You may love (or have once loved) your car, but there comes a time in every vehicle’s life where it becomes either unwanted or unusable. This is usually around the time it could be ready for scrap. Read on for more.
What does it mean to scrap or salvage a car?
Scrapping a car means selling an unused or unwanted vehicle to a scrap buyer or yard. Once there, it will be depolluted and recycled into materials used in other vehicles or construction. Cars that are still roadworthy might instead be used for salvage, where they’re either stripped to fix other cars or are themselves fixed up ready to drive again. Learn more about the difference between scrap and salvage vehicles here.
When should you scrap your car?
There could be any number of reasons you might want to scrap or salvage your vehicle. Ultimately, it’s down to you and whether you want or need to keep your vehicle any more, but some of the most popular reasons include:
1. Repairs cost more than the car
If your car is worth more as a non-runner, then it’s probably time to consider sending it to scrap. Many people find themselves spending increasingly large amounts of money on repairing their vehicle the longer they have it, and eventually those costs start to amount to a higher number than the car is actually worth. Once you hit that point, then you’ll find that scrapping your car is an excellent option, as it’s still likely to net you some profit. Whether you’re vehicle is old, failed its MOT or damaged, we’ll offer you a competitive quote.
2. Your car has been written off
If your car has been declared a write off, then it’s likely it’s either beyond repair, or too expensive to try to fix. You can find out more about what it means if your car is a write off with our guide, but in general, it’s not good news for your vehicle and probably a good time to see how much it would be worth for scrap instead. Read more on insurance write offs in our Buy Back Hub, and find the best solution for you.
3. You want to get rid of it without having to sell
Selling a car can be a nuisance – valeting the vehicle, contacting dealers, arranging viewings, or taking photos, listing it yourself and haggling with private buyers. All of this takes time and energy that you may just not have. Scrapping the car or arranging for it to be collected for salvage can be as easy as the click of a few buttons (jump to the ‘how to scrap your car’ section to find out how) and your car could be picked up and gone the very next day.
4. It’s not worth enough to sell
Even if you do have the patience to arrange a sale, you could find that your car just isn’t even worth enough money to make the effort of a private sale worth your while. If your car is older, run down, battered or requires extensive repairs, it may be a better use of your time, and better for your wallet, to arrange for it to be scrapped.
5. There are parts missing from the car
Car parts can be valuable, so some people strip items off their vehicles with the aim of selling them individually or reusing them in the future. This will then leave the ‘shell’ of a car that can’t run or function and is perfectly suited to scrap. Even if the car is just missing a few parts, it might still make more sense from a cost and effort perspective to simply arrange for it to be collected and either scrapped or salvaged.
6. You don’t need the car anymore
There are lots of reasons you may not need your vehicle any more – perhaps you’ve upgraded to a new car, have moved somewhere with better public transport links, don’t have room to store it or you’re unable to drive any more. Whatever the reason, if you’re not up for finding a new owner for it yourself, then selling for scrap or salvage is a quick and effective way to get rid of the vehicle.
7. Your car isn’t fuel efficient
Fuel inefficient cars can prove extremely expensive over time, particularly with petrol prices at an all-time high in the UK. Another case of the car being more expensive to keep than to scrap, many people have found themselves in the position of spending too much money having to fill their inefficient car too often. With the desirability of electric and hybrid technology, as well as advancements in fuel efficiency for newer vehicles, you may struggle to sell an older car, leaving scrapping as an effective alternative.
8. You want to dispose of it quickly and hassle-free
Once you know you’re ready to sell your car for scrap, just head over to our Car Scrap Value calculator to compare prices from over 120 buyers. Within 30 seconds we’ll show you how much your car would be worth, with no hidden charges and free collection. Once you’ve selected the best option for you, you can arrange a collection and the car is good to go. You can find out more about how to scrap a car with our step-by-step guide.
