How to scrap your car in three simple steps

If you’re thinking about scrapping your car, here’s how to do it step by step.

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. If your car constantly breaks down or you’ve been in an accident whose repair costs more than the car itself, you most likely need to get rid of it. Scrapping a car may seem like a complicated process, but deep down it isn’t. Here we explain it point by point.

1. Gather the necessary documentation and take the car to an official scrapyard

The first step to scrap your car is to gather the specific documentation and take it to an Authorised Treatment Centre (CAT). Here is a list where you can find the centre closest to your location. This process is completely free and includes a towing service in case your car is not in a condition to be driven to the scrapyard. As for the documentation, this is what you will need to present at the scrapyard to process the scrapping of your car:

• Vehicle technical data sheet
• Vehicle registration document
• Photocopy of the owner’s ID card (DNI)

2. Sign the scrapping and receive two documents certifying it

Once the first step is completed, you will be ready to sign the definitive scrapping request at the scrapyard itself. The centre must then give you two extremely important certificates: the proof of definitive scrapping issued by the DGT and the destruction certificate. These two documents are the only way to prove that your car has been scrapped, so keep them safe!

3. Recover part of your car’s value, if certain conditions are met

When you scrap your car, you can request a valuation of your vehicle so that, under certain conditions, you may receive an amount for it. This will only be possible if your car is less than 10 years old from the date of first registration and if it has been involved in an accident or suffered a mechanical breakdown whose repair cost exceeds its market value.