Scrapping your vehicle and insurance write-offs

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How to scrap your vehicle

When your vehicle has reached the end of its usefulness, you must get it scrapped at an authorised treatment facility (ATF). These are sometimes known as a scrapyard or breaker鈥檚 yard.

There鈥檚 a different process if your vehicle is an insurance write-off.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

Scrap your vehicle without keeping any parts

  1. Apply to take the registration number off the vehicle if you want to keep it.

  2. Scrap your vehicle at an ATF. This is usually free.

  3. Give the ATF the vehicle log book (V5C), but keep the yellow 鈥榮ell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade鈥� section from it.

  4. Tell DVLA you鈥檝e taken your vehicle to an ATF.

You can be fined 拢1,000 if you do not tell DVLA.

Scrap your vehicle and keep parts from it

You can take parts from your vehicle before you scrap it so you can use them to repair another vehicle that you own.

You must remove parts in a way that does not pollute the environment, for example making sure that oil and other fluids do not soak into the ground or enter drains.

If you buy a vehicle for the sole purpose of removing parts to sell or to restore another vehicle, you must have the parts removed at an ATF.

  1. Tell DVLA the vehicle is off the road while you鈥檙e taking parts from it. You must keep the vehicle off the road, for example in a garage, on a drive or on private land.

  2. Apply to take the registration number off the vehicle if you want to keep it.

  3. Scrap your vehicle at an ATF when you鈥檝e finished taking parts from it. The ATF can charge a fee if you鈥檝e removed essential parts, such as the engine, gearbox, bodywork or wheels.

  4. Give the vehicle log book (V5C) to the ATF, but keep the yellow 鈥榮ell, transfer or part-exchange鈥� section from it.

  5. Tell DVLA you鈥檝e taken your vehicle to an ATF.

Scrap a vehicle that鈥檚 registered abroad

If you have a vehicle registered outside the UK that鈥檚 classed as 鈥榮eriously damaged鈥� you will not be able to register or tax it in the UK. Serious damage means the vehicle cannot be repaired - it might say something like 鈥榮tatutory write-off鈥�, 鈥榮crapped鈥� or 鈥榥on-repairable鈥� on the registration certificate.

If the vehicle is damaged, check if it is 鈥榮eriously damaged鈥� with the registration authority for the country the vehicle is from.

If it is not 鈥榮eriously damaged鈥�, ask them to provide evidence of this.

To scrap it once it鈥檚 in the UK, you must use an ATF.

You鈥檒l get a 鈥楥ertificate of Destruction鈥� to prove that the vehicle has been destroyed.

It鈥檚 your responsibility to tell the driving authority in the country where the vehicle is registered that it has been scrapped.

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