How to sell your scrap car for cash
There are strict laws about how scrap yards can pay you for your old car. It used to be that you could sell scrap cars for cash in hand payments, but that is now illegal. However, there's more to getting your money than you might think. Here's how to scrap your car for cash.
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Selling scrap vehicles for cash
Getting paid for your old car isn't as simple as it used to be. Thanks to changes to the law, there are only some very clearly defined ways that a scrap yard is legally allowed to pay you. What they can't do is hand over physical cash for scrap cars.
How you can be paid for your scrap car
There are two ways that you can be paid for an old car in the UK. The most common one is by bank transfer. The reason why this is the preferred way of getting paid for a scrap car is simply that it's the fastest option. Once you have received your quote using our online calculator, you simply book your free car collection time, and our recovery team will pay you once your car is collected. While some banks and building societies are a little slower to process these payments, in some cases, it takes less than an hour for the money to be in your account. This is the closest the scrap metal industry can get to paying cash for scrap cars. The alternative is to be paid via a cheque, which can take a little longer before you actually get that cash for junk cars.
The best prices for scrap cars
You might not be getting a cash payment put into your hand, but you still want the most money possible for it! There are some simple ways to make sure that you're not getting less than the real value of your car. The first is to only scrap my car for cash near me, because the closer the scrap yard is to your car, the more money you will get for it. You should also only use a scrap yard that is an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). That's because they will not only be scrapping your car, they'll recycle your car for cash too. That means any reusable parts will add value to your vehicle.
All of the yards that make up the Scrapi.com network are ATFs and will scrap your car for cash professionally, responsibly, and at your convenience.
What will impact the price
Reusable parts will add value to the price you receive, but only if they are in the vehicle at the time. If you remove parts and sell them elsewhere, this will drive down the overall cost of the quote you receive. To ensure you get a maximum payout from scrap yards, resist from tearing out any reusable parts and let the experts manage it. Another vital component that will impact the price is the make, model, and size of the car. No matter if the car is damaged beyond repair or it looks as pristine as it did the day you bought it, the condition of the car will not affect the price. It is the weight of the metal that will make the difference.
Free car collection from anywhere
Professional scrap yards will buy scrap cars for cash and will collect your car for free. So if you have an old banger sitting outside your home, it's good to know that scrap car removal for cash isn't just easy to arrange; it's profitable too. The recovery team will arrive, pick up your car, and pay you in the way that you have chosen. It really is that simple. It's never been easier to sell your old car, and from MOT failures bought for cash to a car that you just don't need anymore, you might not get paper cash paid for scrap cars, but you will get paid more than you might think.
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Scrap cars for cash near me
Want to get the best possible price for your scrap car? Then the best advice is to use one of your local ATF approved scrap yards as part of the network. We provide services nationwide, so simply search for your location below to get started.
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Why isn't cash paid for scrap cars?
The reason you can't sell your scrap car for cash in hand payments is because of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. The law means scrap yards have a series of laws to follow that are very clearly defined.
What is the Scrap Metal Dealers Act?
As the price of scrap metal around the world started to get higher, cases of metal theft were becoming a very real problem in the UK. The law needed to change to make it harder for criminals to get paid for the metal that they were stealing, and that included cars. The Scrap Metal Dealers Act immediately made it illegal to buy scrap cars for cash, but that wasn't the only change. It also meant that all yards had to have a licence from their local authority and that the licence needed to be prominently displayed. Breaching any of these criteria could mean heavy fines or even mean being shut down. However, although you can't sell or buy scrap cars for cash in hand payments, you can still get rapid payments via bank transfers or cheques.
Why was it put in place?
There is always a reason why certain legislation gets put in place, and for the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, this was introduced to prevent metal theft. As the price of metal rose, so did the crime rate. People looking to scrap cars would hand their car over, be paid cash in hand, leaving behind no trace of paperwork, and assume the scrap yard would scrap their car. However, this was not always the case. Some scrap yards could tell you that they were scrapping your car, only for it to be sold to another buyer. As there were no records that you scrapped your car, the DVLA thinks you still own that car. So when it then gets caught up in criminal activity, you could be found under scrutiny and fined. Thankfully, with the act in place, scrap yards must now ask for photo ID, documentation, and pay the money via a bank transfer or check.
