Wheel ScoutWhat a Delaware plate lookup shows
A license plate points to one car. We turn the Delaware plate into the car's 17-character VIN, show you the year, make and model, then read its history: salvage, flood and rebuilt brands, title history by state, odometer readings and theft records. You also see the factory specs and the safety recalls for that model year before you pay. What it never shows is the owner: the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps names and addresses in DMV records private, and we don't sell them.
What a Delaware plate looks like, and who keeps it
Delaware issues one number plate per car, mounted on the rear (21 Del. C. sections 2121 and 2126), with a validation sticker showing when the registration expires. Plates are the property of the State (section 2125). Vanity plates carry the words The First State and are treated as the owner's personal property. Type the plate without spaces; we find the car.
Here is the part that surprises people from other states. Under section 2128, when a car is sold its plate stays with the car unless the seller moves it to another vehicle. A seller who wants to keep the number has to put the plate into retention at a DMV office before the sale, bringing the title, their license and proof of insurance. Retention costs $35, or $55 if a lender holds the title; taking the plate back out costs $20, and a retained plate is held for 365 days after it expires. If the seller doesn't, the plate stays on the car. When the buyer is from out of state, the DMV tells the seller to take the plate off and return it to a DMV office. The DMV warns sellers that a plate neither returned nor retained can bring them red light, toll and parking violations if the buyer never transfers the car.
Coming soon: from March 16, 2027, the owner of a Delaware vanity plate will be able to transfer the plate itself to a new owner, as a gift or for money (section 2121(l)).
Temporary tags are good for up to 90 days from issue, or until the permanent plate arrives. The DMV sells a $20 temporary tag so a buyer can drive a car to the state where it will be titled, and the same $20 tag lets a seller who retained the plate get the car to the buyer or dealer. Remember, though: the Delaware DMV says a car bought here may not be driven until a new title is issued in the buyer's name.
Delaware title brands: what the lookup can show
Our $5 report reads the NMVTIS record, the national title database every state reports into, so a Delaware brand, or a brand from Maryland, Pennsylvania or New Jersey on a car that crossed the line, shows up next to the odometer history and theft check. Delaware's dealer law (21 Del. C. section 6309(d)) makes a dealer disclose four of them in writing before the sale, and the DMV's tips for used-car buyers name the rest:
| Salvage | A car an insurer settled as a total loss. In an owner-retained total loss the owner gets a salvage certificate at the DMV with the insurer's settlement letter, and the DMV puts the plate into retention if the registration is still current. The car cannot be driven until it is reconstructed, inspected by the Delaware State Police Auto Theft Unit, passes a DMV safety inspection, and is retitled. |
|---|---|
| Reconstructed, Rebuilt, Restored salvage | The DMV's tips for used-car buyers say words like flood, salvage, rebuilt, reconstructed or restored salvage mean the car may have been dismantled and rebuilt, stolen and recovered with damage, flooded, or badly damaged and repaired, and that you should have a repair or body shop inspect it before you buy. Dealers must disclose a reconstructed brand. |
| Flood Damaged | A flood brand. A dealer must disclose it before the sale on a DMV-approved disclosure statement, which the buyer signs. |
| Taxi | A car that was used as a taxi. Dealers must disclose this one too. |
| Odometer discrepancy | Means the actual mileage is unknown. Look for it on the title as well as in the report. |
How a Delaware salvage car gets back on the road. The owner takes color photos before any repairs (rear and left side, front and right side), keeps dated receipts for every part and repair with names and addresses, and lists the donor car's VIN on used parts. The title, receipts and settlement letter must all be in the same name. The State Police Auto Theft Unit inspects without appointment in Dover on the second Tuesday and second Thursday, in Georgetown on the third Thursday, and in Delaware City on the first and fourth Thursday of each month. A car that passes gets an Application for Title (MV214); the owner then completes the DMV safety and emissions inspection and retitles it. One rule worth knowing before you buy a fixed-up salvage car: the Auto Theft Unit will not approve a vehicle that was repaired by a previous salvage owner.
