NABC® Recycled Rides® Resources
for Charity Partners

The NABC® represents all the constituents in the collision repair industry- insurers, repairers, and suppliers. Through the NABC® Recycled Rides®, insurers donate vehicles (theft recoveries and financial totals) that collision repair shops volunteer to return to pre-accident condition, and we work through local charities to gift them to people in need of reliable transportation.

Candidates for a vehicle cannot self-nominate, or be nominated by a family member or friend. They need to be nominated, or “sponsored” by a charity that knows them and is familiar with their situation. We gift about 300 vehicles per year nationally, and almost 75% are gifted to veterans, and the rest to others in need working to overcome challenges and regain their independence.

We rely heavily on the charity to nominate people that they know well and have worked with, know their situation, have witnessed them working hard towards a better life, and are confident that they will make the most of the gift of a reliable vehicle to continue to move forward in their life journey. We rely on the charity to complete the nomination form with input from the candidate, adding the charity’s own assessment and recommendation of why this person is deserving. All candidates will need to agree to and pass a background check for a clean criminal record and clean driving record. While we will gift a vehicle to a candidate that has a vehicle that is in disrepair, we are looking to provide a gift that truly changes the life of someone that has no vehicle, not someone in need of a second household vehicle.

The criteria that the candidate must meet is as follows:

  • Must have a valid driver’s license from the state where the vehicle will be gifted
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain vehicle insurance
  • Must have means to cover any upfront expenses- titling, registration, sales tax, etc.
  • Must have a safe driving record
  • Be financially challenged – although must have sufficient income to afford the insurance and upkeep, but not so much that they could afford to buy a car – there is an income guideline of 2X the national poverty level (chart below)
  • Does not currently own a reliable, working vehicle
  • If a veteran, must have an honorable discharge

When nominating a candidate, be sure to include all sources of income including housing, food subsidies, social security, disability payments and military pensions/payments. We cannot accept candidates that fall well below the target monthly income shown below.

Persons in the household Target Monthly Income required

1

$2,510 – $3,138

2

 $3,407 – $4,258

3

 $4,303 – $5,379

4

 $5,200 – $6,500

5

$6,097 – $7,621

6

$6,993 – $8,742

7

$7,890- $9,863

If your candidate is selected, we will be relying on the charity to shepherd the recipient throughout the process up until the presentation of the vehicle. Please see the following responsibilities as the nominating non-profit/charity:

  • Identifying and nominating a qualified candidate to receive the vehicle, following the NABC® criteria above—especially the income requirement of at least 200% of national poverty level
  • Ensuring that the background, employment, military service, on the application is accurate for a qualified and deserving recipient. We will confirm these with a background check.
  • Providing all ongoing communication between NABC® and the recipient leading up to the event with updates on achievement of key milestones
  • Participating in planning calls as the gifting date approaches
  • Assisting recipient in securing insurance, going to the DMV for vehicle registration, and providing transportation to the vehicle gifting event​
  • Speaking at the gifting event on behalf of the charity, and introducing the recipient to the audience.

The gifting event normally takes place at the repair facility that refurbished the vehicle, but occasionally may take place at an industry conference, national meeting or sporting event.

Click below to get started Changing and Saving Lives Every Day in your community.

GEICO has been involved with the NABC® Recycled Rides® program for over a decade, and a lot of great relationships have been built over the years. During that time, we have seen that our involvement in the program extends beyond helping individual families in need. The vehicles that we donate to the program are not only changing the lives of those who receive the vehicles, but are also impacting communities. Those who have been nominated by various non-profits to receive vehicles are often already paying it forward by volunteering in the their communities, and now they can do even more with their vehicles. It humbles me to be a part of this great program, and I’m ecstatic that GEICO is on pace to donate 200 cars this year.

"The partnership of matching families that have a refurbished future with these amazing vehicles that have been refurbished by local body shops is one of the best programs we have ever engaged in at Family Promise of Las Vegas. More than 80 Las Vegas families have benefited from this partnership since 2009 - There are no words to describe how life changing the NABC® Recycled Rides® program is to our families."