Even if you assume that about half a million are being driven around on SORN just to avoid paying VED tax, there’s still a huge number of cars that are basically semi-abandoned. The most likely reason is the cost of repairing some damage, or a failed part like a clutch, cambelt etc which could easily be a £1000 plus job. Here’s the word;
More than four million cars are now registered as being kept off the road across the UK, after Department for Transport and DVLA data analysed by National Scrap Car, an online scrap car marketplace, showed the total rising by 6.3% in just one year – from 3,825,435 in Q1 2025 to a record 4,067,024 in Q1 2026.
With more cars sitting unused, National Scrap Car is warning that some owners could be overlooking hundreds of pounds in potential value. Its customer data shows that vehicles sold for salvage across the UK, allowing usable parts to be recovered, achieved an average value of £533 over the last three years.
This compares with £171 when scrapped – a difference of more than £360 per car.
Drivers who no longer plan to repair their car or put it back on the road are therefore being urged to check what it could be worth before leaving it unused through another winter – or risk deterioration across the winter months, costing drivers hundreds of pounds.
The warning comes as colder and wetter weather can expose a weak battery and allow damp, rust and seized components to damage parts that could otherwise have been reused.
Saul Turner, end-of-life vehicle expert at National Scrap Car, warns that a car does not stop deteriorating simply because it is no longer being driven – and waiting until spring could leave some owners with fewer options and a lower-value vehicle.
Google Trends data reinforces the seasonal warning: search interest in car battery replacement rises repeatedly between November and January every year, with interest in “car battery replacement cost” increased by 550% over the five years analysed.
Saul Turner, end-of-life expert at National Scrap Car, shares:
“There are plenty of reasons for keeping a car off the road, but there will also be cars sitting on driveways that have not moved for months and that their owners know they are unlikely to use again.
“What many drivers do not realise is that a damaged or non-running car is not automatically only worth its scrap value. If it still contains parts that can be recovered and reused, it may be suitable for salvage – and that can make a considerable difference to the price.
“The timing matters because a car does not stop deteriorating when it is not being driven, and drivers are putting their cars at hundreds of pounds worth of damage over the colder and wetter winter months.
“If you know the car is not going back on the road, find out what it is worth before another winter causes more damage. Be honest about its condition, provide as much information as possible and ask whether salvage could be an option before accepting a basic scrap price.”
DRIVERS RISK LOSING HUNDREDS OF POUNDS BY LEAVING UNUSED CARS OVER WINTER
End-of-life vehicle expert Saul Turner is warning that drivers could lose hundreds of pounds in potential value by leaving an unwanted car sitting unused through winter:
“Drivers can lose hundreds of pounds in potential value without anything particularly dramatic happening to the car. It can simply be left sitting on the drive for months while the battery goes flat, the brakes begin to seize and damp or rust starts affecting parts that could previously have been reused.
“People often assume that because a car is not being driven, nothing is happening to it. But sitting still is not the same as being protected, particularly when it is left outside through a cold and wet winter.
“It is no surprise that searches for car battery replacements increase between November and January. Colder weather often exposes batteries that are already weak, and the same applies to other parts of a car that has not been properly maintained or regularly moved.
“A damaged or non-running car could still be worth considerably more than its basic scrap value if it has usable parts. The problem is that those parts will not stay in good condition forever.
“If you already know you are not going to repair the car or put it back on the road, do not leave it until spring without checking what it is worth. You could be sitting on hundreds of pounds and not realise it.”
3 THINGS TO DO WITH AN UNWANTED CAR BEFORE WINTER
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Check what it is currently worth: Even a damaged, high-mileage or non-running car could still hold value through its recyclable materials or reusable parts.
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Explore both scrap and salvage options: Do not assume that an unwanted car can only be scrapped. Vehicles containing usable components may achieve a higher salvage value.
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Act before its condition gets worse: Leaving a car exposed through winter can contribute to further mechanical, electrical and bodywork problems, potentially reducing what it is worth.
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