An engine's scrap value depends far more on what it is made of than how big it is. Cast aluminium currently trades at around £1,200 a tonne against roughly £190 for cast iron, so an aluminium block can be worth about six times an iron one of identical weight. A working engine that someone wants to reuse is worth more again.
What the metal is actually worth
These are the rates UK yards were paying for separated, clean material in August 2026. They are not what you receive for a car, because a vehicle is bought whole rather than broken down into its metals, but they explain why two similar-looking engines are valued differently.
| Material | Per tonne | A 150kg block | Found in |
|---|
| Cast aluminium | £1,200 | £180 | Most engines built since the 2000s |
| Cast iron (auto cast) | £180–200 | £27–30 | Older blocks and many diesels |
Auto cast quoted at £0.18–0.20 per kg by ukmetalprices.co.uk, 8 August 2026. Cast aluminium from published UK yard rates, August 2026. Metal prices move weekly and vary by region and how clean the material is.
Why this rarely changes your quote directlyYou are paid for a complete vehicle, not for its separated metals. Stripping the engine out yourself almost always reduces what you are offered by more than the block is worth at a yard, and it makes the car harder to collect. The material matters because it is one of the things a buyer is weighing when they price your car.
How much does a car engine weigh?
Weight varies widely with size and material, and a cast iron block can be 30 to 40% heavier than an aluminium equivalent of the same capacity. That is precisely why manufacturers moved to aluminium wherever they could.
| Engine size | Typical weight |
|---|
| Small | 120–180 kg |
| Medium | 180–250 kg |
| Large | 250–320 kg |
When an engine is worth more than its metal
If an engine still runs and there is demand for it, it is usually removed intact before the rest of the vehicle is shredded, and it is then worth what someone will pay for a working unit rather than what its metal weighs. That is a different market entirely, and it is where the real money is on a desirable engine.
A good used engine has three things going for it. It is a popular model with plenty of cars still on the road needing parts. It has covered relatively modest mileage. And it has a documented history. Engines from vehicles scrapped after an accident, or after an expensive but unrelated failure elsewhere in the car, often fall into this category.
There is also a genuine export trade in used UK engines, sold as running units to buyers overseas. It exists because British roadworthiness and emissions standards take vehicles off the road while their engines still have useful life left, which is the same reason the typical car we collect is now 18 years old rather than mechanically finished.
What this means for your car
Across the 11,412 vehicles we collected in the three months to August 2026, the average payment was £226. Where an engine has resale value rather than only scrap value, that can lift an offer above what the metal alone would justify, which is why our network prices vehicles individually rather than by weight alone.
The same is true of other components. A catalytic converter often carries more value than any other single part, and what scrap cars are currently paying reflects the whole vehicle rather than any one piece of it.
Common questions
Is my engine included in the scrap price I am quoted?
Yes. A quote is for the complete vehicle including the engine, and it assumes the car arrives intact.
Can I sell the engine separately and scrap the rest?
You can, but it rarely pays. The reduction in your quote for an incomplete vehicle usually exceeds what the block fetches on its own, and removing an engine is neither quick nor clean.
How do I know if my engine is aluminium or cast iron?
As a rough guide, most petrol engines built since the early 2000s use aluminium blocks, while older engines and many diesels use cast iron. A magnet will stick to cast iron and not to aluminium.
Does a seized or non-running engine reduce what I am paid?
It can, because it removes the possibility of resale and leaves only the metal value. It does not stop the vehicle being collected. Non-runners are picked up on a flatbed at no extra cost.
What happens to the engine after collection?
If it has working life left, it is usually removed whole for reuse. If not, it goes through the shredder with the rest of the vehicle and is separated by metal type afterwards. Either way, the car is depolluted first and you receive a Certificate of Destruction.
Find out what your car is worth
A guaranteed price in under a minute, with free collection anywhere in the UK. Non-runners included.
Get my priceMetal prices quoted are indicative UK yard rates for clean separated material in August 2026 and change weekly. Collection figures cover 11,412 vehicles collected between 20 May and 20 August 2026. Every vehicle is processed by an Authorised Treatment Facility. See also how to scrap a car and where we collect.
