The honest answer is that nobody can tell you what your scrap car is worth without knowing three things: how heavy it is, how complete it is, and what scrap steel is doing that week. Anyone who gives you a firm number before asking about the vehicle is guessing — and a guess has a habit of shrinking when the truck shows up.
Here is what actually moves the price, so you can judge any offer you get in London — ours included.
1. Weight
A scrap vehicle is, at its floor, a pile of steel. A full-size pickup or a body-on-frame SUV carries far more metal than a small hatchback, and that difference shows up in every offer you will get. It is also why two cars of the same age can be worth very different amounts.
2. How complete it is
This is the biggest variable and the one most people underestimate. A vehicle that still has its engine, transmission, catalytic converter, wheels and battery is worth meaningfully more than the same vehicle with those parts already pulled.
The catalytic converter matters most. If it has already been cut off — whether you sold it or somebody else took it — say so when you call. It will change the number, and it is far better to have that conversation on the phone than at the curb.
Why “instant online quote” tools overpromise
A calculator that spits out a figure from just the year, make and model has no idea whether your converter is still on the car, whether it rolls, or whether it is buried at the back of a garage. That is why those numbers so often drop on the day. We would rather ask four questions on the phone and give you one number that holds.
3. The scrap metal market
Scrap steel is a commodity and it moves. The same car can be worth a little more one month and a little less the next, for reasons that have nothing to do with you or your vehicle. It is worth knowing simply so that an offer which differs from what your cousin got last year does not feel like a trick.
4. Whether there is life left in the parts
Some vehicles are worth more than their metal because people still need the pieces. A common model with a straight body, a clean interior or a recently replaced component can be worth more than its weight suggests. A rare model that nobody is repairing any more will not be.
5. How hard it is to get to
A car in an open driveway that rolls on four wheels is a straightforward job. A car sitting on the rims at the back of a yard, boxed in behind two other vehicles, or buried in snow, is a longer one. We will still come — that is what a flatbed and a winch are for — but tell us in advance so the quote is right the first time.
What raises and lowers your number
Pushes it up
- Heavier vehicle — truck, van, full-size SUV
- Engine and transmission still in it
- Original catalytic converter still attached
- Wheels on and rolling
- Easy access from the street
Pulls it down
- Converter already removed
- Engine or transmission pulled out
- Fire damage
- Sitting on the ground, no wheels
- Tight access, or a long winch-out
Two things to watch for in any offer
A tow fee that appears later. Ask directly: is towing included, or is it coming off the price? With us it is included and it is never deducted — the number we quote is the number you are handed.
A price that changes at the door. A quote should only change if the car is not what was described. If a company routinely arrives and renegotiates, that is a business model, not bad luck.
Have this ready when you call
- Year, make and model
- Whether it runs, and whether it rolls
- Whether the catalytic converter is still on it
- Anything missing — wheels, engine, doors
- Where it is parked and how we would get to it
Four or five answers and we can give you a number you can rely on. If you would rather not talk, the quote form takes about a minute and we will call or text you back.
Find out what yours is worth
One short call and you will have a firm price. Free towing anywhere in London, cash on the spot.
Related reading: the paperwork you need to scrap a car in Ontario, and how our cash for cars service works.