Scrap car prices in 2026

There isn't really an "average", because a small hatch and a large 4x4 are worth wildly different amounts. As a rough guide for 2026, a small hatch sits around £150–£300, a mid-size car £200–£400, an estate or SUV £300–£600, and a van £300–£900. Write-offs and end-of-life EVs can be worth a lot more. The figure for your car depends on its weight, its catalytic converter, and whether it's a model we can sell parts from.

Because they track the global metals market. Scrap steel is priced per tonne and that price moves week to week, so the floor under every scrap car moves with it. On top of that, the value of the catalytic converter (platinum, palladium, rhodium) swings with precious-metal prices. A yard that quotes you a fixed number for any car regardless is either rounding heavily or planning to deduct on the day.

It's mixed. Metal prices have stayed reasonably firm, which holds the floor up, but the rush of older diesels pushed off the road by Low Emission Zones increased supply of certain cars, which softened their prices a little. Newer cars with valuable parts and EVs with usable batteries have held up well. The honest answer is: get a real quote against the reg rather than trusting a headline figure.

Slightly. Collection cost factors in, so a car deep in the Highlands costs more to reach than one in central Glasgow and the quote reflects that honestly. Within the Central Belt the price is consistent. We never quote one number then quietly drop it at the kerb to cover fuel, if there's a fuel adjustment we tell you up front.

Send the reg and a couple of photos for a real quote rather than relying on an instant calculator, calculators are built to look impressive, not to be accurate. Mention if it's a write-off, an EV, or has valuable parts. And make sure you're comparing like for like: a slightly higher quote from a yard with no authorised treatment route can cost you far more in tax and PCN letters later.