Sell a Non-Running Car

Selling a non-running car doesn’t have to be difficult. Whether it’s stuck in a garage or a mechanic’s workshop, or simply won’t get off of your driveway, with Scrap Car Comparison you can still get an instant sale for a great price.

We’ll come to you, collecting your car rather than driving it away, so the car doesn’t even need an MOT or valid road tax to be sold for scrap or salvage. Read on to see what your car may be worth, how we collect your car and what paperwork you’ll need to complete.

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What Counts As A Non-Running Car

A non-running car is one that cannot drive under its own power and requires assistance if it needs to be moved. This could mean a major mechanical component like the engine or gearbox is faulty, or it could be a physical fault such as missing wheels or major structural damage.

Mechanical Failure

A mechanical failure is a car that has had a major component render it a non-runner. This suggests parts such as the engine, gearbox, steering, suspension, brakes or the wheels are no longer in working condition. Major faults with any one of these can render a car unsafe to drive, and at that point it’ll be classified as a non-runner with a mechanical failure.

Often, a mechanical failure is likely to fall into the uneconomical-to-repair category, as major faults like that are rarely cheap to fix. Even if your car doesn’t have an engine or is missing its wheels, our collectors can still collect it from you without issue, just let us know when you get a quote so we can ensure the collector sends the right type of recovery truck.

Electrical Failure

Electrical failures are where a single component or circuit within the car’s electrical system stops working, fails to transmit power or shorts out, causing other electrical items, or even the car itself, to stop working. In some cases, these can be simple faults like a dead battery or a failed alternator and are quick, relatively cheap, fixes. Some larger issues, like flood or rodent damage destroying the car’s main wiring systems, or failure of the high-voltage battery packs found in hybrids and electric vehicles, can very easily render the car an economic write-off.

Structural Damage

Structural damage is when the chassis or frame suffers damage such as bending, weakening or even completely separating. When there’s structural damage, more often than not it will result in the vehicle being written off as once the car has lost its structural integrity, making it safe again is very difficult – if it’s even possible at all.

Age and Long Term Storage

Vehicles that have been left untouched for a long time are unlikely to be ready to just turn the key and get going again, and are often in need of some fettling before you can get back on the road. One of the most common issues in an older vehicle, or one that’s been declared SORN and sitting unused for years, is battery death. Even with the car off, there will be computers, clocks and alarms that draw tiny amounts of battery power, known as parasitic drain, which can flatten a battery over time. If a lead-acid battery sits flat for too long, then it can permanently lose the ability to hold a charge.

Collected Where it Stands

Our service allows us to come to you to recover your car, no matter if it runs or not. We work with collection experts across the country, meaning we can come and collect vehicles direct from your driveway, cars in a garage, stuck at a mechanic’s yard or even those stranded on the roadside. When getting a quote, make sure you’re as detailed as possible with regards to the car’s problems and where it currently sits. Your collector will winch it up onto a recovery transporter, so it’s important we know exactly what to expect upon arrival. Make sure you let us know if it’s likely to be blocked in, if the keys are missing of if it has locked steering, seized brakes or flat tyres. This information is incredibly useful for the collector when they’re making plans to remove your car.

Selling Without MOT or Tax

You do not need to have an MOT or road tax when selling a car for scrap or salvage. Your collector will collect the car from exactly where it sits, so if it’s recently failed an MOT, and even if it’s been declared SORN, they’ll be able to remove it without it being driven on the road. Driving a car without valid road tax or MOT is illegal, which is why we come to you.

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What a Non-Runner is Worth

The value of a non-runner can vary dramatically, with the average often sitting somewhere within the region of £100-£300. Numerous factors go into determining how much your car is worth, with non-running cars at the end of their life worth only their weight in scrap metal.

Scrap Weight or Salvage Parts

Selling the car for its scrap weight or stripping it for parts is a question we get asked quite often. The main questions you need to ask yourself first are whether you’re going to be capable of doing this yourself (and if not, will you have to pay for someone to do this?) and who you’re going to sell them to.

James Snook, Head of sales and operations at Scrap Car Comparison: “The market for used car parts is not as buoyant as people might think. Its relatively easy to work out why. If you were fixing your car, would you use new replacement parts, or second hand ones. The answer, for 99% of people, is new, for obvious reasons. You have no idea on the condition of a second hand car part, and you might just end up replacing one broken part with another one.”

What Moves the Figure

The condition of the remaining, working parts on your car will have a big impact on the overall value of your car. A salvage buyer will be more inclined to spend more if they know they’ve got more options in the car, whether that’s repairing it or removing parts to repair others. In a similar situation, your car’s age, mileage and make and model will all influence the quotes you’ll receive for it.

Why Stripping Parts Costs You

Even if you do have somewhere to sell the parts to, that top-line figure doesn’t tell the whole story. Stripping a car for parts takes time, and factoring in the labour costs involved in stripping parts from a car (not to mention storage while waiting for them to sell) usually pushes the overall cost above what you can get for selling it as is. Selling it for scrap, or onto a specialist salvage buyer, removes all of that cost for you, leaving you to enjoy the full value of the car.

