DVLA scrap car: what you must tell them and when
The DVLA scrap car step is the one people forget, and it is the only part of scrapping a vehicle that carries a fine. Until DVLA is told, the car is still recorded as yours. Here is exactly what to send, what to keep and what happens next.
DVLA scrap car: key facts
| What you must do | Tell DVLA the vehicle has gone to an authorised treatment facility |
|---|---|
| Fine for not doing it | £1,000 |
| What to hand over | The V5C log book, minus the yellow section |
| What to keep | The yellow "sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade" section |
| Tax refund | Automatic. A cheque for the full months remaining, to the address on the log book |
| If the cheque is late | Contact DVLA if it has not arrived within 8 weeks |
| Keeping the number | Apply before scrapping. £80, and the V778 holds it for 10 years |
What DVLA needs from you
Two things happen in parallel when a car is scrapped. The facility notifies DVLA through its own Certificate of Destruction system, and you tell DVLA separately that the vehicle has gone. Both matter. The facility's notification deregisters the vehicle; yours is the duty that carries the fine if it is not done.
Hand the facility the V5C log book and keep the yellow section for yourself. That is the part headed "sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade", and it is your record of who took the car and when.
The £1,000 fine
GOV.UK states the penalty plainly: you can be fined £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA the vehicle has been scrapped. The practical risk is worse than the figure. A vehicle still registered to you is a vehicle whose penalty notices, clean air zone charges and offences still arrive at your address.
Your tax refund
Once DVLA has been told, the refund is automatic and you do not apply for it. It covers any full months left on the tax and arrives as a cheque to the address on the log book. If you pay by Direct Debit, that is cancelled for you.
Three things are not refunded: credit card fees, the 5% surcharge on Direct Debit payments, and the 10% surcharge if you paid for six months in one go.
Keeping the registration number
If the number is going on another car, apply to retain it before the vehicle is scrapped, not after. It costs £80, online or by post on form V317, and the V778 retention document holds the number for ten years.
The conditions catch people out. The vehicle must be registered with DVLA in the UK, able to move under its own power, require an MOT or HGV test, be available for inspection, and have been taxed or on a SORN continuously for the past five years. A car that has sat on a drive untaxed for three years will not pass.
Written off rather than scrapped
If an insurer writes the car off, the paperwork differs. Send the V5C to the insurer, keep the same yellow section, and for a Category S write-off apply for a free duplicate log book on form V62. You still have to tell DVLA, and the same £1,000 fine applies.
How to tell DVLA
You can do it online, which is immediate and gives you a confirmation, or by post using the yellow section of the V5C. Online is better simply because you get evidence of the date.
What you need to hand is the 11 digit document reference number from the V5C, the vehicle registration, and the name and postcode of the authorised treatment facility. If you have no V5C at all, it can still be done, which our guide to scrapping a car without a V5C covers.
What you get back
Two things follow automatically once DVLA has the notification.
A refund of any remaining vehicle tax. It is calculated in whole months from the date the notification is processed, which is the practical argument for doing it the same day rather than the following week. A part month is not refunded, so a few days' delay can cost you a month.
An end to your liability. Until DVLA is told, you remain the registered keeper, which means you remain liable for tax, for continuous insurance enforcement, and for anything the vehicle is involved in. That is the real reason the fine exists.
Cancel the insurance yourself as a separate step. The insurer is not told by DVLA, and a policy left running on a destroyed vehicle is money for nothing.
If you want to keep the registration
Deal with this before the car goes. Retaining a number requires the vehicle to be registered to you, taxed or on a SORN continuously for the past five years, able to move under its own power and available for inspection. Once the car has been destroyed, the number has gone with it and cannot be recovered.
The notification only works if the vehicle actually went to an authorised facility, so it is worth checking the site before the car leaves rather than after. Our guide to finding a scrap yard near me covers how.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell DVLA my car has been scrapped?
Tell DVLA the vehicle has been taken to an authorised treatment facility. Hand the facility the V5C log book and keep the yellow section headed sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade.
What is the fine for not telling DVLA?
£1,000. Until you tell them, the vehicle remains registered to you, so penalty notices and charges involving it still come to your address.
Which part of the V5C do I keep?
The yellow section headed sell, transfer or part-exchange your vehicle to the motor trade. The rest goes to the facility.
Do I get a tax refund?
Yes, automatically once DVLA knows. It covers full months remaining and comes as a cheque to the address on the log book. Contact DVLA if it has not arrived in eight weeks.
Can I keep my private registration?
Yes, but apply before the car is scrapped. It costs £80, and the car must have been taxed or on a SORN continuously for the past five years and still move under its own power.