How To Book A Scrap Car Collection

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

Our guide will uncover the process for organising a scrap car collection, the requirements for scrappage 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, and Cat S/N cars and vans.

These vehicles are often involved in some 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 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 has typically been sat on a drive, uneconomical to repair or use and since required to be scrapped.

An ELV can also be classed as a Category A insurance write-off, which means the vehicle can only be crushed.
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.
Accident Damaged Vehicles

Vehicles in a serious accident or collision are often assessed for salvage potential. Depending on the insurance category, these vehicles can be classed as Category B (can only be scrapped or repurposed for car parts)
Non-Compliant Vehicles

These can be older, polluting vehicles that are used within a clean air or low emission zone. Some motorists decide that paying a daily congestion charge is too costly and require their vehicle to be collected and sold.

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 doesn’t 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!

Questions On How To Book A Scrap Car Collection

You can view a full breakdown of our scrap car collection FAQ’s here.