Is Your Engine Worth More Than Your Car's Scrap Weight?
Often, yes. A standard instant scrap quote isn't based on your cars overall scrap weight.
If the engine is still in good working order or desirable for re-use or export then often the engine becomes more valuable as a unit itself, than its share of the car's scrap metal value, especially if it's a popular, in-demand model.
How much does a car engine actually weigh?
Engine weight varies a lot by size and material, which matters directly for scrap value since aluminium and cast iron are priced completely differently.
As a rough guide:
Small 120-180 kg
Medium 180-250 kg
Large 250-320 kg
Material matters as much as size - a cast-iron block can weigh 30-40% more than an aluminium equivalent of the same displacement, which is exactly why modern engines have shifted toward aluminium wherever possible.
2026 scrap value comparison: aluminium vs cast iron engines
This is where engine material makes a real difference to what you're paid, not just what the engine weighs. Cast iron ("auto cast") engine blocks are currently trading at roughly £150-£400 per tonne in the UK, varying by region and how clean the block is (stripped of non-ferrous parts commands a premium).
Cast aluminium - the material most modern engine blocks are made from - trades considerably higher, commonly £1,000-£1,200+ per tonne, since aluminium scrap is non-ferrous and in far higher demand relative to supply.
Put simply: a 150kg aluminium engine block can be worth roughly three to six times more than a cast iron block of the same weight, purely down to material. This is exactly why mentioning your engine's construction - not just its size - is worth doing when you get a quote.
These figures are indicative UK scrap yard rates at time of writing, not fixed prices - actual value depends on current market conditions, regional demand, and how clean/stripped the block is.
Get an instant quote for an accurate, current price for your specific vehicle. What happens to your engine when your car is scrapped
If an engine has no remaining working life, it goes through the shredding process and is separated out by metal type afterward. If it still has genuine life left in it, it's typically removed intact before the rest of the car is shredded, rather than being destroyed along with it.
The genuine export market for good used engines
A significant number of good-condition UK engines don't end up recycled as scrap at all - they're exported whole, as running units, to markets where they command a real premium over scrap value. This isn't a small or unusual practice; there are UK-based companies built entirely around it, shipping used petrol and diesel engines to buyers across Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Americas.
The reason UK engines specifically are in demand abroad comes down to how early they're taken off the road here. Strict UK emissions and roadworthiness rules mean many vehicles are scrapped at relatively low mileage - often 100,000-150,000km - leaving the engine itself in considerably better condition than a locally-sourced used engine would be in a market with less strict standards.
In South Africa, for example, UK-imported used engines typically sell for 20-40% more than an equivalent engine sourced from a local scrap yard, precisely because of that mileage and condition advantage - and buyers there still save 30-60% compared to a full engine overhaul or a new replacement engine.
This matters directly for what you might be offered: a genuinely good engine isn't just competing against the scrap value of its own metal - it's competing against real demand from export buyers willing to pay considerably more for a low-mileage, working unit.
Remove My Car's network can factor this into your quote where relevant, rather than defaulting to a scrap-weight-only figure.
