Car scrappers in Edinburgh

Choosing between car scrappers in Edinburgh is less about who advertises loudest and more about who can explain the process clearly, from the first message to the paperwork after collection. Anyone who turns vague when you ask for detail is best avoided, however good the figure sounds.

We keep our side of the sale easy to check. The price comes in writing, with how long it stands. Payment goes into an account in your name, which gives you a record of who bought the car. And the agreed figure changes only if the car turns out different from your description.

Edinburgh is around 145 miles from our Fort William base, and jobs in the city and the Lothians are grouped into scheduled runs rather than sent one at a time. We agree the date when you accept the price. In the centre's permit zones and tenement streets, we need the exact street before a truck is sent. Postcodes, districts and how collection runs in Edinburgh are on our local collection notes.

What a legitimate scrapper does, and when to walk away

Start with payment. Paying cash for a scrap vehicle is illegal in Great Britain, so rule out any buyer who mentions notes; a legitimate one pays by a traceable method such as bank transfer. Next, ask where the car will go. The answer should be an Authorised Treatment Facility with an environmental permit from SEPA in Scotland or the Environment Agency in England, and that facility, not the driver, issues the Certificate of Destruction when the car is scrapped. Dealers also need a metal dealer's licence from their council, called a scrap metal dealer licence in England and Wales, and must record who they buy from, so expect a photo ID check. Walk away from anyone whose price falls at the door for faults you had already described, or who claims DVLA approval: the DVLA does not approve scrap buyers.

What decides a scrapper's price in Edinburgh

Most of a scrap car's value is its metal, so weight sets the starting point and that week's metal prices move it up or down. Completeness comes next: a car with its catalytic converter, wheels and battery still fitted is worth more than one that has been stripped. Where the engine or gearbox is still in demand, the make and model can add to the figure, and a car with one costly fault may do better through a sale as a broken car. Distance and access count as well; in our quotes they are built into the figure rather than added as a collection charge. When one figure sits far above the others for the same description, ask how it was reached and what could lower it at the door.

What happens when we collect your car

Have three things to hand: photo ID, the V5C logbook if you still have it, and details of a bank account in your name. Clear the car of belongings, including the boot, door pockets and any parking permit. If the car has a private plate you want to keep, apply to the DVLA to retain it before collection, because a number cannot be taken off a car once it has been scrapped. Tell us about missing keys, flat tyres or a tight parking spot so the right recovery vehicle is sent. The driver checks the car against what you told us and records your details. If it matches, the agreed price stands and is paid by bank transfer. The Certificate of Destruction follows from the treatment facility when the car is scrapped.

Read our full guide to choosing a car scrapper, see how the WhatsApp quote works, or ask for a firm price.