It is better to ``sell'' the car for the minimum as the gift tax is higher...
A $10 tax is due on a gift of a motor vehicle to an eligible party. The gift tax is the responsibility of the eligible person receiving the motor vehicle, and the person pays the gift tax to the county tax assessor-collector (CTAC) at the time the person titles and registers the motor vehicle.
Have a “Survivorship Rights” remark placed on the Texas title: Submit this completed Form VTR-122 with an Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U) to a county tax assessor-collector's office. In addition to the remark, up to two names can be printed as survivors on the Texas title.
The only transactions that qualify as a gift are those where the vehicle is received from a spouse, parent or stepparent, in laws, grandparent or grandchild, child or stepchild, sibling, guardian, decedent's estate, or a nonprofit service organization qualifying under the Internal Revenue Code, Section 501 (c)(3).
Texas Federal Gift Tax Exclusion: As of 2023, the annual gift tax exclusion amount is $17,000 per recipient. This means individuals can gift up to $17,000 to any person each year without triggering federal gift taxes.
It is better to ``sell'' the car for the minimum as the gift tax is higher...
Gifts to a spouse are not reported on a tax return, regardless of the amount gifted. Generally gifts to a spouse are not subject to the requirement to file a Form 709. What you have described is not an exception so there would be no reporting of the gift on a form 709.