Scrap car prices in Scotland: what per-tonne rates actually mean for your car
SHORT ANSWER
Scrap car prices in Scotland are set by kerb weight multiplied by the current per-tonne rate for shredded steel, then adjusted for reusable parts, the catalytic converter and how far the collection is. A typical small hatchback weighs under a tonne, a large 4x4 well over two, which is why the same day's rate produces very different quotes.
Almost every scrap price question comes down to one thing people are not told: the trade buys metal by the tonne, not cars by the unit. Once you know your car's kerb weight and roughly what the market is paying per tonne, you can sanity check any quote in about thirty seconds.
This is how the number is actually built, in the order the buyer builds it.
Start with kerb weight, not the model name
Kerb weight is printed in the handbook and usually on the V5C. A Corsa or Fiesta sits around 1,000 to 1,150kg. A Focus or Astra estate around 1,300 to 1,450kg. A Qashqai or CR-V around 1,500 to 1,700kg. A Discovery or large van can pass 2,200kg.
That spread is the single biggest reason two neighbours get very different prices on the same day from the same buyer. It is not favouritism, it is arithmetic.
Apply the per-tonne rate
Scrap steel is a traded commodity and the rate moves week to week with global demand, energy costs and export markets. Authorised treatment facilities buy at that rate less their processing cost, then quote you what is left after depollution, transport and margin.
When the market rises, quotes rise across the board within a couple of weeks. When it falls, they fall. Any buyer promising a fixed price months in advance is either quoting low to be safe or planning to renegotiate on the driveway.
Add what can be reused rather than shredded
A car is not only steel. A working catalytic converter, an intact battery, alloy wheels with usable tyres, a clean set of body panels or an engine with a known service history are all worth more reused than melted. That is where the difference between a bare metal price and a good quote lives.
It also explains why we ask about running condition, mileage and MOT status. A car that starts and drives is easier to move and more likely to have parts worth pulling before depollution.
Subtract the cost of getting to you
Collection has a real cost: driver time, fuel, and whether the job needs a transporter rather than a van. Because we run our own fleet across Scotland from the Fife depot rather than subcontracting, that cost stays inside the quote instead of becoming a fee added at the door.
A car in a city street with easy access is cheaper to collect than one in a rear court up a farm track. Both get collected free, but distance and access do influence the figure we can offer.
Sense-check the quote you are given
Ask three questions of any buyer. Is collection included with no fee. Is the price the price, or a starting figure subject to inspection. Are they a licensed authorised treatment facility who will issue a Certificate of Destruction.
If the answer to any of those is vague, the headline number is not the number you will be paid.
Key takeaways
- Weight times the per-tonne steel rate is the backbone of every scrap quote.
- Reusable parts, especially the catalytic converter, lift the price above bare metal.
- Rates move with the commodity market, so quotes are only valid for a short window.
- Free collection and a Certificate of Destruction should never be optional extras.
USEFUL NEXT STEPS
Written by the Scrap A Car Scotland team. Last reviewed 7 July 2026.