Old Cars 'Should Be Scrapped'

A scheme to scrap old cars could save British motor insurance customer’s cash and help the country go green, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation has said.

The group is proposing vehicle owners are rewarded for taking cars over the age of about 17 -18 years old out of circulation, as this would remove most non-catalytic models.

It pointed out motorists would then be able to purchase newer, more fuel-efficient motors which should save them money in the long run and reduce carbon emissions. Encouraging motorists to switch to newer models is a vital part of the fight to cut carbon emissions from road transport.

The director of the RAC Foundation stated: "Making it affordable for motorists to scrap clapped-out cars and opt instead for a cleaner, more fuel-efficient and more reliable vehicle could be a way for the government to support greener motoring."

He added similar schemes had been adopted by other countries around the world and lessons could be learnt from those nations.

According to the report, cars are scrapped for four main reasons:

•    The car is too expensive to repair.
•     The car has been in an accident.
•    The car was not worth very much money.
•    The car had stopped working.

Scrapped cars are not normally replaced by brand new models, but by vehicles typically three to four years younger than the ones scrapped. A vehicle purchased brand new typically replaces a three year old car which has been traded in on the basis of age and mileage. Most new cars are traded in within 4 years.

The Foundation commissioned the report after ‘scrappage’ was recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee as a means of encouraging "lower income households ... to trade in their cars for low emission replacements," in order to offer an informed contribution to the debate.

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