You may have a vehicle that has recently failed its MOT and the cost to repair any issues will cost more than the car is worth. Should you find yourself in such a situation, it is difficult to know what to do next. Naturally, you'll want to make the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly decision possible, but this can be difficult. Below we outline what not to do, before offering a useful alternative.

1. Leave your car in a garage

By leaving your car in your garage for an extended period of time, you are only delaying the inevitable issue of having to dispose of the vehicle. A car takes up a lot of storage space and keeping an old car in your garage is not an effective way to utilise your garage space.

2. Take it to your local scrap yard 

If your car has failed the MOT it is no longer legal to drive it - even if this is solely to deliver the car for scrapping!  Instead, you would need to make arrangements for the car to be collected by the recycling centre who MUST hold the required Waste Carriers Licence. Selling your car to your local scrap yard may seem like the easiest option. However, many local scrap yards do not have expert knowledge about stripping and reusing materials, meaning the majority of your vehicle may be wasted and you may be offered a poor price for your vehicle.

3. Sell the vehicle 

If you think you may be able to sell the old vehicle, you can research online to see if there are any interested buyers and see if your car is in an acceptable sale condition. Selling an old car, however, can often use more time, energy and finances than the car is actually worth.

4. Strip features of the vehicle you think will be useful

Don’t simply strip features from the vehicle such as its wing mirrors and steering wheel because you believe 'one day' they may come in handy. The chances are you will never actually use these items and you are decreasing the weight of the vehicle which may harm how much you are offered from a business that recycles cars based on weight.

So, we’ve covered what not to do with an old vehicle, but is there a cost-effective alternative?

Recycling your old vehicle

The best way to receive a fair price for your old vehicle and reduce waste and pollution associated with scrapping a car is to recycle your vehicle. Motorwise is a fast and efficient car recycling service that will buy your old, faulty or damaged vehicle from you and transport it to our recycling centre.

Contact Motorwise for more information about how Motorwise could help you, contact us today.