Guide on how to scrap a foreign car in the UK in 2024

It's bad luck, but sometimes it happens. You just go to the UK on a trip and suddenly your car stops working. You take it to the mechanic and the repair cost is far more expensive than the car's value, so it's not worth repairing it. At this point, you probably are wondering. What do I do with my dead car now that I'm away from home? And the big question comes to your mind.

Is it possible to scrap a foreign car in the UK?

Well, for your peace of mind, yes. Fortunately, it is possible to scrap a foreign car in the UK, but you must follow a few steps and do everything legally.

How to scrap my foreign car in UK?

We are going to detail step by step how to do it, so you are not lost.

Contact a scrapyard

The first thing you need to do is to contact a scrapyard. It's best to call several and ask if they will give you any compensation, to pick up the car for free, etc.

Important! The scrapyard must be an ATF (Authorised Treatment Facility), as they are the only authorised facilities to get rid of a car legally in the UK. If you do not take your car to an ATF, the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) will not be able to issue a certificate of destruction, and you will not be able to unsubscribe the vehicle in the country of origin.

Verification

You will have to provide the scrapyard with the following information about your vehicle

• Plate number
• Chassis number
• Registration number
• Mark
• Model
• Colour

Arrange vehicle recovery

Once you have provided the details, the scrapyard will arrange an appointment to collect the vehicle. When they go to collect the vehicle, you must have the following documents:

• Valid photo ID: Driving licence, Passport, etc.
• The keys of the car
• Vehicle log book or registration certificate.
• Payment details. To receive your money for your scrapping car. It could be either through a wire transfer or through paypal.

Notifying the country of origin of the vehicle's destruction in order to process to unsubscribe it

Once the car has been destroyed, you will be issued with a COD (Certificate of destruction). With this certificate, you must notify the authorities in the vehicle's origin country that the vehicle has been destroyed in the UK.

My car has been destroyed... What do I do with the plates?

Unlike in some other countries, in the UK number plates are not destroyed and are returned to the owner of the vehicle. You will need to check the laws of the country of origin of the vehicle to find out what to do with them, whether to return them or destroy them.

We hope this article has been helpful. Having your car scrapped in a foreign country is a complicated situation, but we are confident that with this guide you will have a clear understanding of what to do if this happens to you in the UK.