We reach Inverness and the Highlands on planned collection runs. Booking a few days ahead gets you a firm date and a price that is not eaten up by haulage.
IN SHORT
If you need to scrap a car in Inverness, Scrap A Car Scotland will lift it for nothing, pay you by bank transfer on the day and notify the DVLA for you. We run out to Inverness from our licensed Thornton yard in Fife, 145 miles away, and collection is on scheduled Highland runs, usually within a week. Non-runners, MOT failures and write-offs are all normal work for us, and the quote does not change on arrival.
For Highland addresses it is worth grouping vehicles. If a neighbour or family member also has a car to scrap, tell us - two on one run means we can pay more for both.
Inverness is served on planned Highland runs up the A9, usually combined with Moray and Perthshire work. Scheduling rather than ad hoc trips is the only honest way to pay a fair price 150 miles from the yard.
What we typically collect in Inverness
Highland vehicles work hard. We see high-mileage 4x4s, pickups and estate cars with salt and grit damage from winter roads, plus a fair number of vehicles left behind after a house move south.
Areas we collect from around Inverness
Culloden
Nairn
Beauly
Muir of Ord
Dingwall
Access and parking in Inverness
Telling us where the vehicle actually sits is the single biggest thing that stops a wasted visit. These are the situations we deal with most often locally:
Scrap prices move with the metals market, so we will not publish a fixed figure that is wrong by next week. What we can tell you is how a Inverness vehicle is valued: weight of the shell, the parts still worth recovering, and the transport cost of getting it the 145 miles back to our Fife facility. Give us the registration and we price it properly on the call.
Vehicle type
Typical examples
How it affects your quote
Small hatchback
Corsa, Fiesta, Polo, Aygo
Lightest shells, value driven mainly by reusable parts
Family saloon / estate
Focus, Astra, Golf, Mondeo
The most common vehicle we buy in Scotland
4x4 and SUV
Qashqai, Freelander, X-Trail, Discovery
Heavier shells and catalysts, usually the strongest prices
Van and light commercial
Transit, Vivaro, Sprinter, Berlingo
Priced on weight the same as cars, no commercial surcharge
MOT failure or non-runner
Any make, any age
No deduction for not starting, moving or being roadworthy
Find the V5C logbook - if it is lost we can still buy the car, it just changes the paperwork
Have photo ID ready in the name the payment is going to
Clear personal belongings, including the boot, door pockets and under the seats
Remove your private plate first if you want to keep it - once collected it is gone
Take the parking permit, dashcam and any aftermarket stereo out
Cancel the insurance and any tax direct debit after we confirm collection
AFTER COLLECTION
What happens to your vehicle
Transported to our licensed facility
Your car leaves Inverness on our own transporter and goes straight to the Authorised Treatment Facility at Strathore Road, Thornton, Fife KY1 4DF. It is never left with a third party or resold as a runner.
Depolluted and recycled
Fuel, oil, coolant, brake fluid and refrigerant are drained and disposed of under our SEPA waste carrier licence WCR/R/1137358. Reusable parts are recovered and the shell is baled for steel recycling - typically over 95% of the vehicle by weight is recovered.
DVLA notified and Certificate of Destruction issued
We notify the DVLA the same day and issue your Certificate of Destruction. That is the document that legally ends your responsibility for the vehicle, including tax, insurance and any future penalty notices.
Paid by bank transfer
Payment is made by transfer on the day of collection. Cash payment for scrap metal has been illegal in Scotland since 2016 - anyone offering it is not operating within the law.
INVERNESS COLLECTIONS
What collection looks like in Inverness
The same trucks, drivers and paperwork every time - here is the kit that turns up when you book a scrap car collection in Inverness.
The fleet that keeps Highlands covered, seven days a week.
Tight streets get the small van, multi-car jobs get the transporter - we pick the right vehicle for the Inverness address before we set off.
The van handles permit bays, back courts and narrow lanes across IV1, IV2, IV3 and the rest of Inverness.
