Your collection, step by step
How scrap car collection works
From your first quote to payment and paperwork, here’s what to expect when ScrapTrak collects your car in Hampshire or West Sussex.
- A free quote with no obligation to accept
- Free collection across covered areas
- Bank-transfer payment following collection checks
No obligation. Free collection is included across covered areas. Problem vehicles are welcome.
Your collection, explained
Six steps from quote to paperwork
Start with the overview, then follow each step for the details you need before and after collection.
Tell us about the vehicle
Give the registration, postcode, condition and access details.
Review your offer
Check the vehicle description, collection arrangements and amount.
Confirm your collection
Accept the offer and agree the address, slot and handover contact.
Get ready for handover
Prepare documents, keys and payment details; remove belongings.
Complete collection and payment
Check the agreed details and bank transfer with the collection team.
Finish the paperwork
Notify DVLA correctly, retain records and check any follow-up.
Step 1 of 6
Tell us what the vehicle is like today
You do not need a mechanical diagnosis to request a quote. Describe what you know, including anything that has changed since the car was last driven.
Start with the details that affect the job
Enter the registration carefully, then check the vehicle details shown. If a private plate has recently changed or the lookup does not match, contact us before continuing with the wrong vehicle. Use the collection postcode rather than your home postcode when the car is stored elsewhere.
- Does it start, move under its own power, roll and steer?
- Are the keys available, and can the parking brake be released?
- What damage, known faults or warning messages does it have?
- Are the wheels, battery, engine, gearbox and other major parts present?
- Where is it parked, and what might restrict a recovery vehicle's access?
Use photographs to explain what words cannot
A photograph of the parking position can be as helpful as a photograph of the damage. Show the surrounding space, entrance, slope or height barrier where relevant. Take pictures from a safe position; do not crawl beneath the car or move an unsafe vehicle for a better angle.
Mileage, recent repairs and service information can also help us understand whether there is repair or parts value. For more detail on valuation, read our scrap car prices guide.
Step 2 of 6
Check your quote and decide whether to accept
Your quote should describe the vehicle and collection you actually need. Read the amount alongside the details it is based on before accepting.
Understand what the offer covers
ScrapTrak provides free collection within its covered areas. Confirm the actual postcode and disclose unusual loading requirements so the arrangement is clear. A car on an open driveway is a different collection job from a locked vehicle behind a low car-park barrier.
Check that missing components and known damage have been recorded. If you have corrected the model, moved the car or removed parts after requesting a quote, ask us to review the details before booking. An old offer should also be checked again before you rely on it.
Scrap and salvage can follow different routes
An MOT failure or non-runner is not automatically beyond repair. Some vehicles have salvage or reuse value; others are suitable for complete scrapping. Explain the full condition so the assessment reflects the vehicle, and ask which route applies if you need to understand the paperwork you will receive.
You are free to consider the offer before deciding. When comparing buyers, compare the final amount for the same condition and location, together with collection arrangements, payment method and paperwork. Our salvage information explains the alternative route for potentially repairable vehicles.
Step 3 of 6
Accept the offer and confirm a collection slot
A quote request, an accepted offer and a confirmed booking are separate stages. Follow the booking confirmation so you know which date, address and arrangements have been agreed.
Agree a slot that fits the location
Collection availability depends on the postcode, route and recovery needs. Tell us about garage opening times, school-run restrictions, locked gates or workplace access before agreeing a slot. Do not assume a particular day or time is available until it has been confirmed.
Check the registration, full address, contact number and access notes in your booking. A house postcode alone may not identify a rear parking area, workshop entrance or rural outbuilding, so include useful directions. Let us know who will have the keys and who is authorised to complete the handover.
Keep the office informed if something changes
If the car moves, develops a new loading problem or is no longer available, contact ScrapTrak promptly with your registration and booking reference. Ask for confirmation of any new date or address rather than assuming a message has changed the booking.
If your offer or confirmation has not arrived, check your spam folder and the email address and mobile number you supplied. Contact us with the original reference where possible; submitting another quote can make it harder to identify which arrangement you want to keep.
Step 4 of 6
Prepare your documents, belongings and access
A little preparation makes the handover easier. Resolve questions about ownership, identification or a private registration before collection day.
Have the agreed paperwork ready
Keep your V5C logbook, keys and agreed identity documents together. Scrap dealers must verify the supplier’s name and residential address. A valid GB or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence with the current address is a usual route; check alternatives in advance if yours does not fit your circumstances. See the official identification guidance.
