Scrap My Car in Bristol

We buy scrap cars throughout Bristol and pay on weight rather than condition. Enter the registration and your postcode above for a guaranteed figure, with free collection from any BS postcode and payment by bank transfer.

What the quote is based on

Kerb weight and the scrap steel price on the day. A car that will not start is worth close to what the same model fetches running, because the recoverable metal is identical and that is what is being purchased.

The Clean Air Zone and the older car

Bristol's Clean Air Zone covers the city centre and is a Class D, so private cars are charged alongside vans, taxis and lorries. Every entry into the zone in a non-compliant vehicle triggers the daily rate.

For anyone living inside the boundary or just beyond it, a year of that can cost several times what the car itself would sell for. Petrol cars from before 2006 and diesels from before September 2015 are broadly the ones affected, though it depends on the engine rather than the year, so check the registration on the council's checker rather than assuming. Where the charge has made the car uneconomic, scrapping converts it to its metal value and stops the tax and insurance immediately.

Getting a car out of a Bristol street

Free collection across every BS postcode, taking in the centre, Clifton, Redland, Bishopston, Montpelier, St Pauls, Easton, Bedminster, Southville, Knowle, Fishponds, Horfield, Henleaze and Brislington, and out to Kingswood, Filton, Portishead, Clevedon, Nailsea and Keynsham.

Collection here takes more planning than in most cities, and the detail you give at booking makes the difference. The Georgian and Victorian streets through Clifton, Montpelier and Totterdown combine steep gradients with narrow carriageways and solid residents' parking, and a good number are one-way or width-restricted. A car parked halfway up a hill that will not roll or steer is routine work, provided the right recovery vehicle is the one that turns up.

After the car has gone

Notify the DVLA that the vehicle has been sold for scrap, using the online service or the yellow section of the V5C. Until that is done you remain the registered keeper and liable for the car, and not notifying can bring a fine of up to £1,000. Unused whole months of road tax are refunded without you claiming.

Your Certificate of Destruction arrives from the treatment facility within seven days, confirming the vehicle has been permanently removed from the road. To sell in the first place you need only the V5C and photo ID matching the keeper's registered address; no MOT, tax or insurance is required, and the car does not need to be driveable.

Payment is by bank transfer at or before collection. Cash has been unlawful for scrap vehicles since 2013, so a kerbside offer of notes means the buyer is not licensed.

Questions from Bristol sellers

Can you collect from a narrow one-way street in Clifton or Totterdown?

Yes, though the vehicle sent depends on the street. Where a full-size transporter cannot turn or pass, a smaller recovery vehicle is used instead. Describing the access and any width restrictions at booking is what makes the difference between a smooth collection and a wasted trip.

Does the Clean Air Zone charge apply to a car being collected?

Not to you. Any charge relating to the recovery vehicle entering the zone is the operator's concern and does not affect your quote. Your own liability for daily charges ends once the vehicle has been collected and the DVLA has been notified.

What if my car is parked on a hill and the handbrake has seized?

That is normal work. A seized handbrake, locked steering or flat tyres are all handled with winching equipment and skates where needed. Say so at booking so the right vehicle attends, particularly on the steeper streets where space to manoeuvre is limited.