Scrapped car check. By reg.
EVERY REPORT INCLUDES:
*Data provided by Experian
The DVLA scrapped marker, where one is held.
How do I check if a car has been scrapped?
Enter the registration above. The Condition section of the report shows the DVLA status where the records hold it: scrapped and the date, whether a Certificate of Destruction was issued, unscrapped (re-registered after being recorded scrapped), exported and imported. The free check shows tax and MOT status but not the scrapped marker.
Last updated
What the report shows
See if DVLA has it marked as scrapped.
The Condition section of the report shows the DVLA status markers where the records hold them: scrapped and the date, whether a Certificate of Destruction was issued, unscrapped (re-registered after being recorded scrapped), exported and imported. The free check shows tax and MOT status only.
- Scrapped, with the date DVLA recorded it
- Whether a Certificate of Destruction was issued
- Unscrapped, exported and imported markers alongside it
- Scrapped
- Yes, 14 March 2024
- Certificate of destruction
- Yes
- Exported
- No
- Imported
- No
- Previously exported
- No
- Insurance write-off records
- Cat B, loss date 2 February 2024
In a real report the write-off record carries the insurer, the cause of damage and the damaged areas on a car diagram.
What a Scrapped Car Check Shows
The DVLA status markers, read together with the insurer write-off records and the stolen vehicle records in one section.
Scrapped Marker and Date
The Condition section shows whether DVLA has the car recorded as scrapped, and the date, where the records hold it
Certificate of Destruction
See whether a Certificate of Destruction was issued. GOV.UK says the certificate proves the vehicle has been destroyed
Unscrapped, Exported, Imported
The same section shows a car re-registered after being recorded scrapped, and the exported, previously exported and imported markers
Write-Off and Stolen Records
Insurance write-off records (Cat A, B, S or N) and stolen vehicle records sit in the same section, so you read all three together
What's Included in Your Scrapped Car Check
How Carhealth compares to traditional vehicle check services.
Carhealth Report
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Standard checks
- Vehicle Tax Check
- MOT History (Full)
- Stolen Vehicle Check (data provided by Experian)
- Insurance Write-off Check (data provided by Experian)
- Mileage Verification
- Scrapped/Imported Status (data provided by Experian)
- Outstanding Finance Check (data provided by Experian)
Only with Carhealth
- AI Analysis
- Buyers Guide
- Maintenance due
- Common Problems
Also in every report
- Salvage & auction records (data provided by Experian)
- Previous damage
- Market value & 5-year forecast
- Safety recalls & NCAP rating
- Tax & ULEZ status
- Life expectancy estimate
- Previous adverts
- Services required
- Cost to own
- Negotiation brief
- Advert check
- Inspection checklist
- Ask the report
- Specification & options
Typical basic check
Standard checks
- Vehicle Tax Check
- MOT History (Full)
- Stolen Vehicle Check
- Insurance Write-off Check
- Mileage Verification
- Scrapped/Imported Status
- Outstanding Finance Check
Not included
- AI Analysis
- Buyers Guide
- Maintenance due
- Common Problems
*Data provided by Experian
How it works
From registration plate to full report, instantly.
Step 1: Enter your registration
Every UK car has a unique registration on its number plate or V5C logbook. Takes seconds to type in.
Step 2: We search multiple sources
We pull from DVLA, DVSA, Experian, salvage auction records, and more, all at once.
Step 3: Your report is ready
Your history report is ready instantly, covering finance, theft, mileage, accidents, and more.
Step 4: Buy with confidence
Use your report to negotiate a better price, avoid hidden problems, and make a safe, informed purchase.
View sample report →
Everything inside a Carhealth report.
Our checks go far beyond the basics: the full picture, before you hand over any money.
Red flags
Sample report- Outstanding finance (data provided by Experian)Hire purchase
- Insurance write-off (data provided by Experian)Cat N, June 2025
- Stolen records (data provided by Experian)Closed record
- Salvage auction (data provided by Experian)Sold July 2025
- Mileage1 reading out of line
- Taxi or private hirePossible, TfL licence
Finance, theft, write-offs and clocking.
Outstanding finance (data provided by Experian)
Any finance agreement still recorded against the car, with the lender and agreement type.
Write-offs and theft (data provided by Experian)
Insurance write-off categories, police stolen records and the car's DVLA status.
Salvage and auction records (data provided by Experian)
Salvage auction history, with links to the auction photos where available.
Mileage checks
Every recorded reading over time, so you can see whether the mileage adds up.
Taxi and private hire
Whether the car has been licensed as a taxi or private hire vehicle.
See this for your car.
Enter the registration and your report is ready instantly.
Check my carView a sample report
*Data provided by Experian
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about scrapped car check on Carhealth
Enter the registration on Carhealth. The Condition section of the report shows the DVLA status: whether the car is recorded as scrapped and the date, whether a Certificate of Destruction was issued, whether it was re-registered after being recorded scrapped (unscrapped), and the exported and imported markers, where the records hold them. The free check shows tax and MOT status but not the scrapped marker.
GOV.UK says a vehicle at the end of its life must be scrapped at an authorised treatment facility (ATF). The ATF issues a Certificate of Destruction to prove the vehicle has been destroyed, and the keeper must tell DVLA they have taken the vehicle to an ATF, or they can be fined £1,000. A scrapped marker is DVLA's record that this happened. A car recorded as scrapped should not be for sale as a working vehicle.
No. The Carhealth Free Report shows the tax status, the MOT status and history, recalls and the specification from DVLA and DVSA records. The scrapped marker, the Certificate of Destruction and the exported and imported markers are in the Condition section of the full report. A car recorded as scrapped often shows no tax and no recent MOT in the free check, but that alone does not say why.
No. A write-off category (Cat A, B, S or N) is an insurer's record of a damaged car. A scrapped marker is DVLA's record that the car was taken to an ATF. A Cat A or Cat B car is expected to be crushed, so it may carry both. A repaired Cat S or Cat N car is a legal road car with a write-off marker and no scrapped marker. The report shows both records in the Condition section, where they exist.
That DVLA re-registered the car after it had been recorded as scrapped. The report shows it as a separate line under the scrapped marker. It is not a clear result: ask the seller for DVLA's written explanation of why the car was recorded scrapped and how it came back on the record, and check the VIN on the car against the V5C before you go further.
Do not pay for it. A car DVLA has recorded as scrapped should not be on sale as a working vehicle. If the seller says the record is wrong, it is for them to show DVLA's written confirmation. The report also shows the write-off and stolen records and the plate changes, so you can see whether the car in front of you matches the identity on the record.
Looking for the insurer's record instead? See the write-off check and the car salvage check, or the import check for the exported and imported markers.
Related guides
Plain-English reading on this check, from the Carhealth blog.