Why catalytic converters are worth so much
Catalytic converters contain three of the rarest metals on Earth: platinum, palladium, and rhodium. These metals are what make the converter actually convert — they catalyze the chemical reactions that turn engine exhaust into less-toxic gases.
Per gram, rhodium has traded above $10,000 at peaks. Even at today’s prices, the small amount of these metals inside a single converter is worth hundreds of dollars. That value is what scrap-cat buyers and recyclers extract — and what drives every junk-car offer that has the original cat attached.
How we price the cat in your offer
The instant-offer flow looks up the OEM cat type for your year/make/model, applies today’s metal spot prices, and cross-references our recent purchase data for similar vehicles. The result lands in your offer as part of a single number — you don’t see a separate “cat line” because the law (and our pickup logistics) doesn’t separate them. But you can verify it’s priced fairly by comparing offers on cars with cats vs. without cats: the spread between the two is the cat price.
The legal landscape (briefly)
Catalytic converter theft surged in 2020-2022, and the regulatory response has been swift. As of 2026, most states require:
- Vehicle of origin documentation (title, VIN, or registration) for any standalone cat sale
- Buyer-side ID verification and reporting to law enforcement
- Cooling-off / hold periods (typically 7-14 days) before resale
- Civil and sometimes criminal penalties for unauthorized cat sales
We comply with all of this when we buy your whole car. We handle the paperwork; you handle nothing.