// Get a quote
How much is my scrap car worth in 2026?
The honest answer is "it depends", but here's what it depends on, and what sort of numbers you should expect for cars on the road in Scotland today.
What actually moves the price
Three things, roughly in order of how much they matter:
- Weight & metal content. Scrap-metal prices in 2026 sit around £170–£200/tonne for shredded steel. A small hatchback weighs about a tonne; a 4×4 can be twice that. So size dominates.
- Catalytic converter. The cat is removed before the shell is crushed because the platinum, palladium and rhodium inside are worth serious money. A diesel cat from a 2010s SUV can be worth £200–£400 by itself; a 1990s petrol cat is worth £15.
- Reusable parts. If your car is a model breakers' customers actually buy from (Astra, Focus, Polo, Qashqai, Civic, Fiesta), and the running gear is intact, we can pay above scrap value because we'll pull parts before the shell goes. Premium German cars and uncommon models are actually worse at the budget end, cheap parts donor cars are what move the most stock.
Rough price ranges (2026)
| Car type | Typical scrap price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small hatch (Polo, Fiesta, Corsa) | £150–£300 | More if running, less if shell-only |
| Mid saloon/hatch (Focus, Astra, Civic) | £200–£400 | Plenty of demand for parts |
| Mid estate (Mondeo, Passat, Octavia) | £250–£500 | Heavier = more steel |
| Large 4×4 / SUV (Qashqai, X-Trail, X3) | £300–£600 | Big cat, big body, premium |
| Van (Transit, Vivaro, Sprinter) | £300–£900 | Wide range, depends on condition |
| Premium German (BMW 5/7, Audi A6/A8) | £250–£700 | Less than you'd think, parts often slow |
| EV (Leaf, Zoe, i3, end of life) | £500–£3,000+ | Battery dominates value |
| Cat S/N write-off (any modern car) | +25–60% over base scrap | Driveable + rebuildable = bonus |
EVs follow different rules: the HV battery can dominate value. Age, condition and battery health matter more than model name alone. See our EV scrapping page. Send your reg + a couple of photos for a real quote within the day — calculators that promise an instant number are designed to look impressive, not be accurate.
How to spot a dodgy quote
- No authorised treatment route? Walk away. The car's liability can stay with you.
- "Subject to inspection" = deduction waiting to happen on collection day.
- No clear DVLA paperwork route = future tax, insurance or PCN exposure.
Next step depends on the car
- End-of-life: scrap Glasgow · scrap Edinburgh
- Worth more for parts: breakers Glasgow · breakers Edinburgh
- Damaged or EV: damaged & EV
- Fleet / insurer in volume: dismantlers Glasgow · Edinburgh
- The regulated process: ATF process