Free collection across Inverness and surrounding areas including Culloden and Nairn.
Non-runners are winched straight onto the bed, so a car that has not started for years still gets lifted from a Inverness driveway.
Every vehicle is drained of fuel, oil, coolant and refrigerant before the shell is baled for steel recycling.
SAME COLLECTION RUNS
Nearby towns we also collect from
Our Inverness transporter covers the surrounding towns on the same route, so if the vehicle is not actually in Inverness you are still very likely inside our free collection area. Pick the closest town for local postcodes, timings and access notes.
Yes, on planned Highland routes rather than one-off trips. That is how we keep collection free at that distance, and it means the date is scheduled rather than immediate - normally within three to five days.
Can you collect from outside Inverness itself, out towards Nairn or Beauly?
Yes. The Highland run covers Nairn, Beauly, Muir of Ord, Dingwall and the surrounding villages as well as the IV1 to IV3 city districts.
The car is up a rough track on a croft - will your truck manage?
Tell us when you book and we will send a 4x4-capable recovery unit. Field, track and steading collections are normal Highland work for us.
Does the distance come out of my quote?
No. Because Inverness is serviced on a scheduled multi-vehicle run instead of a dedicated 300-mile round trip, the transport cost is spread and your quote is not reduced for being far north.
Do you collect scrap cars in Inverness for free?
There is no collection charge in Inverness or anywhere else in Highlands, and no paperwork fee either. You are paid the amount we quoted.
How quickly can you collect from Inverness?
Inverness is roughly 145 miles from our licensed yard at Thornton in Fife, and collection is on scheduled Highland runs, usually within a week once you accept the quote.
Will you buy a non-runner or MOT failure in Inverness?
We buy them daily. A car that will not start, will not pass an MOT or has been declared a write-off is standard work, not an awkward case.
When do I get paid?
Payment is made by bank transfer on the same day as collection, although it may arrive after the driver has left. We never pay cash - that has been illegal for scrap metal in Scotland since 2016, so anyone offering it is not trading legally.
What paperwork do I need in Inverness?
Bring your logbook and a photo ID that matches the payment account. Everything after that is ours to do: DVLA notification and your Certificate of Destruction.
What if the car has no V5C logbook?
We can still buy it. You need photo ID and proof of address matching the registered keeper, and we notify the DVLA for you. Never sell to anyone in Inverness who says the paperwork does not matter - if the vehicle is not properly notified it stays your legal responsibility.
Can you collect if the car is off-road or has no keys?
No keys, flat tyres, brakes seized solid, sitting on grass - all winchable. Just say so when booking and we send a recovery unit to Inverness instead of a flatbed.
Does someone need to be there for the collection?
Someone over 18 has to hand over the V5C and ID, but it does not have to be you. If you have already left Inverness, nominate a friend or neighbour and we still pay the registered keeper by transfer.
Do you charge anything if I change my mind?
Nothing at all. Cancel or move the booking whenever you need to - we would rather rearrange than send a driver to Inverness for a car that is no longer going.
Can I get a road tax refund after scrapping in Inverness?
Yes. Once we notify the DVLA, any full remaining months of tax are refunded automatically to the registered keeper and the direct debit is cancelled at the same time.
Do you take vans and 4x4s in Inverness as well as cars?
Anything up to a light commercial. Vans, pickups, 4x4s, motorhomes, hybrids and EVs are collected in Inverness on exactly the same free basis as a hatchback.
"Brilliant service! Fast, polite, and a good price given. A great experience all round - would highly recommend."
Emma Ashby
Google
Best price around
"Easy quote, best price around compared to the rest. Arrived to collect on time, collection driver was very helpful. Would I use them again... absolutely."
John Gray
Google
Really helpful and lovely lads
"Really helpful and lovely lads, one of them even came and found me when I got lost looking for the yard which was so nice. Frank the mechanic is an absolute legend, such a great guy and very helpful."
