Should You Scrap or Sell Your Car?

Most scrap-or-sell decisions come down to comparing two figures:

1. What it will cost to make the car saleable or usable: the repair quote, plus anything else due soon such as tyres, a service, a cambelt or an MOT.
2. What the car would be worth once that money is spent. Look at similar cars for sale with the same age, mileage and condition, and remember that asking prices are usually higher than what sellers accept.

If the first figure is close to or above the second, spending the money rarely makes sense, and selling as it is or scrapping are the realistic choices. If the car is sound and only needs something minor, selling it, or keeping it, will usually be better than scrapping.

Get the repair figure in writing, and a second quote for anything large. A garage quote for a failed MOT often lists items in order of urgency, which helps you see whether the car is one fix away from being sound or at the start of a run of bills. For the other side of the sum, a scrap valuation tells you the floor: what the car is worth if you do nothing at all. Getting one is free and does not commit you.

Private sale

Usually the most money for a car that runs, drives and has a current MOT. It also takes the most effort: photos, an advert, viewings, test drives and dealing with buyers. You must tell DVLA when you sell, and the buyer gets the green ‘new keeper’ slip (GOV.UK: tell DVLA you've sold a vehicle). A car that does not run or has no MOT is much harder to sell this way.

Trade sale or part-exchange

Quicker than a private sale, and dealers or car-buying services will take some cars with faults. Expect a lower figure than a private sale, because the trade buyer needs a margin. Part-exchange can be convenient if you are buying another car from the same dealer.

Scrapping

Suited to cars that do not run, have failed the MOT on costly items, are badly damaged or are simply worn out. Collection is free, there are no viewings, and the collection company pays on collection. Scrapping must be done at an authorised treatment facility (ATF), which can either completely scrap the car or repair and sell it (GOV.UK: where vehicles can be scrapped). See how it works.

If an insurer has written the car off, its category affects what you can do with it (GOV.UK: insurance write-offs):

• Category A: cannot be repaired; the entire vehicle has to be crushed.
• Category B: cannot be repaired; the body shell has to be crushed, but other parts can be salvaged.
• Category N: can be repaired following non-structural damage.
• Category S: can be repaired following structural damage.

A Category N or S car you have kept can be sold or scrapped. For a Category S car, DVLA records the category in the log book, and buyers generally pay less for a car with a write-off history, so be open about it. More on scrapping a written-off car.

Whichever way you go, factor in the costs of keeping the car while you decide:

• Vehicle tax and insurance continue while the car is on the road. If it is off the road and not being used, you can declare it SORN instead. See scrapping a SORN car.
• An MOT is needed before a buyer can drive it away, unless the current one is still valid.
• Advertising and time: photos, listings, messages and viewings for a private sale.
• Further deterioration: a car left standing for months can develop flat batteries, seized brakes and more corrosion, which lowers what it is worth whichever route you choose.

• GOV.UK: How to scrap your vehicle
• GOV.UK: Where vehicles can be scrapped
• GOV.UK: Insurance write-offs and categories
• GOV.UK: MOT test result
• GOV.UK: Tell DVLA you have sold, transferred or bought a vehicle
• GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle