What should I do if I have to scrap my car?

The first thing to do when scrapping your car is to decide whether you want money in return based on the scrap value, or whether you wish to donate any scrap value to a charity of your choice. This will determine whether you need to examine old cars for sale or contact a local scrap merchant. If you have a car you wish to sell however, you can take advantage of our 'Part Exchange' feature and sell your car for cash, without needing to scrap it.

If you've decided to scrap your car for the charity then you simply need to contact the chosen charity of your choice directly and arrange for collection.

If your car’s just too old to be economically repaired, you may want to consider the scrap value alternative. Instead of taking time and effort to safeguard your vehicle for the scrapyard, why not donate the scrap value of your car to a good cause? Check out companies that offer this service in your local area. They’ll assess the state of your car, then auction or scrap it accordingly. For many, it’s the final act of kindness they can give their vehicle before it’s finally laid to rest. For others, it’s a much-needed tax break!

Once you’ve taken the decision to scrap your vehicle, it is important that you let the DVLA know that you are doing so.

The DVLA has different policies for cars that are off-road or not active at all. If you want to scrap your car, you need to become familiar with the relevant legislation in order to make sure you’re not breaking the law. It’s a legal requirement that, before you scrap your vehicle, you register it as off-road with the DVLA and remove any parts that could be reused. This way, other people’s safety isn’t put in jeopardy, and drivers are deterred from using a car that’s been illegally modified.

If your car has suffered severe damage and you need to scrap it, then you’ll need to remove certain parts before carting it off to the scrappage centre. This will involve cleaning the parts, such as tyres, lights and windows. You should also check the V5 logbook to ensure that you’ve removed all necessary parts of the vehicle. Remember, failure to do so could result in a fine from the DVLA.

Things to remember

Although it’s convenient to keep your existing number plates and transfer them to a new vehicle, you’ll be breaking the law if this isn’t done correctly. If you’re buying a used car that still has private number plates assigned to it, apply to have them removed correctly. Search for ‘private number plate removal’ or follow the link provided for more information."

Private number plates may be removed from the car when it is scrapped. Whether your private number plate can be relocated to a new car depends on whether the new car belongs to you or someone else, and what processes must be followed to transfer the registration to that new vehicle.

Once a private number plate is no longer fitted to a vehicle, the plate will be date-stamped with the month and year of expiry. We then send a reminder letter with our standard turnaround time for returning a number plate to us. Remember to make sure this is done by completing the relevant section on the VT20-V5 form