Most cars reach the end in one of three ways: an MOT failure, a repair bill that outstrips the car's value, or an engine that finally gives up. When that happens you can sell it privately, part-exchange it, or scrap it. If you are scrapping, a little preparation in the days before collection avoids awkward questions on the day and protects your price.
Here is what to sort out before you scrap your car.
1. Clear out your belongings and your data
Once the car has been collected you will not see it again, so go through it properly. Check the glovebox, the door pockets, the boot, under the seats, the spare-wheel well and any roof box or seat-back pockets. Parking permits, blue badges, fuel cards and anything with your name or address on it should come out.
Your car may also hold data. Delete paired phones from the Bluetooth list, clear any saved home address from the sat nav, and remove dashcams, memory cards and toll or parking tags. If the car is linked to a manufacturer app, remove the vehicle from your account.
2. Do not strip parts before you get a quote
Older advice suggested pulling out the radio, the battery or even the catalytic converter and selling them separately. In practice that rarely pays. A scrap quote assumes a complete vehicle, so a car that arrives without its catalytic converter, battery or wheels is priced lower, and the difference can easily outweigh what those parts would fetch on their own. The cash ban covers loose scrap metal too, so no legitimate dealer will pay you cash for a catalytic converter, and a reputable one will want to know where it came from.
If you do want to keep something, a set of alloy wheels or a roof rack for example, say so when you ask for the quote so the price reflects the car as it will be on the day.
3. Check who you are selling to
A car can only be legally scrapped at an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). In Scotland ATFs are authorised by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA); in England they are permitted by the Environment Agency, and in Wales by Natural Resources Wales. A business that buys scrap vehicles should also hold a metal dealer's licence from its council, which is called a scrap metal dealer licence in England and Wales. Ask any buyer three things:
- Will the car go to an ATF, and will a Certificate of Destruction be issued when it is scrapped?
- How will you pay? The answer you want is a bank transfer or another traceable method. No business buying scrap vehicles in Great Britain may pay cash: the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 bans it in England and Wales, and the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 has banned it in Scotland since 2016. An offer of cash is a warning sign.
- Is there any collection, admin or paperwork charge on top of the quoted price?
Our own answers: the cars we buy for scrapping go to licensed ATF partners, we pay by bank transfer, and there is no collection charge and no admin fee. Each stage is laid out on our how it works page.
4. Find your paperwork
The buyer needs to be satisfied that you are the registered keeper and that the car is yours to sell. The V5C log book is the simplest way to show you are the registered keeper, and the 11-digit reference number on it lets you tell the DVLA online that the car has gone. That is your job as well as the treatment facility's, so find the V5C now rather than on collection day. The questions at the end of this guide cover the yellow slip, keys and finance.
If you do not have the V5C, do not panic. It is possible to scrap a car without it. Tell us when you ask for a quote, and have photo ID plus something that ties you to the car: an insurance certificate, the invoice from when you bought it, or a tax or MOT reminder addressed to you. Without a V5C you tell the DVLA about the sale by letter rather than online.
5. Decide what happens to the registration number
Standard number plates go with the car. If you have a private or cherished registration you want to keep, you must take it off the car before it is scrapped, because once the vehicle is destroyed the number is lost with it.
The application is made to the DVLA, either online or with form V317. The DVLA charges a fee and, if the application is accepted, issues a V778 retention document that holds the number for you until you assign it to another vehicle. The old plates cannot stay on the scrap car once the number has been removed, so allow time for this before you book collection. The car must be able to move under its own power and may be inspected, so a non-runner may not qualify, and you need the V778 and the new V5C in hand before the car goes. GOV.UK explains the process at Take a private number off a vehicle.
6. Sort out MOT, tax, insurance and SORN
You do not need a current MOT to scrap a car, but the car has to wait for collection somewhere legal. Parked on a public road it needs tax, insurance and an MOT; without all three it belongs on a driveway or in a garage, declared SORN (a Statutory Off Road Notification). Our guide to scrapping a car step by step explains the rule in full.
Keep the insurance running while the car still needs it where it is parked. Vehicle tax looks after itself: once the DVLA is told the car has gone, it cancels the tax, refunds any full months left and stops any Direct Debit.
After collection, contact your insurer. Many refund the unused part of an annual premium, though some charge a cancellation fee, and if you are replacing the car you may be able to move the policy across.
7. Be straight about the condition
The price is worked out from what you tell us: the registration, your postcode, whether it starts and drives, and what is damaged or missing. Mention whether you have the V5C as well, so we can tell you what else to have ready. A few photos help. If the car turns out to be very different from the description, the driver may have to revise the price on the day, and you are free to decline if that happens. Honest answers up front mean the figure you agree is the figure you are paid.
Behind that sits the car itself: how heavy it is, what make and model it is, how much its parts are wanted, how far we travel to reach it and what metal is fetching that week. That mix is why two scrap cars rarely fetch the same figure, and our guide to getting paid for a scrap car explains each factor.
Handing the car over
Have your ID and paperwork ready, make sure a recovery truck can reach the car, and give us a mobile number the driver can call. Once the driver has checked the car against your description and seen your ID, you are paid by bank transfer to an account in your name. When the car is scrapped, the licensed ATF issues a Certificate of Destruction and notifies the DVLA, and the certificate is your proof that you are no longer responsible for the vehicle.
Worked through the list? Send the registration and postcode through our quote form and we will come back with a price, or ask us first if something here does not fit your situation.