With only a small amount of paperwork required, selling your car for scrap or salvage couldn’t be easier
Filling out paperwork when selling your vehicle can be confusing, especially if you’ve never done it before. The buyers available on our network all have years of experience with vehicle collections and so will always be on hand to help you complete the documentation. We have answered the most common questions, which you can find below, or alternatively if the answers below do not answer your specific enquiry you can ask one of our advisors by clicking below.
Frequently Asked Paperwork Questions
- What Documents Do I Need?
- What Do I Do With The V5c Log Book?
- Will The Collector Fill Out The Paperwork?
- Will I Get A Receipt?
- Can I Keep My Paperwork?
- It’s My First Time Selling A Vehicle For Scrap, What Do I Do?
- What Do I Need To Complete?
- What Do I Need On The Day Of Collection?
- Why Do I Need To Show ID?
- How Can I Get My Insurance Reimbursed?
- How Can I Get My Tax Reimbursed?
- What Is A Certificate Of Destruction?
- Do I Need To Contact The DVLA?
- How To Declare My Vehicle As Off The Road (SORN)?
- What Is A Waste Carriers License?
- What Do I Do With Previous Car Service or MOT History?
- What Do I Do If I Don’t Have A V5c?
- What If My Car Tax Has Expired?
- My Insurance Company Requested A Certificate Of Destruction (COD).
- Can You Change The Price Based On An Incorrect Appraisal?
- Do I Get A Certificate Of Destruction When I Have Sold My Scrap Car?
- I sold my vehicle to an ATF but I haven’t received a Certificate of Destruction
What Documents Do I Need?
When scrapping your vehicle the buyer of your vehicle will need to verify your identity for legal reasons and as a result you will need to provide the following paperwork, if applicable:
– Photo ID
– Utility bill (under three months old)
– V5c
– Any vehicle history (old MOTs, receipts, service history etc)
We’ve put together a complete guide to the documents you’ll need to scrap your car here.
What Do I Do With The V5C Log Book?
Both you and the collector of your vehicle will need to complete section 9 of your V5c. Please note that if this is not done you could be fined up to £1,000 and could still be liable for any tickets or fines the vehicle obtains after the vehicle has been sold. Once this form has been completed it is down to you to send it off to the DVLA. If your car or van has been bought for scrap you will usually receive a Certificate Of Destruction within 7 days to state that your vehicle has been destroyed in line with the governmental guidelines however if your vehicle has been sold again after this or bought for salvage purposes you will not receive one.
Will The Collector Fill Out The Paperwork?
All of the collectors on our network believe in helping to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you, and with years of experience in the industry they know the process inside out. It will be down to both you and the collector to sign section 9 of your V5c document, however it will be your responsibility to send it to the DVLA. If you have any questions our collectors or in-house team will be able to advise you.
Will I Get A Receipt?
If your vehicle is sold for scrap you will not receive a receipt from your collector, however you will receive a confirmation email from Scrap Car Comparison and, if your car or van is dismantled and recycled, you may receive a certificate of destruction. Having said this some buyers will provide receipts for vehicles which are bought for salvage purposes.
Can I Keep My Paperwork?
Unfortunately not. The collector will require all of the vehicle’s paperwork and, once completed, section 9 of the V5c document will need to be sent to the DVLA otherwise you could be fined up to £1000 and be liable for any speeding tickets or fines which occur after the sale date.
It’s My First Time Selling A Vehicle For Scrap, What Do I Do?
Fear not! Scrapping your vehicle isn’t as daunting as it may seem. We’ve written the definitive guide to scrapping your car which you can find here.
What Do I Need To Complete?
Once your vehicle has been collected you will need to complete section 9 of your V5c. If you do not have this the registered keeper of the vehicle will need to inform the DVLA that the vehicle has been sold, and include information on who it was sold to.
What Do I Need On The Day Of Collection?
On the day of collection, if you have them, you will need to provide the following:
All sets of keys.
Photo ID
Utility bill (under three months old)
Any paperwork you have for the vehicle.
Oh, and the vehicle you’re selling!
Why Do I Need To Show ID?
On the 1st of October 2013 the Scrap Metal Dealers Act was brought in as a way to stop rogue traders and the selling of stolen materials. As part of the new processes, collectors are required to verify the identity of the person who is selling the vehicle, and in order to do this they require Photo ID and a recent utility bill.
How Can I Get My Insurance Reimbursed?
If your vehicle has been declared as off the road and a Statutory Off Road Notification has been issued, or once your vehicle has been collected, you can cancel your insurance and if you pay your insurance annually you may be eligible for a reimbursement. In order to find out if you are eligible you will need to contact your insurer directly, ensuring you have your policy number to hand when doing so.
How Can I Get My Tax Reimbursed?
If your vehicle has been declared as off the road and a Statutory Off Road Notification has been issued, or once your vehicle has been collected, you can cancel your tax and if you pay your tax annually you may be eligible for a reimbursement.
What Is A Certificate Of Destruction?