Repair or Sell

Deciding whether to repair or sell is largely dependent on your specific situation, and there’s no one-size-fits-all type answer. If your car is non-running because of one major fault, then our recommendation is to get a repair quote from a local garage and then come to us to see how much your car could be worth as scrap or salvage. We’ll also help you see what the best option for you is, comparing it to its current value as a scrap or salvage vehicle, and how much it could be worth once repaired.

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Who We Are: The UK’s Best Non-Running Vehicle Buyer since 2009

We’ve helped drivers across the UK scrap, sell and recycle their damaged, broken, non-running or failed MOT vehicles quickly, safely and for the best possible price.

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Testimonials

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How to Sell a Non-Running Car

1. Get a quote

Simply pop your vehicle reg and postcode into our online generator at the top of this page, and we’ll present you with your initial quotes there and then. These will be scrap values based on weight, and we’ll also give you a call to ensure

2. Tell us how the car is parked

We’ll give you a call to get more information about your specific car. Let us know in detail the problems that have caused it to be a non-runner, as well as any other issues that the car may have and, importantly, where and how it’s parked. All of this helps influence a potential salvage quote, as well as informs the collector exactly what type of recovery truck needs to be sent.

3. Accept your offer

Once you’re happy with the quotes that you’re given, it’s up to you to decide which is best for you. Pick your best offer and we’ll guarantee that price, subject to collection. At this point we recommend you take the time to check you’ve cleared all of your personal belongings from the car, including easily forgotten items such as dashcams and parking permits.

4. Have the car collected free

Your collector will come out directly to you at a time that suits you. When they arrive they’ll carry out a visual inspection of the car to ensure it matches your description. They’ll also check your photo ID and go through the paperwork with you. If you have them, having the keys and the V5C to hand will make this process much smoother. The collector will then load your car up and take it away.

5. Tell the DVLA and get paid

Once the car is on the recovery truck and taken away, your payment will be processed. This will be via bank transfer, as cash payment is illegal under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. Make sure you let the DVLA know that the car has been taken away for scrap, or been sold to a specialist, and you’ll automatically receive a tax refund for full unused months of road tax. Remember to cancel any car insurance related to the car, too, so you avoid any unwanted payments.

Paperwork, SORN and Finance Before Collection

We’ve provided a brief rundown of all you need to know about paperwork, SORN and financed vehicles before you get a quote.

Telling the DVLA yourself

When selling a vehicle to an Authorised Treatment Facility, you must let the DVLA know, with a possible fine of up to £1,000 if you fail to do so. The seller retains the yellow ‘sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade’ section of the V5C, while the remainder goes to the Authorised Treatment Facility.

SORN and Vehicle Tax Refunds

When keeping a non-running vehicle off the road, it is recommended you declare the car as SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notice). Doing so will mean you gain a refund for any full months of remaining vehicle tax once the DVLA receive the SORN notice. Any vehicle being declared as SORN, however, must be kept off the road in either a driveway, garage or private land. You can be fined if a SORN car is on the public highway at any time.

Keeping a Private Plate

In order to keep a private number plate, you’ll need to either put the registration on retention with the DVLA, or transfer it to another vehicle. You’ll need to do this before the vehicle is taken away, as you won’t be able to do so once it’s gone.

Outstanding Finance

Vehicles with outstanding finance cannot be sold or scrapped without speaking to the lender first, as they retain a legal interest in the car as long as there is still a finance deal in place. Our team are more than happy to speak to your finance company to arrange a settlement fee, just let us know when you get the quote and we’ll work with you and the lender to get the best deal for everyone.

Checking Your Buyer is Licensed

When scrapping a car, you can only do so at an Authorised Treatment Facility, who will then be able to issue a Certificate of Destruction. ATFs are permitted by the Environment Agency in England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in Scotland, Natural Resources Wales in Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern Ireland. When you scrap a car with Scrap Car Comparison, you know you’re only going to be selling to a licensed buyer.

Selling a Vehicle With Outstanding Finance

A vehicle that is halfway through a HP or PCP finance agreement can still be sold, but the finance company has to agree and the finance must be cleared first. In most cases, you’ll have to arrange a settlement figure with your lender. Here at Scrap Car Comparison, we’re more than happy to work with you on a car that still has outstanding finance. We’ll speak to the lender on your behalf and work out a settlement fee. In some cases, where the lender agrees, the remaining balance can be converted to an unsecured personal loan, at the lender’s discretion.

FAQs

Related articles

• Sell my damaged car
  • No level of damage is too much here at Scrap Car Comparison, so see how much your broken car could be worth.
• Sell my vehicle for salvage
  • Not all broken, damaged or non-running cars need to be sold as scrap, some could be sold for spares and repairs, known in the industry as salvage.
• Sell my written-off vehicle
  • We can still help you find the very best price for your car even if your insurers have declared it a write-off.

Get an instant price for your non-running car today and it’ll be loaded up and taken away much faster than any private sale.