There’s a very good reason why salvage cars earn more than scrap cars in the UK and the clue is in the name.
Put simply, a salvage car has been written off by the insurance firm but can still be salvaged to be repaired and put back on our roads.
A scrap car is just that and has either reached the end of its life or is too expensive to repair and the owner is looking for the best price for the scrap metal and spare parts that a scrap yard may be able to glean from it.
In addition to putting a salvage car back on the road, you may find there is strong competition to buy premium marques that are less than 10 years old to help fulfil a growing demand for quality used car spare parts from these vehicles.
It’s always worth checking to see how much a salvage car is worth by using a comparison site for this purpose and the comparemyscrapcar.com platform is probably the best one to use.
Best price for a salvage car
That’s because when it comes to finding the best price for a salvage car, your car details will be sent to a network of salvage car collectors who will then bid on your vehicle and you choose the one you like – whether that’s the nearest salvage car operator to you or the one offering the best price.
From there, you will need to speak with the bidder to arrange a convenient time and place for your salvage car to be collected – and this will be done for free – and the collecting agent will then pay directly into your bank account when they do so.
It’s also worth noting that the comparemyscrapcar.com platform is free to use for those wanting to get a price on how much a salvage car is worth.
The collecting agent will then either sell on your salvage vehicle to someone looking to spend the necessary money to get it roadworthy once more, or they will strip out the valuable spare parts and depollute and recycle whatever remains so no harm comes to our environment.
Reasons for selling a salvage car
Among the reasons for selling a salvage car is that it may have been damaged in an accident or has suffered other types of damage, such as being flooded or may have had part of it damaged by fire.
There are two categories covering salvage cars and they are:
Category S: This is a salvage car that is structurally repairable and can be returned to the road but the insurer believes the repair costs will be higher than the vehicle’s value.
Category N: This is the category for non-structurally repairable cars which will be returned to the road. Since they will not need huge repairs carrying out, and the costs will be lower than the vehicle’s value, they will command a high price.
You need to be honest about the condition of your salvage car so that a dealer can make an accurate bid based on these details.

If you need to know more about why salvage cars earn more than scrap cars, then you need to speak with the friendly team at Compare My Scrap Car on 0800 810 1004.