to those who’re eligible.

If you get a grant from Modest Needs, then you could use the money to purchase a vehicle.

12. United Way Worldwide

Non-profit organization United Way Worldwide works with more than 1,800 communities in 40 plus countries and territories around the world.

One of its most well-known programs is 2-1-1.

2-1-1 is a confidential and free service that’s designed to help people throughout the United States to find resources nearby. If you’re struggling to afford a vehicle, then it’s worth contacting them.

They can connect you to a service professional who can help you.

13. And finally, give crowdfunding a try

You could consider setting up a donation page on a Crowdfunding platform.

On crowdfunding platforms, you can set up a page that people can donate to.

Crowdfunding allows you to raise small amounts of money from a large number of people.

So even if donations are only small, if you get a lot of them, then it really adds up.

A few crowdfunding platforms to try are:

Getting a donated car from a Dealership

If you need a car and don’t have the money top pay for it, this is worth a try. Usually car dealerships don’t donate cars, but from time to time, you do hear stories of local dealerships donating an older model to a family in need.

If you are facing financial difficulties, write a letter to the general manager or your local dealership and explain your situation. You just may get lucky.

You won’t know if you don’t ask!

A quick note on getting a free car from the government

While the government has many grants and programs available to those struggling financially, such as low income families, it doesn’t really have any programs that are dedicated to offering free cars.

It’s true that the government does offer grants, which is basically like a loan, except you don’t have to pay it back. But, most of the funding opportunities are available to organizations, rather than individuals.

So looking for a free car from the government isn’t a great option for those in need of a vehicle.

Instead, try one of the options in our list above.

If you’re on a low income, you may be able to get benefits from the government that cover basic expenses like food, housing and healthcare. This can help you to free up more money to save for a car.

• You can learn about government benefits here.

Getting a free car from wrapping companies

Some people wonder whether they can get a free car from car wrapping companies.

Well, there aren’t actually many out there anymore that offer totally free cars.

Instead, what most of these companies do is pay you to wrap your car in adverts. You can earn around $400 to $600 just for displaying ads.

So that’s something to consider if you do get a car.

One company to consider is Wrapify. We have a review about it, which you can read here.

Donate your old car

This won’t get you a free vehicle, but it can help other less fortunate people. If you have an old car that’s sitting in the garage or driveway rusting away, please consider donating it to a charity or organization that helps needy families get a vehicle for free or very cheap.

This is especially true if you have a car that doesn’t have much value. Sure, you may be able to get a few hundred dollars for it, but an extra few hundred may not do much for you, but for a family in need, that car can be the difference between the parent being able or not being able to get to work so he/she can provide for his/her family.

So please consider donating your old car.

Here are a few places you can donate your car:

Free car from Uber or Lyft

There is this myth out there that ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft give out free cars to drivers.

That’s not true at all!

However, if you want to drive for the company, they let you rent a car from them so you can drive and make money, which is not a bad deal if you don’t have a car and want to make some money. Uber drivers make good money. So do people who drive for Lyft.

Needless to say, they each have their own rules and requirements.

You can find out more about their car rental programs by following the links below:

Closing thoughts

There are many ways that you can get a car for free, so do check out the places that we listed above.

Having your own car can give you so much independence, and it can even improve your financial situation.

According to reports, a lack of transportation is a huge obstacle to employment for America’s poor.

A report from The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says:

“For residents without access to a car in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, transportation can be a formidable barrier to employment, hampering both an applicant’s ability to apply for a job and an employed resident’s ability to retain one.”

So it does have an effect. If you have a car, you open up more opportunities and life can become a lot more convenient.

It’s important to note that if you do apply for a free car, make sure that you have enough money to cover the cost of owning a car such as license plates, insurance, gas, etc. Worried about expensive car insurance rates? Read this to learn how to save big on car insurance.

Give one of our options a try and see if you could get a free car.