How To Book A Scrap Car Collection

Has your car or van seen better days? If your vehicle is on its last legs then you will likely need to book a scrap car collection.

This guide will help you understand the process for arranging your scrap car collection, the requirements for scrapping a car and how to find a local, trusted recycler.

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Why Would You Need To Book A Scrap Car Collection?

The collection of scrap cars boils down to quite a few reasons.

The most common reason is that your vehicle has reached its end-of-life. Certain vehicles seen as end-of-life include Cat A, Cat B, Cat S and Cat N cars and vans.

These vehicles are often involved in an accident or have been deemed faulty and damaged beyond economical repair.

Many motorists consider the costs to repair and maintain such vehicles and decide it would be best to have their vehicle collected for scrap or to be salvaged for parts.

Key vehicles collected for scrap include:

End Of Life Vehicles

An end-of-life vehicle (ELV) is typically one that has been out of use for an extended period, often sitting in a driveway because the cost of repairs outweighs its value or practicality for continued use. These vehicles have reached a point where they are no longer economically viable to maintain, making them candidates for scrapping or recycling in order to recover valuable materials and dispose of hazardous components responsibly.

An ELV can also be classified as a Category A insurance write-off, which is the most severe category of vehicle damage. This means the vehicle is so extensively damaged that it cannot be repaired or used for parts. As a result, it must be completely destroyed and can only be crushed, ensuring that no components are reused or resold.
MOT Failures

These often have failed on a recent MOT test and are considered unsafe to be put back on UK roads. As such, faulty cars tend to be collected and scrapped. You can have a look at the Top MOT Failure Cars in our guide.
Accident Damaged Vehicles

Vehicles involved in serious accidents or collisions are often evaluated for their salvage potential. Depending on the level of damage, they may be classified as Category B insurance write-offs.

This means that while the vehicle itself cannot be repaired and returned to the road, certain parts may still be salvaged and repurposed for reuse, with the remainder of the vehicle being scrapped.
Non-Compliant Vehicles

These vehicles are often older, high-polluting models that are frequently driven within clean air or low emission zones. Faced with the increasing costs of daily congestion or emission charges, many motorists find it financially burdensome to continue using them.

As a result, they opt to have their vehicles collected and sold, either for scrap or for parts, to avoid the ongoing expenses.

Who Collects Scrap Cars?

Typically, licensed scrap collectors would pick up your old vehicle.

The types of scrap car collectors you may encounter include:

Scrap Car Dealers
Car Breakers
Scrap Yards

Scrap Car dealers collect most cars and vans, whereas a car breaker may only deal with damaged and broken cars and repairable vehicles.

Scrapyards typically deal with any ELV and purchase vehicles for their metal weight rather than salvage value.

Regardless of who collects your scrap car, you must understand any blockers from organising your collection.

Where Can I Book A Scrap Car Collection?

An initial and potential blocker is whether your vehicle can be collected!

Most vehicles can be collected across the UK, although certain areas may be difficult to arrange.

Rural areas may require special arrangements for collection as not every truck can collect a vehicle from a farm barn!

Regardless of where you are, check if your vehicle can be collected at the time and place you need.

To have an idea of where we can pick up your vehicle, view our scrap car collection areas below

Why Can’t I Book A Scrap Car Collection?

You may be unable to book a scrap car collection.

Firstly, it’s important to note that most scrap car dealers will only handle complete vehicles.
This means that if a vehicle only contains its shell, is badly damaged and has most of its car parts removed – You will struggle with organising a pickup from a local dealer.
Also, it’s important to note that most motorists that require collecting their scrap vehicle must ensure it contains wheels! Without wheels, the vehicles cannot be placed on the back of the truck, resulting in a wasted journey for the driver and the inconvenience of rearranging a possible collection.

Due to this reason, if your vehicle has any blockers to be winched, be sure to have this known before your pick-up date and time.

Also, if you reside in an inner city area, housing estate or tower block with limited access, this is important to note, as the collection truck will require adequate access.

And finally, if your vehicle has been left in a ditch or is at the back of a barn, you may struggle to organise a collection if you haven’t found the right provider.

Book Your Car For Scrap Collection Today!

The collection of scrap cars and vans might not seem tricky, but considering a few factors is important.

At Scrap Local, our trusted network of scrap car collectors provides us with the means to pick up the end-of-life and salvage vehicles across the UK.

With strong links across the UK, we can provide an award-winning scrap car removal service, handling it all from quote, collection, payment and paperwork.

If you have a car for scrap collection, inquire with our trusted team today!

FAQs: How To Book A Scrap Car Collection

You can view a full breakdown of our scrap car collection FAQs and if we haven’t answered your question, feel free to reach out to us via email or visit our social media pages to send us a message directly.