Guide · updated 2026
Scrapping a car that will not start or move
Most of the cars we collect do not start. It is completely normal, it costs you nothing extra, and it is not a problem — as long as we know before the driver sets off.
What actually matters
Whether the wheels turn. A car that rolls can be winched onto a transporter almost anywhere. One with seized brakes or missing wheels needs different equipment, and around here that difference is often the difference between a ten-minute job and a two-hour one.
Where it is sitting. On a drive, on the street, up a track, behind a gate, in a garage, in an underground car park with a height limit — all of these change what we send.
No keys?
Not a problem for us, but say so. Without keys the steering lock may be engaged, which again affects how the car comes off the drive.
Be straight with us and the price holds
The reason we ask these questions on the phone rather than firing out an automatic figure is so that the number we give you is the number that lands in your account. Tell us the car is a runner when it is not and the driver has to have a conversation with you on the day. Nobody enjoys that.
This page is general information, not legal advice. For the official position, check GOV.UK — and if something about your car does not fit what is written here, ring the yard and ask.