How To Scrap A Car

Some of us have a habit of hanging onto our old cars for far too long – and when it’s finally time to give up on your old motor and buy a new one, it’s far too late to sell it on to someone else. You may be able to find a certain website that will Buy Any Car, but older cars – especially one with a few bumps and scrapes – may test even their patience!

If selling your car doesn’t seem like a viable option anymore, then your best bet is likely to be scrapping it. It may be hard to consign a beloved old vehicle to the scrap heap, but it can earn you some guaranteed funds rather than leaving it sat on the roadside with a sign in the window waiting for a buyer who will never appear.

Here’s our step-by-step guide to selling a car for scrap:

 

1. Find somewhere to scrap your car

Where can you scrap your car? Only at government-approved Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs) for scrap cars. You can find the nearest one to you on gov.uk (we’re on there!), but be sure to check the websites of any you’re considering, and give them a call to discuss what you might get for your car. If you’re not happy, shop around.

Never scrap your car anywhere that can’t prove its ATF status – it’s illegal. Not just for the people scrapping it, but for you as well. It’s also illegal to offer or accept cash for a scrapped car, so run a mile from any scrapyard that offers you cash.

 

2.  Are you keeping any parts?

Sometimes, cars can be worth less than the sum of their parts, and dismantling your car to keep certain parts for future repairs, or to sell them individually, can be a good idea. However, some scrapyards may not be interested in partially dismantled cars, as they may wish to repair them rather than scrap them. Be sure to talk to ATFs before you start taking your car apart – you can always give us a call if you have any questions!

 

3. Sort out the paperwork

If you’re going to scrap a car, you’ll have to do a bit of admin first – but not much.

  • Keeping parts from a scrapped vehicle
    If you’re going to keep parts from your car before you scrap it, you’ll need a SORN, so tell the DVLA about it.
  • Keeping the registration number from a scrapped car
    If you want to keep the reg number from the car you’re scrapping, whether to transfer it to a new car or to hold onto it for the future, you can do this through gov.uk. Make sure you do this before you scrap your car! This service costs £80.
  • Take the yellow slip out of the log book
    You’ll have to give the logbook to the ATF, but you’ll need to keep the yellow slip – V5C/3 – from it.

 

4. Get it scrapped!

Bring it down to the scrapyard and say your goodbyes. A lot of ATFs will pick cars up from home for you – useful if it’s under a SORN, or physically won’t make the trip anymore – but this will be reflected in the price you get for your car. Once it’s scrapped, the ATF will send you a certificate of destruction (COD) and – provided they’re registered with the DVLA (like we are), the DVLA will be informed when the COD is issued.

If you have any questions about scrapping your car, get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to help. You can also text SCRAP along with the make and model of your car to 67777 for an estimate of the latest prices.

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