Start pricing for £35

Scrapped Car Check by Registration

Check whether a car has been recorded as scrapped before you buy it. Enter the registration and a DealerPricing history check shows the scrapped marker, together with the write-off and stolen checks that explain why a destroyed car might be for sale. £3.99 one-off, results in seconds.

See a sample report
One-off price
£3.99
Subscriber price
£2.50
Result in
Seconds
Account needed
No

What "scrapped" means

When a car is destroyed at an authorised treatment facility, the facility issues a certificate of destruction and tells the DVLA. The registration record is closed for good. A car recorded as scrapped should never be back on the road.

What the scrapped car check shows

The report reads the DVLA record and gives a clear answer, with the context you need to understand it:

  • Scrapped marker: "Not scrapped" for a normal car, or a destruction record
  • Insurance write-off category, which often explains why the car was destroyed
  • Police and insurer stolen markers
  • The VIN and engine number held for the car, to compare with the car in front of you
  • Finance, keepers, plate and colour changes, mileage and MOT history on the same report

Why a scrapped car turns up for sale

There are two usual reasons. A Cat A or Cat B write-off that should have been destroyed has been rebuilt and put back on the road, or the identity of a scrapped car (its plates and sometimes its log book) has been put on a stolen car of the same model, so the plate looks normal until the scrapped marker shows.

Either way, it is not a car you can safely buy, insure or sell on.

If the check shows a scrapped marker

Stop before any money changes hands:

  • Do not pay anything, including a deposit
  • Compare the VIN on the car with the report and the V5C
  • Keep the advert and messages
  • Report it to the police on 101

How to run a scrapped car check on DealerPricing

From registration number to a downloadable report in about two minutes.

  1. 1

    Enter the registration

    Type the UK registration number. We confirm the make, colour and year with DVLA first, free, so you can see you have the right vehicle.

  2. 2

    Enter your email

    The report is emailed to you as well as shown on screen. Subscribers skip this step.

  3. 3

    Pay £3.99

    One-off card payment at a secure checkout. No account, no subscription. Subscribers pay £2.50 from their account balance.

  4. 4

    Read the report

    Every section shows a clear pass or a warning. Download the PDF, and open the report again free for 6 months.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a car has been scrapped?

Run a vehicle history check on the registration. It shows a scrapped marker if the DVLA holds a destruction record for the car, with the write-off and stolen checks alongside. A DealerPricing check costs £3.99 and takes seconds.

Can I check if a car is scrapped for free?

The free DVLA vehicle enquiry usually returns no details, or an error, for a scrapped registration, which is a clue but not an answer. A history check states the scrapped marker directly and adds the write-off and theft records that explain it.

Can a scrapped car be put back on the road?

No. Once a certificate of destruction has been issued, the registration is permanently closed. A car on the road with that registration is either a rebuilt Cat A or B write-off or a clone.

What is a certificate of destruction?

The document an authorised treatment facility issues when it destroys a vehicle. It tells the DVLA the car no longer exists, and the keeper stops being responsible for it.

I sold my car for scrap. How do I know it was scrapped?

You should receive a certificate of destruction from the facility and a confirmation letter from the DVLA. If neither arrives, contact the DVLA, because you may still be recorded as the keeper.

What else does the report include?

Outstanding finance, police and insurer stolen markers, write-off category, import and export markers, previous keepers, plate and colour changes, mileage against MOT records and full MOT history.

See also

Ready to run a scrapped car check?

Trusted by UK motor traders - 680,000+ vehicles, 11,000+ dealers, live data updated hourly.

Run a scrapped car check