If the V5C is missing, say so before booking. We need to check the position and explain the suitable paperwork route. If the vehicle belongs to a company, an estate or somebody else, agree who has authority to sell and who will attend. Outstanding finance or a lease also needs resolving with the owner or provider before disposal.
Keep a private registration before disposal
If you want to keep a personalised registration, complete the retention process before arranging the handover. Have both the V778 retention document and replacement V5C before selling or scrapping the car. Follow DVLA’s private-number instructions and eligibility conditions, then tell us the replacement registration so the collection records match.
Remove personal items, not vehicle components
Check under seats, the boot, glovebox and door pockets. Take out child seats, belongings, parking permits and removable accessories you intend to keep. Where accessible, clear saved phone contacts and navigation destinations using the vehicle’s instructions.
Keep the vehicle in the condition described in the quote. Do not drain fluids or remove parts to prepare it. Clear a safe route to the car, but leave difficult moving or loading to the collection team. Our documents checklist provides further preparation help.
Step 5 of 6
Complete the checks, payment and vehicle handover
At collection, the vehicle and handover information are checked against the agreed details. Keep your contact phone available and allow space for the team to assess safe loading.
Check the details together
Confirm the registration, agreed amount and buyer details. Point out anything relevant that was discussed with the office, such as a locked wheel or a different access entrance. If the car differs materially from its description, resolve any proposed change to the offer before agreeing to complete the transaction.
If somebody unexpected arrives or the payment instructions change, check with the office using the contact details on your booking. Keep children, pets and bystanders away from the loading area, and follow the collection team’s instructions rather than attempting to help move the vehicle yourself.
Confirm the bank transfer and retain a record
ScrapTrak pays by bank transfer following the collection checks. Check the receiving account name, sort code and account number through the agreed contact route. A transfer does not require your banking password, PIN or security codes.
Use your own banking app or account statement to confirm receipt; another person’s screenshot is not proof that funds have reached you. If the transfer is not showing, ask the office to check its status and details. Bank processing can vary. Cash payment for vehicles being scrapped in England or Wales is illegal; GOV.UK explains the payment rules.
Step 6 of 6
Complete DVLA notification and keep your records
The car leaving your driveway is not the final administrative step. Make sure the keeper record is updated and retain the documents that show what happened to the vehicle.
Use the notification route that matches the transaction
You must make sure DVLA is told about the sale, transfer or scrapping. Follow the official sale and transfer instructions or the scrapping instructions, as appropriate. We can explain the relevant steps, but a collection booking alone does not update the keeper record.
For an ATF handover with a logbook, GOV.UK says to give the facility the V5C while keeping the yellow motor-trade transfer section. Without the V5C, you cannot use DVLA’s online transfer service. Follow its written notification route, including your name and address, registration, make and model, exact sale date, and buyer’s name and address. Send the notification to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BA.
Keep the notification confirmation alongside your agreed offer, collection date, buyer details, receipt and payment record. Check the registration and amounts before filing everything away.
Know whether a Certificate of Destruction applies
A car being scrapped must go through an authorised treatment facility. When a qualifying car or light van is completely scrapped, the ATF issues a Certificate of Destruction within seven days. A vehicle repaired and sold does not receive that certificate. Collection, DVLA notification and complete destruction are different events.
Ask which route applies to your vehicle and retain the resulting paperwork. If an expected certificate has not arrived, contact us with the registration, collection date and reference so its status can be checked. Our Certificate of Destruction guide explains what to look for.
Your collection-day checklist
Use this short checklist once the booking is confirmed. If one item is uncertain, speak to the office before the driver arrives. Tick off each item as you prepare.
When the collection needs extra planning
Many customers contact us because their car cannot simply be driven away. The useful question is what the vehicle can do and how it can be reached.
Non-runners, missing keys and difficult access
A car that will not start may still roll and steer; a running car with a seized wheel may be harder to load. Tell us about locked steering, an automatic gearbox stuck in park, flat tyres or missing wheels. Do not force controls or put the vehicle on makeshift supports to make collection easier.
For garage or workplace collections, establish who can release the vehicle and arrange access during their opening hours. For narrow drives, height barriers, underground parking or steep ground, supply photographs and dimensions where safely available. Read our non-runner collection information or no-keys guidance for those situations.
