"Rebuilt motor vehicle" means a vehicle upon which a salvage certificate of title, parts-only certificate, or similar document has been issued and which has been rebuilt and restored for highway operation.Checked 2026-08-11
Rebuilt title
A title brand recording that a previously salvage-titled vehicle was rebuilt and restored for highway operation.
Also called: rebuilt salvage title · prior salvage
What it means
Definition
A rebuilt title is issued after a vehicle that carried a salvage certificate or similar document has been rebuilt and restored for highway operation. Vermont's statute defines a rebuilt motor vehicle in those terms. The inspection and paperwork required to move from salvage to rebuilt are set by each state, so the process differs between them.
Why a buyer cares
What it changes
The brand records that the vehicle was previously a total loss and has since been through the state's process to return to the road. It says nothing about which parts were replaced or how the work was done.
In practice
Where you meet it
Printed on the title as a 'rebuilt' or 'prior salvage' brand, disclosed in a listing, and carried on a vehicle history report.
Two things that look alike
Not the same as
A salvage title marks a vehicle that has not been through that process; a rebuilt title marks one that has.
Read next
Related terms
Where this comes from
Sources
One state's statutory definition, cited as an example rather than a national standard.