In our last blog, we looked at what the government defines as an End of Life Vehicle (ELV). There are some guidelines as to what you, as a vehicle owner, must do with an ELV. Here, we take a look at what you need to do to scrap your vehicle.
In short, if a vehicle is at the end of its life, it must be taken to (or collected by) a registered Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) – also known as a scrap yard- where it will be depolluted. If you are scrapping a car, you must be issued with a Certificate of Destruction (buses, lorries and motorbikes don’t require a CoD). The process that you need to take varies, depending on whether you want to keep any car parts to sell on.
To Keep Your Number Plate
If you want to keep your number plate, you need to apply to have the registration removed from the vehicle. You can only do this if your vehicle is registered with the DVLA; it can move by itself, it has been taxed continuously for the past five years (or has a SORN); and it needs an MOT or HGV test certificate. It costs £80 to remove your private number plate and can be done immediately online. Once a private number is removed, the vehicle will usually revert to its original number.
If You Want To Keep Parts
You can keep parts of your vehicle for spares and repairs, which can help you to recoup some of the cost of the vehicle. If this is the case, you need to declare to the DVLA that your vehicle is off the road (and keep it off the road on private land, e.g. a garage, field or driveway).
If You DON’T Want To Keep Parts
If you don’t want to keep any parts or the number plate, or if you have already undertaken the above steps, the process is straightforward. Next, you need to:
- Contact an ATF about recycling your vehicle. Some vehicle recycling centres will pay for the scrap, as they will recycle, reuse or sell on parts of your ELV. If you have taken essential parts from the vehicle, the ATF might charge you for the scrappage.
- When handing your vehicle over to the ATF, give them the V5 Certificate (log book) but keep the V5 C/3 (the yellow slip).
- You MUST tell the DVLA that you have scrapped the vehicle. This can be done online using the 11-digit reference number in the log book. When asked for the trader that you sold the vehicle to, use the name of the ATF, even if you didn’t get any money for it. If you have time left on your vehicle tax, you will receive a refund via cheque.