Scrap car insights 2026: what the South West is scrapping, and what it pays
Every figure on this page comes from real quotes and collections, 10,626 quotes and 5,564 collections from one of our four collection partners, across Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Bristol. No industry estimates, no national averages borrowed from somewhere else.
County by county
Dorset is where most of our collections happen and where prices are highest, because our own buyers there value the parts in a car as well as its weight. Averages are per scrap car; salvage cars (newer, damaged or written off) are priced separately and account for the top payments.
| County | Collected | Average paid | Top payment | Average age | Vans | Diesel | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset | 3,744 | £186 | £1,102 | 19 yrs | 7% | 47% | September |
| Somerset | 738 | £148 | £800 | 18 yrs | 4% | 42% | September |
| Devon | 298 | £115 | £525 | 18 yrs | 3% | 47% | September |
| Bristol | 246 | £140 | £604 | 18 yrs | 3% | 28% | September |
| Wiltshire | 202 | £130 | £518 | 18 yrs | 3% | 40% | August |
| Hampshire | 132 | £151 | £750 | 17 yrs | 4% | 43% | September |
Most scrapped makes
Share of the cars we collected, all areas.
Most scrapped models
Number collected.
What colour is a scrap car?
Silver, blue and black between them are more than six in ten of the cars we collect: the colours that sold best fifteen to twenty years ago.
Body styles
Hatchbacks dominate; estates and MPVs are the family cars reaching the end of their life now.
Town by town
The twenty towns where we collect most. Each links to its own page with local prices, coverage and statistics.
| Town | County | Collected | Average paid | Most scrapped model | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weymouth | Dorset | 1,087 | £192 | Ford Focus | September |
| Dorchester | Dorset | 503 | £188 | Ford Focus | September |
| Bournemouth | Dorset | 422 | £179 | Ford Focus | February |
| Bridport | Dorset | 355 | £196 | Ford Fiesta | September |
| Portland | Dorset | 297 | £207 | Ford Focus | September |
| Wareham | Dorset | 288 | £156 | Ford Transit | November |
| Bristol | Bristol | 246 | £140 | Ford Fiesta | September |
| Poole | Dorset | 216 | £184 | Vauxhall Astra | September |
| Yeovil | Somerset | 179 | £158 | Vauxhall Corsa | February |
| Bridgwater | Somerset | 171 | £149 | Ford Focus | March |
| Taunton | Somerset | 150 | £151 | Vauxhall Astra | June |
| Salisbury | Wiltshire | 144 | £131 | Ford Focus | August |
| Exeter | Devon | 137 | £114 | Vauxhall Corsa | October |
| Blandford Forum | Dorset | 118 | £173 | Volkswagen Golf | February |
| Wimborne | Dorset | 98 | £187 | Vauxhall Corsa | September |
| Christchurch | Dorset | 77 | £152 | Ford Focus | August |
| Andover | Hampshire | 74 | £122 | Peugeot 207 | July |
| Beaminster | Dorset | 69 | £191 | Ford Focus | October |
| Lyme Regis | Dorset | 67 | £177 | Vauxhall Zafira | April |
| Chard | Somerset | 64 | £133 | Vauxhall Astra | September |
Where scrap cars fetch the most
Average paid per scrap car by town. Cars in these towns tend to rust early, so the engines and gearboxes our buyers pay for are still good.
When people scrap their cars
September is the busiest month almost everywhere (19 of 44 towns with a clear peak), as cars that failed a summer MOT are given up on before winter. August is the second peak. The chart counts the number of towns whose busiest month is each month.
How we price a scrap car
A weighbridge pays by the tonne, which is why most scrap quotes sit between £120 and £200. Our buyers are dismantlers: they value the engine, gearbox, panels, alloys and catalytic converter too, so a car with good parts earns more than its weight. That is also why the top payments on this page are so far above the averages; a 2015-or-newer or damaged car is priced as salvage, not scrap.
About this data
Figures are taken from the most recent quote and collection records of one of our four collection partners, updated October 2026, covering Dorset, Somerset, Devon, Bristol, Wiltshire and Hampshire. Prices are what was paid per vehicle: the averages are dominated by ordinary scrap cars, while the top payments are salvage cars (newer, damaged or written off). Town figures are shown where we have enough collections to be representative. This page is refreshed when the data is, and the date at the top is the date of the last update. Journalists and researchers are welcome to quote it with a link to this page.