If someone offers you cash for your old car, walk away. Here is how vehicle scrappage actually works, and how to make sure you are not still liable for a car you no longer own.
Every year a great many people get rid of an old car, do it slightly wrong, and receive a DVLA fine or an insurance claim months later for a vehicle they thought was long gone. It is entirely avoidable, and it comes down to paperwork.
Nobody can legally pay you cash
Since the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, it has been illegal in England and Wales to pay cash for a scrap vehicle. Payment must be by cheque or electronic transfer, so there is a traceable record. Any firm offering you notes is not operating legally — and a firm cutting that corner is unlikely to be careful with the rest of the process either.
The vehicle must go to an Authorised Treatment Facility
End-of-life vehicles have to be depolluted and dismantled at a licensed ATF. Fluids, batteries, tyres and airbags are all handled under specific rules. Fly-tipped or improperly dismantled vehicles remain your problem as the last registered keeper.
The Certificate of Destruction
When a vehicle is scrapped at an ATF, the facility issues a Certificate of Destruction and notifies the DVLA electronically. That is the document that ends your liability. You should receive it within roughly seven days. If it does not arrive, chase it.
If the vehicle is being sold on for parts or export rather than destroyed, there is no CoD — instead you notify the DVLA that you have sold or transferred it. Be clear with whoever collects it which of the two is happening.
What to do before collection
- Remove every personal belonging — check the glovebox, boot, door pockets and under the seats
- Take the private registration off first if you want to keep it; you cannot do it afterwards
- Remove the tax disc holder, parking permits and any toll or crossing tags
- Cancel your insurance and any direct debits once the vehicle has gone
- Have the V5C log book ready and hand over the correct section
- Apply for a refund of any remaining vehicle tax — the DVLA refunds full remaining months automatically once notified
Is it actually worth scrapping?
Not always. If the car has a long MOT, a straightforward fault, or is a model with strong parts demand, it may be worth considerably more repaired or sold on. We will tell you honestly which category yours falls into — we would rather repair a car for you than scrap something that had plenty left in it.
What we do
We quote up front and honour the quote on collection. We collect free right across London and north Kent, running or not. We pay by bank transfer, and we handle the DVLA notification and the Certificate of Destruction so you can stop thinking about it. Call 07961 100260 with your registration for a price.
