Good news if you need to get rid of an old car

Government regulations which came into effect on 1 January 2007 sees car owners entitled to "free take-back" of their old vehicles, known as End of Life Vehicles (ELVs).  Car manufacturers have established new national networks of existing facilities that will accept their own brands, when those vehicles reach the end of their lives.  The UK currently scraps around two million cars and vans each year and these new "producer responsibility" regulations are good news for both the environment and car owners, who no longer need to pay to dispose of their vehicles.

Manufacturers of the vast majority of vehicles on the UK's roads have made their network arrangements with one of two service providers, as follows:

BMW, Daihatsu, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daewoo, Dodge, Ferrari, Honda, Isuzu, Jeep, Maserati, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi Canter, Porsche, Saab, SMART, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota/Lexus and Vauxhall go to www.autogreen.org

And for:

Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, Austin, Bentley, Bugatti, Citroen, Dacia, DAF, Datsun, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, Hillman, Humber, Hyundai, Iveco, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lancia, Land Rover, LDV, Leyland, Leyland DAF, Lotus, Matra, Mazda, MG, MG X-Power, Mitsubishi, Morris, Nissan, Perodua, Peugeot, Proton, Renault, Renault Trucks, Riley, Rover, Seat, Simca, Singer, Skoda, Sunbeam, Talbot, Tata, Tatra, Triumph, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial, Volvo and Wolseley go to www.cartakeback.com

To find your nearest Authorised Treatment Facility go to http://www.recycleyourcar.co.uk/site-home/default.asp or call 0808 20 200 66. It is important to use an authorised facility to ensure you obtain a Certificate of Destruction for your old car. If you do not hold a certificate you could be liable for continued road tax bills or if your old car is illegally dumped you could be landed with a £2500 fine or 3 months in prison.

The regulations apply to cars and goods vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. For vehicles not produced by any of the above manufacturers, contact the relevant manufacturer or official importer directly to find out details of their arrangements to provide the same service.

A Certificate of Destruction will be issued to owners when facilities receive a vehicle for treatment. This certificate will show that the vehicle will be treated appropriately, and will enable deregistration of the vehicle from the DVLA database.

Owners who take their vehicle to the designated facilities can be assured of free take-back at a minimum provided the vehicle is largely complete, including engine/gearbox, bodywork, wheels and catalytic converter (where fitted from new) and additional waste has not been added.

Depending on scrap metal prices, last owners may be offered a fee on delivery of their vehicle. However, this is not an entitlement under the regulations and is subject to individual negotiation with the accepting treatment facility.

If a vehicle is more than 30 miles from the nearest facility in the manufacturer's network, it will be eligible for collection free of charge. Further details are available through the relevant Service Provider or directly from the manufacturer. 

The End of Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations were laid in Parliament on 9th February 2005. They completed the UK's implementation of The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC).  For more information please follow this link: http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovation/sustainability/elv/page30591.html