How can I check if a vehicle has already been scrapped?

You've finally got It. Your "new" old car. After a long time and a lot of effort, you have finally been able to buy it. And as you just began to enjoy it, one day you're stopped by the police and... Nightmare! You are driving an illegal car. The car you bought has been scrapped.

To prevent this from happening, it is important to check before buying a car that it has not been scrapped.

What exactly does scrapped car mean?

This is an essential nuance. Scrapped car does not necessarily mean crushed car. Scrapped car simply means that the car can no longer be driven legally. That's why sometimes this kind of thing happens, that some unscrupulous scammer sell people a scrapped car.

How do I know if the car has been scrapped?

When a car has been scrapped, the DVLA issues a certificate called an ELV (End of life of Vehicle). If you need to find out if the car you are about to buy has been scrapped, the easiest option is to go to a specialized agency.

On the internet, you can find several agencies that will do this for you at a very reasonable cost. I'm sure you are wondering if you can deal directly with the DVLA. Yes, you could do it directly, but it is not free at all. The DVLA will charge a fee for providing you with this information. So it is much more interesting to request a vehicle check with a specialized agency and let them do the work for you.

Are the agencies that check if a car has been scrapped accurate?

Yes, as a general rule they are, as they use the DVLA's own data. In any case, check different agencies and the reviews about them and choose the one you trust the most.

When is it important to know if a car has been scrapped?

As we mentionated before, it is important to make sure that a car has not been scrapped when we are about to buy it, because if we buy a car that has been scrapped we will not be able to drive it legally on public roads. Of course, we will not be able to insure it either, and in case of having an accident of any kind we can get into big problems.

But this is not the only case where it is important to check that a car has been scrapped? If you have taken your car to a scrapyard for cars and you have been assured that they are responsible for notifying the DVLA, it is not a bad idea to request a vehicle check after all, as the responsibility for notifying the DVLA that the car has been scraped is yours. If, after taking the car to the scrapyard, they sell it illegally and the car is involved in an accident or even a crime, you could be in serious trouble. For this reason, if you do not receive a COD (Certificate of Destruction) for your car within a few days of taking it to the scrapyard, you should check that the car has been deregistered with the DVLA to avoid problems.