The law in New York is that when a person dies their car automatically belongs to the surviving spouse, and there’s no need to go through the probate process. Just as if the car was owned “joint with rights of survivorship.” If the surviving spouse wants to sell the car, they sign their own name (not the decedent’s name) on the title, and add the words “as surviving spouse” afterwards. However, this only applies when the value of the car is $25,000 or less.
Estate Planning; Probate and Administration of Decedent's Estates