What a Delaware title transfer costs
Delaware has no sales tax. Instead it charges a document fee when a car is titled, and the DMV collects everything at the title counter.
| Document fee | 5.25% of the sale price or the current NADA average trade-in value, whichever is higher. It went up from 4.25% on October 1, 2025 under House Bill 164. If you have no bill of sale and no price on the back of the title, the NADA value is used. |
|---|---|
| Credit for a car you sold | If you sold a Delaware-titled vehicle within 60 days before or after titling the new one, its value can be credited against the document fee, one vehicle per application, with Form MV347. A sale after the new title must be reported within 30 days. |
| Title fee | $35, or $55 with a lien. A duplicate title is $50. |
| Registration | $40 a year for a passenger car. Alternative fuel vehicles under 6,000 pounds also pay a yearly fee: $60 for a hybrid, $85 for a plug-in hybrid and $110 for an electric car. |
| Late fees | Title not transferred within 30 days of purchase: $35 late fee. Registration renewed after it expires: $20. |
| Insurance | Proof of Delaware liability insurance is required. The uninsured motorist penalty is $100 for the first 30 days and $5 a day after that. |
Delaware forms and deadlines
| The title | The seller fills in Section 1 on the back: your name and address, the date, the price and the odometer disclosure. Delaware titles do not need a notary. If the front shows owners joined by AND, all of them sign; if AND/OR, one is enough. All buyers sign the Purchaser's Application. |
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| Insist on the title | The DMV's advice to buyers is to insist on a properly signed title when the car is delivered, and not to accept a bill of sale or registration in its place. |
| Buyer's deadline | 30 days from the purchase, or the $35 late fee. The car may not be driven until the new title is issued. |
| Seller's Report of Sale | A detachable form at the bottom of newer Delaware titles. The seller fills in the buyer's name and address and the date and hour of the sale and mails it to the DMV in Dover. |
| Odometer | Mandatory for model year 2011 and newer; encouraged for 2010 and older. The DMV rejects a title showing lower mileage on the back than the front unless the not-actual or exceeds-mechanical-limits box is checked. |
| Liens | If a lender is on the front of the title, the seller provides a notarized, paid lien release. If you're financing, the lien goes on the back of the title and the title is mailed to the lender. |
The DMV recommends that buyer and seller go to the DMV office together to complete the transfer. In a sale between two people, that is the simplest way to make sure the title, the plate and the Report of Sale are all handled at once.
Inspections in Delaware
Delaware runs its own inspection lanes at all four DMV locations (Wilmington, Delaware City, Dover and Georgetown), and the inspection is done at no fee. It covers safety items such as tires, brakes and windows, an exhaust emissions test, and a fuel system leak test. Most cars from 1996 on get an OBDII test.
- When a car is first titled in Delaware it usually needs an inspection. For the newest seven model years under 10,000 pounds, a VIN verification may be all that's needed.
- At renewal: cars in their first seven model years can renew without an inspection. Older cars are typically tested every two years, and the inspection can be done up to 90 days before the registration expires.
- Cars from out of state: model year seven years old or newer need a VIN verification at a DMV lane; all others are inspected at a DMV lane before a Delaware title is issued.
- Rebuilt salvage cars need both the State Police Auto Theft Unit inspection and the DMV safety inspection.
The state inspection checks the basics, not the whole car. On anything with a brand on the title, the DMV itself tells buyers to get a repair or body shop inspection first.
Before you meet a Delaware seller
- Run the plate or the VIN here first, before the deposit. Then match the year, make, model and trim to the car in front of you.
- Match the VIN on the dashboard, the door sticker and the title. The DMV tells buyers to check it physically.
- Check the signatures against the front of the title. AND means every owner signs; AND/OR means one.
- Ask about the plate. If the seller wants to keep it, they must retain it at the DMV before the sale. Otherwise it stays with the car.
- Look for brands on the title: Salvage, Rebuilt, Restored Salvage, Reconstructed, Flood, Taxi, or an odometer discrepancy.
- Get the lien release if a lender is listed.
