UK car removal trends and what to expect
Get insights into UK scrap car values, regional trends and the types of vehicles that fetch the highest payouts across our national removal network.

Updated August, 2025
After analysing more than 130,000 scrapped cars, over half (52.43%) come from just five manufacturers: Vauxhall, Ford, Volkswagen, Peugeot and Renault. This doesn't necessarily mean they’re "unreliable"; it's just that these are generally the most popular brands in the UK and have been for decades.
[{"tab":"Top 5 car makes scrapped","summary":"After analysing more than 130,000 scrapped cars, over half (52.43%) come from just five manufacturers: Vauxhall, Ford, Volkswagen, Peugeot and Renault. This doesn't necessarily mean they’re \"unreliable\"; it's just that these are generally the most popular brands in the UK and have been for decades.","data":[{"name":"Vauxhall","value":21878},{"name":"Ford","value":19022},{"name":"Volkswagen","value":11068},{"name":"Peugeot","value":9741},{"name":"Renault","value":7557}]},{"tab":"Top 5 car models scrapped","summary":"The Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Focus, and Renault Clio rank among the most frequently scrapped models in the UK. These models, along with the Volkswagen Golf and Peugeot 207, account for over 11% of all scrapped vehicles in the UK. In other words, compact, mass-market hatchbacks are the most likely to be removed and scrapped when they reach end-of-life.","data":[{"name":"Vauxhall Corsa","value":3796},{"name":"Ford Focus","value":3564},{"name":"Volkswagen Golf","value":2005},{"name":"Peugeot 207","value":2815},{"name":"Renault Clio","value":3155}]},{"tab":"Age of cars scrapped","summary":"Most cars we remove for scrap are between 16 and 20 years old, with 18-year-old cars being the most common. This reflects the point at which vehicles typically become too costly to maintain or repair. If you've got a newer model, it might be more economical to sell privately or part out. Once you're in this range, though, it's time to scrap it.","data":[{"name":"18 years old","value":18197},{"name":"19 years old","value":16669},{"name":"17 years old","value":15104},{"name":"20 years old","value":13718},{"name":"16 years old","value":11262}]},{"tab":"Most common MOT Failures","summary":"Common MOT failures like oil leaks, worn tyres and brake wear are easy fixes you won't think twice about on a five-year-old car. But in vehicles nearing the end of their usable life, a few-hundred-pound repair combined with age and high mileage is what pushes a lot of UK drivers to finally remove and scrap their cars rather than keep maintaining it.","data":[{"name":"8.4.1 (a) (i)","value":17315,"label":"Oil leak, but not excessive"},{"name":"5.2.3 (e)","value":9217,"label":"Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge"},{"name":"5.2.3 (e) ","value":9157,"label":"Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge"},{"name":"5.2.3 (e) ","value":5754,"label":"Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge"},{"name":"1.1.14 (a) (ii)","value":5491,"label":"Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened"}]},{"tab":"Average miles of cars scrapped","summary":"Most cars removed for scrap have well over 100,000 miles on the clock, with the number beginning to increase exponentially after that point. When high mileage combines with age and, ultimately, MOT issues, the time and cost required to keep the car on the road almost always outweighs its value.","data":[{"name":"0-50k miles","value":3821},{"name":"50-75k miles","value":11813},{"name":"75-100k miles","value":27406},{"name":"100-125k miles","value":32909},{"name":"125k+ miles","value":53418}]},{"tab":"Fuel type of cars scrapped","summary":"Petrol and diesel vehicles make up nearly all scrapped cars, with “other” fuel types like electric or hybrid accounting for just 0.4%. If you drive a traditional combustion vehicle (especially an older one), removal and scrappage are far more common. Of course, this trend will change over the coming decades as petrol vehicles are phased out and replaced by EVs and hybrids.","data":[{"name":"Petrol","value":75233},{"name":"Diesel","value":56331},{"name":"Other","value":526}]}]