What is the vehicle donation form form template?
Vehicle donations are generous and messy. A caller wants to give their late father's car, but nobody's sure where the title is, the tires are flat and it's parked behind a locked gate. Every missing detail means another call before a tow truck can go out. A vehicle donation form collects the essentials at the start, so your team — or the partner who handles pickups — can act on the first contact.
Page one of this template is about the vehicle itself. "What are you donating?" covers cars and vans, motorcycles, boats, RVs and trailers, followed by year, make, model, colour and the "VIN or hull identification number", with help text on where to find it. "Does it run?" separates drivable vehicles from ones that need a flatbed, and a short "Condition" grid rates body, interior, tires and glass. Donors can add known problems and up to six photos.
Page two deals with the two things that hold up most pickups: the title and the location. If the donor picks "The title is lost or damaged", a note appears explaining that a replacement is usually needed first, along with "Have you already applied for a replacement title?". A title in someone else's name or a loan still owed each ask a follow-up. Then come the pickup address, where the vehicle is parked, good times and notes for the driver, a signed ownership statement and the date. Each offer is filed as a PDF in your FileIt vault, photos included.
- Best for
- Charities, churches, schools and public radio stations that accept vehicles
- Filled in by
- The donor, or a family member handling an estate
- Time to complete
- About 5 minutes
- Includes
- Vehicle type, VIN, mileage, condition grid, photos, title status with follow-ups, pickup details, signature
Who uses a vehicle donation form form?
- A charity running its own car donation program
- Passing complete pickup requests to a towing or auction partner
- A sailing club or youth program accepting donated boats
- Families giving a relative's vehicle after a death
- Church members donating a car to a family in need
- Recording RVs and trailers offered after a disaster appeal
Questions on this vehicle donation form form
28 questions over 2 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox, ratings.
1 The vehicle
- Your name*
- Email*
- Phone*
- What are you donating?* Car, truck, SUV or van · Motorcycle or scooter · Boat · RV, motorhome or camper · Trailer
- Year*
- Make*
- Model*
- Colour
- VIN or hull identification number*
- Mileage or engine hours
- Does it run?* Yes, it runs and drives · It starts but isn't safe to drive · No, it doesn't start
- Condition* Good · Fair · Poor · N/A
- Known damage or problems
- Do you have the keys?*
- Photos of the vehicle
2 Title and pickup
- Title status* I have the title and it's in my name · The title is lost or damaged · The title is in someone else's name · There's still a loan or lien on it
- Have you already applied for a replacement title? asked only when it applies
- Name on the title* asked only when it applies
- Who is the loan or lien with?* asked only when it applies
- State or province on the title
- Are the license plates still on it?
- Pickup location*
- Where is it parked?* Driveway or private lot · On the street · In a garage · Storage yard or marina
- Best days and times for pickup
- Anything the tow driver should know?
- Ownership*
- Signature*
- Date*
The vehicle donation form form, page by page
1 The vehicle
Name, email and phone come first. "What are you donating?" has an Other option for anything unusual. "Year", "Make" and "Model" are required; "Colour" and "Mileage or engine hours" are optional. The VIN question explains where to look on a car and a boat. "Does it run?" has three honest answers, and the "Condition" grid rates four areas as good, fair, poor or N/A. "Known damage or problems", "Do you have the keys?" and an optional photo upload of up to six images finish the page.
2 Title and pickup
"Title status" decides what comes next: a lost title shows a short note and asks whether a replacement has been requested, a title in someone else's name asks for that name, and a loan asks who it's with. "State or province on the title" and whether the plates are still on sit side by side. The pickup address, "Where is it parked?", "Best days and times for pickup" and "Anything the tow driver should know?" give the driver what they need. A placeholder paragraph is there for your own process, then the donor confirms ownership, signs and dates.
Make the template yours
- Rewrite the template note with how pickup, sale and acknowledgements work at your organisation
- Remove vehicle types you don't accept, such as boats or trailers
- Edit the lost-title note to match the help you can actually offer
- Add your towing partner's address to the notification emails
- File offers into a vault folder per year to keep each year's donations together
- Change the confirmation message to give your real response time
Tips for a better vehicle donation form form
- Call back quickly — donors who don't hear from you often give the car to someone else
- Check the VIN against the title before pickup to catch typos
- Ask for photos of anything described as poor; it changes which truck you send
- Don't schedule pickup until the title question is settled
- Keep the signed PDF with your own pickup and sale records for that vehicle
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each donation offer is filed as a PDF in your vault, with the photos attached to the same document, and you're emailed straight away. The donor can receive a copy of what they submitted.
The Responses table lets you search by make, model or VIN and export to CSV for your towing partner or a running log of donated vehicles.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Vehicle donation form form: frequently asked questions
Is this vehicle donation form free to use?
Yes. It's a starter template in FileIt's Forms app, which is available on the free plan.
Can donors give a vehicle without a title?
The form lets them say the title is lost, then shows a note and asks whether they've applied for a replacement. What you require is up to you — edit the note to match.
Does FileIt check the VIN?
No. The form records the VIN as typed. It's limited to 17 characters, and you can compare it with the title before pickup.
Does the form give tax receipts?
No. It collects the donation offer. Any acknowledgement you send is part of your own process, which you can describe in the template note.
Can donors upload photos?
Yes, up to six images from their phone or computer. They're attached to the filed PDF.
Do donors need a FileIt account?
No. They use the link on your website or in your email.