Scrap Car for Cash
Cash Isn't an Option — and That's a Good Thing
Cash payment for scrap vehicles has been illegal in the UK since 2013, specifically to stop stolen cars and metal being sold on without a trace. A legitimate dealer will always pay by bank transfer or cheque instead — and if one offers you cash, that's a warning sign, not a bonus.
The real reason behind the ban
It isn't really about your convenience — it's about traceability. Before 2013, a car or its metal could be sold for cash with no record of who sold it or to whom, which made it far easier for stolen vehicles to disappear into the scrap trade untraced.
Bank transfers and cheques leave a paper trail that protects both honest sellers and the wider industry from exactly that kind of abuse.
What to do if someone offers you cash anyway
Refuse it and walk away. A dealer willing to break this specific law has very little incentive to follow any of the others - proper ID checks, an honest price, correct DVLA notification.
Cash on the table is a sign you're dealing with someone operating outside the rules that exist to protect you, not a perk worth taking.
How Remove My Car handles payment
Every payment goes by bank transfer or cheque, agreed upfront and never renegotiated on collection day.
There's no haggling, no last-minute deduction, and no cash - because that's not how a compliant, licensed transaction is allowed to work.
Why The Ban on Cash for Scrap Cars is Good News
Prior to this, scrap dealers were able to pay for scrap metal and cars with cash and weren’t required to obtain identification from the seller or keep accurate records. Clearly this meant criminal activities were easier and it was easier for unscrupulous people to sell stolen metal without ever being found out.
At Remove My Car, we’re fully behind the introduction of this act and have been since the beginning. We’re in favour of anything that helps to clean up our industry, which, unfortunately, still has some rogue and untrustworthy traders.
We believe a better regulated and more trustworthy industry is also a great thing for our customers. It makes it easier for them to find and work with reliable scrap car dealers like us. Importantly, the new law will also help to crack down on a major problem that has blighted our towns and cities in recent years – metal theft.