Keep the vehicle safely stored while you wait
A confirmed collection is not permission to drive an unsafe car or leave an uninsured vehicle on the public road. Check the applicable MOT rules and insurance requirements. While waiting for collection, keep a SORN vehicle off public roads and arrange suitable recovery rather than driving it to a scrapyard.
Tell the office before booking if the vehicle is electric or hybrid, has fire or flood damage, or is subject to an unresolved insurance claim. Those circumstances need appropriate checks and collection planning. Electric and hybrid vehicles can present high-voltage risks; do not disconnect a traction battery or attempt recovery yourself.
After collection: tax, insurance and vehicle accounts
Finish the follow-up while the collection details are easy to find. The payment for your car and any refunds from other organisations are separate matters.
Check tax and insurance separately
Once DVLA receives the relevant notification, it cancels vehicle tax and refunds remaining full months. Vehicle-tax Direct Debit is also cancelled. The calculation depends on when DVLA receives the information, so complete notification promptly rather than simply cancelling payments at your bank. Check the official tax-refund guidance.
Contact your insurer about cancellation or transfer using the disposal date and details. Refunds and charges depend on the policy, so do not assume the insurance ends automatically when collection takes place. Retain the insurer’s confirmation with your other records.
Close the remaining links to the vehicle
Update parking permits, toll accounts, subscriptions and vehicle apps linked to the registration. Remove automatic payments you no longer need through the relevant provider’s process. If a later notice arrives about the car, your dated collection and transfer records will help you explain when it left your possession.
For a car completely scrapped, the authorised facility handles treatment of fluids and hazardous components before suitable parts and materials are recovered. Do not expect a Certificate of Destruction for a vehicle retained for repair. Ask us if the agreed route or any expected document is unclear.
Local collection across Hampshire and West Sussex
Start with the postcode where the vehicle is actually parked. ScrapTrak covers Hampshire and West Sussex, including Portsmouth, Southampton, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Waterlooville, Winchester, Chichester, Bognor Regis and Worthing.
Check our collection locations and provide the full address for confirmation. Rural lanes, coastal parking, town-centre restrictions and business yards can each affect access. Explaining those details early helps us agree a practical arrangement for your particular vehicle.
For more than one vehicle, provide a separate registration, condition description and location for each. For a van, mention its size, body conversion and any equipment or contents left inside. A vehicle collection does not automatically include clearing stored waste or cargo.
More help with your next step
Choose a guide for the part of the process that needs a closer look.
Quick answers
Questions about the collection process
Does requesting a quote book my collection?
No. Requesting a quote starts the process. Review the offer, accept it if you want to proceed and follow the confirmed booking details. If you are unsure whether a slot is booked, contact the office with your registration or reference.
Is collection included in the offer?
Free collection is included within our covered Hampshire and West Sussex areas. Use the actual collection postcode and explain unusual access or loading needs before accepting, so the arrangements match the job.
Can I change the address or collection date?
Contact us as soon as you know, quoting your registration and booking reference. A different location or date needs checking against availability and access requirements. Ask for confirmation of the revised arrangement.
What happens if I cannot be there?
Discuss an authorised representative with the office beforehand. We need to agree who can hand over the vehicle and how identification, authority and payment checks will be completed. Leaving keys with somebody is not enough by itself.
Do I need to buy a replacement logbook first?
Tell us the V5C is missing before booking so we can review the circumstances and paperwork. Do not assume a replacement is always required. DVLA notification is still necessary, and its online transfer service cannot be used without the logbook.
What if I want to keep my private registration?
Complete DVLA’s retention or transfer process before disposing of the car. For retention, have both the V778 document and replacement V5C before selling or scrapping. Tell us when the registration changes and follow the official private-number instructions, including the eligibility conditions.
When is payment made?
Payment is made by bank transfer following the collection checks. Confirm the agreed amount and receiving details, then check your own account. If funds are not showing, ask the office to check the transfer; do not rely only on a payment screenshot.
What if the car has changed since I received the quote?
Tell us before collection, including any removed part, new damage, missing key or change of parking position. The offer and recovery arrangements may need reviewing. Accurate updates help avoid having to resolve the difference at handover.
Where can I get help after the car has gone?
Contact ScrapTrak with your registration, collection date and reference for payment or document queries. Keep your receipt and DVLA confirmation available. For more answers about the wider process, visit our scrap car FAQs.
Ready to get your vehicle moving?
Start your free quote with the registration and collection postcode. Tell us the condition and access details, then review the offer before choosing whether to book.
Need to discuss your vehicle? Call 03330 500 500 or contact the ScrapTrak team.