How to choose a scrap car collector

Before handing over your car, check who is collecting it, where it will go and what you will be paid. These checks help you compare scrap car collection services.

1. Check the business details

Ask for the collector's trading name and the name of the person or company buying the vehicle. Match the details on your collection confirmation and any registration or licence shown to you.

2. Use the official registers

The Environment Agency hosts separate public registers for scrap metal dealers and waste carriers, brokers and dealers. They cover different activities. Check the relevant entry, status and business name, and ask the issuing authority if you are unsure what an entry allows.

3. Confirm the destination

Ask which authorised treatment facility will receive a car being scrapped. Use the GOV.UK facility finder and check what disposal paperwork to expect. A collector and a treatment facility may be different businesses.

4. Compare like-for-like offers

Give every collector the same facts: registration, major missing parts, wheels, location and access. Ask whether the figure is an estimate or a confirmed amount, what collection includes and what circumstances could change it. Read our price guide before comparing headline figures.

5. Keep a record of the handover

Agree the payment arrangements and retain the collection details. Have the required identification ready and follow the official DVLA notification process. Our paperwork checklist helps you prepare.

Questions are welcome

For an On and Gone enquiry, use the registration form to start. When we review your request, ask us to confirm the collector, destination, price and handover arrangements before agreeing to proceed.

Official register links checked on 29 September 2026. Licensing and registration details should be checked against the relevant business at the time of collection.