Does it cost anything to scrap a car?

Short answer: no. Scrapping a car should put money in your account, not take it out. On this network the collection is free, there is no admin or paperwork fee, the Certificate of Destruction costs nothing, and the DVLA does not charge to take a scrapped car off its records.

Why it is free

A yard makes its money from the car itself: the metal it sells on by the tonne, and the parts it can reuse. That covers the lorry, the driver and the depollution, which is why the price you are offered is already what is left after those costs. The law points the same way. The End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations give the last owner of a complete car the right to hand it in for recycling free of charge, so nobody should be charging you just to take one away.

When the price you were quoted can change

Only when the car turns out to be different from the description it was priced on. The usual reasons:

• The catalytic converter, engine, gearbox or wheels have gone.
• It was booked as rolling and the wheels are locked, or as complete and it has been stripped.
• It has been burnt out since the quote.

Answer the condition questions as the car really is and the figure does not move. That is the deal on this network: the price you accept is the price you are paid, as long as the car is as described.

Costs that are not part of the scrapping

Some things cost money around the time a car is scrapped, but none of them is charged by the yard:

• Keeping a private plate. The DVLA's retention fee is £80, and it has to be paid before collection.
• Settling finance. If the car is on HP or PCP the lender has to be paid off or agree first. Finance explained.
• Tax and insurance up to the day. Tax is refunded for any full months left once the DVLA is told; insurance you cancel yourself.
• A replacement logbook. Not needed. A car can be scrapped without the V5C, so there is no reason to pay the £25 for a new one first.

Charges to walk away from

A "collection fee", an "admin fee", a "disposal charge" or a "fuel surcharge" added once the driver is on your drive. A quote that drops at the door for reasons nobody mentioned before. Anything paid in cash, either way. If any of these come up, you are not dealing with the kind of yard that should have your car.

So how much will I get?

In the last twelve months most cars through this network fetched between about £180 and £430, depending mostly on weight; how much is my car worth for scrap breaks that down by size. For your own car, the scrap my car page gives the figure from the registration in about thirty seconds.