If you’re considering selling an old or damaged vehicle for scrap, you may have a few questions about the process:
What’s a fair price for my car?
Can I drive my car to a scrap yard?
How do I tie up all my paperwork?
Scrapping a car is an area that’s surrounded by some strict laws – so, it’s important to get it right. We’ll explain exactly what you need to do – and help you avoid some frequently made mistakes.
Finding the right price
Scrap car prices can vary enormously. Sometimes, a specialist scrap dealer will offer you an exceptional price for a particular make or model they salvage – whereas occasionally, an unscrupulous trader might look to buy your car cheaply, only to sell it on.
If you want to be sure you’re getting a fair scrap price for your vehicle, you should make sure you’re dealing with an Authorised Treatment Facility – or ATF. An ATF is a scrap yard or dismantler that has proved they meet with government rules around the handling of scrap metals – and they’re the only facilities which can officially start the DVLA scrapping process.
As a result, using an ATF means you’ll get all the paperwork you need to prove your car’s been sold and dismantled – and you can be certain you’re getting the full scrap price – not a quick cash deal from an illegal trader who’s just planning to sell your car on to an ATF!
Arranging recovery
Almost all cars scrapped in the UK come as a result of a failed MOT or unrepairable damage, and, because of this, virtually all of these cars cannot be legally driven on the road. If you’re planning to drive your car to a scrap yard, you must be absolutely sure it’s legal – which would include having an MOT, current road tax, and valid insurance.
If you’d like to remove the worry involved with delivering your car – just don’t do it! Instead, look for a site that offers all all-inclusive scrapping service, like Car.co.uk – as well as making sure you get the best price locally, every quote they provide will include free collection from any UK location.
Completing your paperwork
If you’re the registered keeper of your vehicle, you’ve got a legal responsibility to make sure the DVLA are informed of any changes to ownership – including if it’s sold to a dismantler.
The good news is, this can be done quickly and simply by filling out section 9 of the V5C log book document you have for your car. You’ll need to complete the date of the transfer, along with the name and address of the company you’re selling the vehicle to – before you and the person collecting your car sign it. When finished, tear this section of the log book out and return it to the DVLA at the address on the rear – and the scrap collection driver will take the rest of the document away.
Don’t worry if you’ve misplaced your V5C – a letter to the DVLA that details all of the above is also acceptable.
Avoid unauthorised scrapping services
With the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act in 2013, the law surrounding scrap metal collection tightened quite considerably. While it may be tempting to respond to adverts from traders who promise to ‘scrap your car for cash’ – this is actually illegal – and can often see unsafe cars being put back onto the road.
As if dangerous cars on the road isn’t deterrent enough, unauthorised scrap traders cannot issue the appropriate DVLA paperwork to confirm that your car has been recycled either – and this can sometimes result in fines coming through your door. To make sure you get a fair price and stay on the right side of the law, you should always scrap your car with a service that works exclusively with ATFs – or with an ATF directly.
