Scrapping your car is surprisingly easy. If it has finally reached the end of its journey, all you need to do is contact a local scrap car dealer to take care of it. The trickiest part is remembering to register your car as scrapped, which needs to be done through the DVLA.
As an ATF, we have plenty of experience with the process of scrapping a car. To save you the headache, we’ve simplified the scrap registration process for you here. Just follow our guide and DVLA instructions - your car will be registered as scrapped before you know it!
Before you register your car as scrapped
If you have a private registration number, or your registration is important to you, you should apply to keep it before you scrap your car. You can transfer it to another vehicle (provided that vehicle is eligible) or apply to place it onto a retention document for later use.
Next, make sure that your car isn’t a write-off. Write-offs have a different process. Only continue with this guide if your car isn’t a write-off, and you’ve just decided to scrap it.
Once you’ve made these checks, you are ready to send your vehicle to a scrapyard and register it as scrapped.
Do you need to register your car as scrapped if it’s already SORN?
If you are scrapping a car that is already registered as SORN, then you still need to inform the DVLA once it is scrapped with an ATF.
For example: if you took your vehicle off-road to remove a few key components, and then scrapped the rest with an ATF, then register the car as scrapped.
How to register a car as scrapped online
Notifying the DVLA that your car has been scrapped can be done online if you have the 11-digit reference number from your logbook. You’ll also have to provide the name of the scrapyard that you sent your car to.
The process is easy – just fill in the DVLA’s online form with information about your scrapped vehicle.
Once this is done, the DVLA will send you a confirmation by post, and optionally by email. You may also receive a refund cheque for any full months of vehicle tax you have left.
Register your car as scrapped here.
How to register a car as scrapped by post
Having trouble with the online form? Registering by post may be a good option for you.
If you’ve scrapped your vehicle, then you may have already given the logbook to your ATF, but you should have kept the yellow part. This is the part that you need. Using the yellow “sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade” part of your logbook, you can register your car as scrapped by post.
A scrapyard or insurance company will fill in this yellow section of your logbook for you when you scrap your car. Once it is filled in, send the perforated section to the DVLA’s address in Swansea, listed below:
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1BD
How to register a car as scrapped without a logbook
If you’ve lost your logbook, don’t panic. You can still register your car as scrapped. You will need to send a letter to the DVLA’s address (listed above) with the following information:
- Your name
- Your address
- The scrapped car’s registration number
- The scrapped car’s make and model
- The exact date you sold your car
- The name and address of the scrapyard or insurance company.
For example, A&L’s address is: Unit 14e, Atlantic Trading Estate, Barry, South Wales, CF63 3RF.
When should you register your car as scrapped?
You should complete the registration process as soon as possible. You can be fined £1,000 if you do not properly notify the DVLA that your car has been scrapped.
The DVLA has lots of useful information about scrapping your car, which you can find here.
Scrap your car with A&L
If you’re still unsure about the process of scrapping and registering your car, you can always contact A&L Vehicle Recycling. We offer a hassle-free service and can walk you through anything that you don’t understand.
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