There seems to be a lot confusion about what a Certificate of Destruction is and whether you will get one when selling your vehicle. A Certificate Of Destruction is a document that is generated by the DVLA when a government Authorised Treatment Facility dismantles and recycles a vehicle. Legally, all cars and vans which have been recycled at a government Authorised Treatment Facility must be issued one, but this is the only the case when a vehicle is scrapped for recycling, and not when a vehicle has been sold for salvage.
Do I Need To Contact The DVLA?
You sure do! When your vehicle has been collected you will need to complete section 9 of the V5c document, or if you don’t have this the registered keeper of the vehicle will need to notify the DVLA in writing. Failure to do this means you may still be liable for any tickets and fines the vehicle incurs after the sale date. Read our full break down of notifying the DVLA after scrapping your car here.
How To Declare My Vehicle As Off The Road (SORN)?
Legally, all vehicles on the road must be taxed and insured, however if you have a vehicle which you never use you can save yourself some money by keeping it off the road and filing for a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
If you’d like to apply for a SORN you can do so by either calling the DVLA tax line on 0300 1234321 or by visiting https://www.gov.uk/make-a-sorn.
There are some situations where you will need to apply for a SORN in writing. The DVLA’s address is: DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AR and you will need to write to them if:
It’s your preferred method of contact.
If you have recently been registered as the keeper of the vehicle and have received the V5c registration certificate in the current month.
If you have not yet been registered as the vehicle’s keeper. If this is the case you will need to fill in the relevant section of the V5c (or V62 if you don’t have this!) and send it together with your SORN application.
If you are leaving your car or van in the UK but are going abroad. If this is the case you can include a letter explaining your situation and you can apply for this for up to two months in advance.
A SORN will only remain valid until a vehicle is sold, scrapped, exported or re-taxed. If you’re not sure if a vehicle has been declared as off the road, you can check here.
What Is A Waste Carriers License?
To protect the environment and discourage fly-tipping any company transporting waste now needs to register for a waste carriers license. The waste carriers license is a permit which enables companies and individuals to transport both theirs, and other peoples, waste materials. As a requirement, all of the companies which our buyers use for collection, have up to date licenses.
What Do I Do With Previous Car Service or MOT History?
Any vehicle history that you have should be given to the buyer when they collect the vehicle. If you don’t have any vehicle history please ensure that we are made aware so that we can inform our buyers. To find out more, read our dedicated blog on scrapping your vehicle with, or without MOT history.
What Do I Do If I Don’t Have A V5C?
In the event that you do not have the V5c ‘registration certificate’ you can either apply for a replacement using a V62 form or scrap the vehicle and have a Certificate Of Destruction issued. In this case the collector may request proof of identification and ownership of the vehicle. Please note that insisting your vehicle is sold for scrap may limit the amount offered as salvage vehicles tend to retrieve higher quotes. Read more and find out what your options are in our dedicated blog on what to do if you don’t have a v5c.
What If My Car Tax Has Expired?
You can still scrap your car without it being taxed. A vehicle must have an MOT and insurance in order to be taxed, and it certainly won’t be getting either of those after an accident. Therefore, it must be possible for untaxed cars to be scrapped, or else no vehicles would ever be disposed of!
My Insurance Company Requested A Certificate Of Destruction (COD)
Certificates of Destruction are issued when a vehicle is dismantled and scrapped. When you sell your vehicle through Scrap Car Comparison you are opening up your vehicle to our buyers for purchase as either scrap or salvageable parts. If you insist upon on a Certificate Of Destruction you will prevent any buyer from being able to re-sell your vehicle. Because the parts will not be able to be salvaged this means that you may reduce the price a buyer is willing to pay, especially if you are selling a sought after or a vehicle which is repairable.
Can You Change The Price Based On An Incorrect Appraisal?
Yes. All of our quotations are made based on the details which you have provided us about your vehicle which means that if you have accurately explained your vehicle then the quote you were given, is guaranteed. If, however, the vehicle has not been accurately described then the quote given at the original stage would need to be recalculated based on the vehicle’s actual condition.
Do I Get A Certificate Of Destruction When I Have Sold My Scrap Car?
There seems to be a lot confusion about what a Certificate of Destruction is and whether you need one when selling your car. Legally, all cars which have been recycled at a government Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) must have one, but the confusion lies in when they are issued.
A certification of destruction is a document that the DVLA has issued to an ATF when a car has been scrapped. This means that a vehicle was bought, dismantled and the materials were then recycled. However in certain situations a vehicle may be worth more as salvage than it is as scrap. A salvage vehicle is one which is salvageable, or has salvageable parts, and will be fixed and made roadworthy once more, or its parts will be used to fix and return another vehicle to the road. In this instance a certificate of destruction wouldn’t be issued because the car has not been destroyed.
The most important thing to remember when selling a vehicle for scrap or salvage, is to ensure that once the car or van is sold, the vehicle is no longer in your name. This is done by changing the registered keeper details which can be done by completing section 9 of the V5c and posting this to the DVLA. This ensures that all liability for this vehicle passes to the new buyer from the date of transfer recorded on this document and the car or van can be used for either scrap or salvage.
In the event that your vehicle is sold and dismantled and scrapped then you will receive a Certificate Of Destruction. This is either given straight away or within 7 days of issue. However this is only the case for vehicles which have been scrapped, and not those which are sold as salvage.
