Should You Put Your Car in a Trust in Arizona?

Yes, you can title an Arizona vehicle to your trust. In many cases a simple beneficiary form gets you there with less work. Below is how to choose, what to expect at MVD, and how title moves when someone dies.

Quick Answer

Use your trust for control and clean records. Use a transfer-on-death (TOD) beneficiary for the simplest pass at death without probate.

If you like tidy, consistent ownership across your accounts and property, the trust route fits well. Trustees can act even if you are ill, and your records line up across the board. If you just want a no-frills transfer when you pass, a TOD beneficiary is fast and light.

• Put it in the trust if: you want consistent ownership, you have co-trustees who may need to sign, or you keep vehicles for years.
• Use a TOD beneficiary if: the title shows one owner and you want an easy transfer at death under A.R.S. § 28-2055. You’ll use ADOT’s Beneficiary Designation form 96-0561. ADOT 96-0561
• Leave it as-is if you prefer: Arizona’s small-estate affidavit now covers up to $200,000 of personal property, and MVD must transfer a vehicle to the successor using that affidavit and the fees. See the 2025 update to A.R.S. § 14-3971.

Your Options in Arizona

All three paths work. Pick the one that matches how you use, keep, and eventually pass your car.

Title in the trust. Trustees own and sign. Most offices will ask for a short Certification of Trust, not your full document. Choose whether one trustee may sign or if all must sign. Keep a copy with your glove-box papers.

TOD beneficiary attachment. The car stays in your name now, then passes to the person you named after death with no probate. It is designed for a sole-owner title and keeps your day-to-day the same.

Small-estate affidavit after death. If you left the car in your name, your successor can use Arizona’s affidavit process at MVD when the estate fits the limits. It is practical, especially with the new higher caps.

Which Option Fits Most Situations?

You trade every few years

Skip retitling to the trust and add a TOD beneficiary instead.

If you rotate cars often, a TOD keeps your selling process simple. You avoid extra trust paperwork each time you trade. During life, nothing changes. At death, the beneficiary brings the form and a death certificate to finish title.

You keep vehicles long term

Title to the trust for cleaner records and easy trustee action if you are ill.

Trust titling lines up with how you hold your home and accounts. If someone must step in for you, a co-trustee can sell or retitle without opening a probate. Your Certification of Trust shows who can sign.

You have more than one trustee

Trust ownership reduces friction when two people may need to sign.

Dealers and third-party offices can follow your Certification of Trust. If it says “OR,” either trustee may sign. If it says “AND,” both sign. Decide this before you head to MVD so your visit is quick.

There is a lien on the vehicle

Get the lender’s written permission before any change.

Most lenders require approval, and some require payoff first. Ask in writing so you have a clear record. If your lender says no to a trust title, a TOD beneficiary is often the next best move.

Title a Vehicle into Your Trust, Step by Step

Plan the signatures, bring the right forms, and expect a smooth counter visit.

Budget a short visit at MVD or an authorized third-party office. Bring your driver license, the current title, and your trust info. Printing a clean copy of your Certification of Trust ahead of time saves back-and-forth.

1. Check for a lien. Ask the lender for written permission if the car is financed.
2. Complete the Title and Registration Application. List the buyer/new owner as your trust’s full legal name. Bring ID.
3. Bring the Certification of Trust. It identifies trustees and your signing rule, such as OR, AND, or AND/OR.
4. File at MVD or an authorized third-party office. Pay fees and receive a title showing the trust as owner.

Selling or Trading a Trust-Titled Vehicle

Match your signatures to the Certification of Trust and keep the sale moving.

Before you meet the buyer, confirm who must sign. Use your trustee capacity when you endorse the title. If there is a lien, coordinate payoff and the lien release so the buyer can complete title without delay.

1. Check signature authority. One trustee or all trustees, based on your Certification of Trust.
2. Sign as trustee on the title assignment. A dealer may ask to see the certification.
3. Handle any lien payoff and release. Confirm the timeline with your lender.

Remove a Vehicle from a Trust

Reverse the steps and update insurance the same day.

When moving a car back to your personal name, follow the same signature rule shown on your Certification of Trust. File the application, then call your insurance agent so the named insured matches the new title.

1. Address any lien. Get lender approval first if the car is financed.
2. Trustee signs to you personally. Use the signing rule on the Certification of Trust, then file the application.
3. Update insurance. Keep coverage continuous and aligned with the new title.

After Death: How Title Moves

Your car follows the path you set: trust, TOD beneficiary, or small-estate affidavit.

If the car sits in the trust, your successor trustee sells or transfers under the trust and completes title with the buyer or beneficiary. If you recorded a TOD, the beneficiary brings the form and a death certificate to MVD under the vehicle-title TOD law. If you leave the car in your name, your successor may use the small-estate affidavit at MVD when the estate fits the limits. For timing, the personal-property affidavit is available after 30 days, and the real-property affidavit after six months.

• Trust-titled vehicle: Successor trustee handles sale or transfer and signs as trustee.
• TOD beneficiary named: Beneficiary completes the transfer using the beneficiary form and a death certificate under the TOD statute noted above.
• Left in your name: Successor uses the small-estate affidavit route at MVD when within the updated limits.