Who is it that buys scrap cars?

There are many reasons why you might want to scrap a car rather than selling it. You may have an older car that is not worth looking after or one that is beyond repair. The value of some old cars has dropped significantly in recent years, and if your car is in reasonably good condition it will be worth more as scrap metal than you can earn by selling it.

There are people who buy and scrap cars for all sorts of reasons. Most scrap cars are recycled, but some are kept for parts – for example, a broken-down car is taken apart and the working parts are used in other cars. They can be sold whole too – for example, some people restore old cars that they find at scrapyards. 

You can use the money you get from scrapping your car to buy yourself a new one, or to pay for motor insurance. The scrap car laws allow you to dispose of the vehicle yourself, for example by selling it as a non-runner, but some buyers will be reluctant to buy a non-running vehicle without knowing how much work it needs.

How to get a buyer for your scrap car

The best way to go about selling or parting with a car that is unregistered is to take it to an ATF, scrap yard or breaker’s yard that can offer you cash for cars. Note that the vehicle will be unscrapped from the DVLA records.

Vehicle scrapyards are always looking to buy scrap cars – all make and models. To ensure they can dispose of your car safely, the DVLA will release details of old vehicles it can’t trace. The scrapyard will then collect the vehicle without charge, as long as you remain the registered keeper. If you have removed a car from the road – you no longer need its registration number.

The scrap car buyer will collect the vehicle from your property. The price they offer depends on the condition of the vehicle. If you agree to the price, be sure to hold onto the original yellow copy of the logbook, as this will be needed for DVLA registration purposes. It’s a good idea to get proof that you’ve handed over the vehicle and logbook, so ask for a receipt at the time.

The DVLA can either cancel a registration or strip it from the records, removing it from the system. The former is known as a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) and this can be done without having to take the vehicle off the road. You need to apply for a new vehicle registration certificate, for which you'll need a valid V5C logbook. Keep both logbook and registration number - if selling the car for parts, you might want to keep them separate to prevent it from being used again.