Scrapping your car: The Ultimate Guide

There are several reasons why you might be looking to scrap your vehicle. Your vehicle might have been in an accident and can’t be legally driven on the road. Maybe it doesn’t meet the recently introduced Ultra Low Emission Zone standards in London. Perhaps you’re looking to scrap your vehicle in line with the Scrappage Scheme and get a discount towards a new ULEZ-compliant vehicle. Whatever the reason is, here’s everything you need to know about how to scrap your vehicle, and how we at London Metal Recycling can help.

 

1. First things first, find an Authorised Treatment Facility 

An Authorized Treatment Facility (ATF) is a facility authorized by the government to dispose of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in an environmentally friendly manner in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the European Union (EU) ELV Directive. 

If you have a scrap vehicle, you can take it to an ATF where it will be disposed of in a manner that complies with environmental regulations. The ATF will handle the de-pollution and dismantling of the vehicle and ensure that any hazardous materials are safely removed and disposed of. 

Simply search for scrap vehicle ATF’s in Google to find legal scrappage facilities near you.

If you’re in the London, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire area, you can skip that step. At London Metal Recycling, we’re an approved ATF organisation and can help you scrap and retire your vehicle in an environmentally friendly way. Get in touch to learn more.

2. Get a ballpark quote for your scrap vehicle 

Now you’ve found your chosen ATF, make sure you get a quote to scrap your vehicle and get an idea of how much you’re going to get for the metal.

At London Metal Recycling, we attempt to make the process easy for our customers by giving them a free and instant quote for what their scrap vehicle is worth. Go to our Scrap Your Vehicle page and submit your vehicle registration number in the form and we’ll give you a free and instant quote!

3. Gather all of the documents you’re going to need 

When you’ve landed on finding an Authorised Treatment Facility that will scrap your vehicle at a price you’re happy with, the next thing to do is to find and locate all of the documents you’ll need. 

Most ATF’s and scrap yards will need the following documents to scrap your vehicle:

1) The vehicle’s V5 registration document showing you as the registered owner, 2) Any service history information you have for the car, including your logbook, 3) The car manual, 4) A valid MOT certificate (where applicable), 5) Your driving licence and counterpar, 6) 2 proofs of address – this could include a utility bill or tax letter, issued within the last three months and 7) A debit card, cheque book or statement for the account that will be used for payment.

4. Notify the DVLA that you’re going to scrap your vehicle

When scrapping your vehicle, you will need to fill out a V5C logbook (also known as a vehicle registration certificate) section 9 and send it to the DVLA along with the green “new keeper supplement” slip if you still have it. If you don’t have the logbook, you can write to the DVLA to let them know that the vehicle has been scrapped.

It’s also important to let your insurance company know that you’re scrapping the vehicle so they can cancel your policy.

Once the vehicle has been scrapped, the ATF will issue a Certificate of Destruction (CoD), which you should send to the DVLA to confirm that the vehicle has been scrapped. 

It’s important to follow all of these steps to avoid any potential fines for not informing the DVLA that your vehicle is off the road.

If you choose to scrap your vehicle with us at London Metal Recycling, we take care of all the DVLA paperwork for you!

5. Think about transferring your personalised license plate (if you have one)

Before scrapping your vehicle, it’s important to transfer your personalised number plate as this is a step an ATF can’t do for you. Here’s how you can transfer your personalised number plate: 

Fill out a retention certificate: In the UK, a number plate retention certificate (also known as a certificate of entitlement) is a document that proves that you have the right to retain the registration number of a vehicle, even if you no longer own the vehicle. The certificate allows you to transfer the registration number to another vehicle at a later date.

To obtain a number plate retention certificate, you need to complete an application form (V317) and submit it to the DVLA along with the relevant fee. You’ll also need to provide proof of ownership of the registration number, such as a current V5C registration certificate (log book) for the vehicle.

Transfer the reg plate: Once your application has been processed, you will receive a certificate of entitlement, which is valid for 10 years from the date of issue. You can then use the certificate to transfer the registration number to another vehicle by completing a V62 application form and sending it to the DVLA along with the relevant fee and the certificate of entitlement.

Note: If you don’t want to transfer your personalised number plate, the vehicle can still be scrapped as normal with the personalised one and the DVLA will be notified after destruction.

6. Arrange pick-up or drop-off 

Once you have found an ATF, got the documents you’re going to need, notified the DVLA and you’re happy with the quote, it’s time to go ahead and arrange pick-up of the vehicle or drop it off ready to be scrapped. 

Most scrap vehicle dealers and yards will have a collection service available. 

At London Metal Recycling, we collect vehicles for scrap across London, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. More specific locations include: Barking & Dagenham, Barnet,  Bexley, Bracknell, Brent,  Brentwood, Bromley, Camden, City of London, City of Westminster, Croydon,  Dartford, Ealing, Enfield,  Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Harlow, Harrow, Havering, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, High Wycombe, Hillingdon, Horley, Hounslow Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Luton, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Redhill, Richmond upon Thames, Sevenoaks, Slough, Southwark, StAlbans, Stevenage, Sutton, Swanley, TowerHamlets, Tring, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Forest and Wandsworth.

7. Receive your money and Certificate of Destruction  

Once the car has been picked up or dropped off, your money will be transferred online. When scrapping your vehicle with a dealer, make sure you don’t accept cash payments! Changes to the law in 2013 made it illegal to pay for scrap metal in cash.

A Certificate of Destruction will also be issued by the ATF. This is to confirm that the vehicle has been scrapped and that it will no longer be used on public roads. The CoD must be sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to inform them that the vehicle has been scrapped and to cancel the registration. The DVLA will also mark the vehicle as “off road” in the National Vehicle Register.

It’s important to note that if a vehicle is scrapped without a CoD, the registered keeper of the vehicle may still be liable for road tax and any other fines or penalties associated with the vehicle.

At London Metal Recycling, we handle all of this paperwork and the Certificate of Destruction for you, so you don’t have to worry about not updating the DVLA and receiving fines. We’ve got you covered!