- Budget 5.25% of the price or NADA trade-in, whichever is higher, plus the $35 title fee ($55 with a lien) and $40 a year registration.
Where these Delaware facts come from
Read on the state's own pages on October 31, 2026. Fees and rules change; the county tax office has the final word on the day you file.
- Delaware DMV: Transfer a Delaware vehicle title
- Delaware DMV: Retaining a Delaware license plate
- Delaware DMV: Tips for selling a Delaware titled vehicle
- Delaware DMV: Owner-retained salvage vehicles
- Delaware DMV: Tips on purchasing a used vehicle
- Delaware DMV: Vehicle inspections
- Delaware DMV: Odometer disclosure requirements
- Delaware DMV: Vehicle credit for the document fee
- State of Delaware: DMV fees increase in October 2025
- Delaware Code Title 21, Chapter 21: registration plates
- Delaware DMV: Fees
- Delaware DMV: Vehicle inspection FAQs
- Delaware Code Title 21, Chapter 63: dealer disclosure of title brands
Look up a plate from another state
The reports
Works for Delaware plates and every other state. You see the car before you pay.
Basic history report
By VIN or license plate · official NMVTIS record · shows right away
- Salvage, junk, flood and rebuilt title brands
- Title history by state, with dates
- Odometer readings and rollback flags
- Total-loss records from insurers
- Theft check
- Market value for the car
Full vehicle history report
By VIN or license plate · Not instant: emailed or texted to you within two hours
- Every owner, how they used it (personal, lease, rental or fleet) and where
- Accidents and damage reports
- Title brands: salvage, junk, rebuilt, flood, fire, hail, lemon
- Odometer readings over time, checked for rollbacks
- Service and maintenance history
- Open recalls and common owner complaints for the model
Delaware license plate lookup questions
How do I look up a Delaware license plate?
Type the plate above with Delaware selected. We turn it into the car's VIN and show the year, make and model at no charge, then the $5 report shows its title brands, odometer readings, total-loss records and theft check.
How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Delaware?
A 5.25% document fee on the sale price or NADA average trade-in value (whichever is higher), the $35 title fee ($55 with a lien), and $40 a year for registration. Transfer within 30 days of purchase to avoid the $35 late fee.
Does Delaware have sales tax on cars?
No sales tax, but a document fee of 5.25% when the car is titled, up from 4.25% on October 1, 2025. You can get a credit if you sold a Delaware-titled vehicle within 60 days before or after.
Does Delaware require a vehicle inspection?
Yes. Cars titled in Delaware for the first time are usually inspected at a DMV lane, at no fee, for safety items and emissions. Newer cars may need only a VIN verification, and cars in their first seven model years skip inspection at renewal.
Can a salvage car be driven in Delaware?
No. An owner-retained salvage car can't be driven until it is reconstructed, inspected by the Delaware State Police Auto Theft Unit, passes a DMV safety inspection and is retitled. The Auto Theft Unit won't approve a car repaired by a previous salvage owner.
Does the plate go with the car in Delaware?
Usually, yes. Delaware plates stay with the car unless the seller places the plate into retention at the DMV before the sale ($35, or $55 with a lien). Starting March 16, 2027, vanity plates can also be transferred to a new owner.
Can I find the owner of a Delaware plate?
No. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' names and addresses in Delaware DMV records private, and no legitimate plate lookup shows them. You see the car, not the person.
Who runs vehicle titles in Delaware?
The Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), part of DelDOT, issues titles, plates and registrations and runs the inspection lanes. Rebuilt salvage cars are also inspected by the Delaware State Police Auto Theft Unit.
More ways to check a car
Find the deal, then check it.
Wheel Scout alerts you the moment an underpriced car posts on Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist near you, and runs the history right in the app.
The basic history report uses NMVTIS data from an approved NMVTIS data provider. NMVTIS records come from states, insurers and salvage yards; not every event is reported to it. Vehicle specs and recalls come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Wheel Scout is not affiliated with any marketplace or government agency. Wheel Scout is not affiliated with the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).