Authorised Treatment Facilities
As well as the local authority licence, scrap yards can also become licensed Authorised Treatment Facilities. All of the yards that we partner with at Scrapi.com are ATFs. That's because those yards will always pay more for old cars because they recycle your car for cash instead of just sending it to a landfill site. You get more value out of your old car, and won't be getting ripped off by dodgy scrap yard operators who might even break the law by offering to do car disposal for cash in hand payments. Those unethical yards might even make it seem like they're doing you a favour when they buy scrap cars for cash in hand and will offer you lower prices because of it. What they're really doing is breaking the law.
Only use licenced ATFs
When you want to scrap your car, the way to ensure that you get the best price and come away on the right side of the law, you must only use licenced ATFs. This is why you should use our website to find the nearest dealer near you. All of the scrap yards in our network fit the bill of licenced ATFs, so you can scrap your car, safe in the knowledge that you won't find yourself with fines, tickets, or criminal charges. Plus, the scrap yard will present you with a certificate of destruction to prove that they have scrapped your car. This proves to the DVLA that you no longer own this vehicle.
Frequently asked questions about getting cash for scrap cars
We have helped thousands of drivers get paid for their old cars, and we get asked a lot of questions about the process and the law. Here are the most common FAQs and the answers to those questions.
If I want to scrap my car for cash, how much will I get paid?
This will depend on many factors, including the condition of your car, whether it has a catalytic converter, and what the current price of scrap metal is. To get an accurate quote, simply head to our quotes calculator and fill in some details. The reason why Scrapi.com is so popular is that the price you get quoted is the price you get paid, with no haggling or last-minute fee surprises when we buy scrap cars for cash that's sent straight to your bank.
Can I get paid in actual cash?
The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 was passed to help reduce cases of stolen metal being bought and sold in scrap yards. One of the main points was to ensure that there is traceability when it comes to scrap metal selling, and that's why all payments must be by either a bank transfer or by cheque. So while you can't buy or sell scrap cars for cash in hand payments, you will get paid in the way that you prefer, and that payment is made as soon as your car is collected.
Do I need a bank account when I scrap my car for cash?
Although it makes it much easier to get paid to scrap your vehicle for cash if you do have a bank account, not having one doesn't mean you're out of luck. We can make payments to the bank or building society account of your choice, so as long as there's someone you trust enough that does have a bank account. We can simply use their bank details to pay you. For cheque payments, we can make those out in any name too.
Who is paying me for my old car?
When you get your quote from Scrapi.com, the price that you're quoted will be from one of the professional scrap yards in the UK that we have partnered with. It is that scrap yard that will be paying you for your car. We simply work out which scrap yard is going to pay you the most so that you get scrap cars collected for cash that's sent straight to your bank or building society.
How can I get more cash for my scrap car?
The most important thing to do when selling a car for scrap is to keep it whole. Some people think that they will make more of a profit if they remove the battery or the catalytic convertor and sell them separately. The problem with this approach is that all you're really doing is reducing the value of the car and making work for yourself. Of course, if you have a spare catalytic converter sitting in your garage, then selling it is always profitable. However, if you want to sell your scrap car for cash and you want the maximum value of it, then keeping it all in one piece is the smart option.
Are MOT failures bought for cash?
There's a common misconception that you can't sell a car if it doesn't have an MOT. This is not the case. Selling a car without an MOT is a little more challenging than selling a car with one, simply because you're not allowed to drive it to anywhere other than an MOT testing centre for a pre-booked test. It's incredibly convenient to have your MOT failures bought for cash by a scrap yard in the Scrapi.com network because we come and collect your car for free. That means no risk of driving a dangerous car on a public road, and no chance of getting into trouble with the law.