Scrap Car Comparison provides data on which car makes and models have been the most scrapped in Scotland over the last year.
Over the last 12 months, Scrap Car Comparison has helped nearly 20,000 cars get scrapped in Scotland, and they’ve shared their insights into the make and models of each and every one. This data delves into which cars have been the most scrapped by Scrap Car Comparison in 2021 and why.
The 10 Most Scrapped Cars in Scotland
The most scrapped car in Scotland in 2021 was the Vauxhall Astra, making up 5.5% of all the cars they processed.
Positions 1 to 5
- Vauxhall – 18% of all scrapped cars
- Astra – 30% of scrapped Vauxhalls
- Corsa – 29% of scrapped Vauxhalls
- Vectra – 15% of scrapped Vauxhalls
Vauxhall was by far the most scrapped make of car in Scotland this year, accounting for 18% of the vehicles Scrap Car Comparison worked with. Vauxhall is a British institution, and while it may sound counter-intuitive, the number of them being scrapped is a sure sign of the brand’s popularity in Scotland. In fact, it was the same in England’s capital this year, with Vauxhall being the most scrapped car make in London too.
The Astra topped this list and actually made up nearly a third (30%) of all Vauxhalls scrapped in Scotland this year. If we look back 14 years to 2007, the Vauxhall Astra hit its sales peak and was the second most popular new car in the UK (as well as 20 years ago, back in 2001 too). It’s therefore little surprise that we’re now starting to see this popular model nearing the end of its life span and making its way to the scrapheap.
Similarly, the Vauxhall Corsa (making up 29% of Vauxhalls cars scrapped) was the fourth most popular car back in 2007 (in fact, it’s the most popular car of 2021 so far), while the Vectra (15%) just snuck in at number 10 – again, this showcases why Scrap Car Comparison has been helping so many of these models to the scrapyards over the last 12 months.
- Ford – 14% of all scrapped cars
- Focus – 30% of scrapped Fords
- Fiesta – 26% of scrapped Fords
- Mondeo – 14% of scrapped Fords
Ford vehicles made up 14% of the cars Scrap Car Comparison helped to scrap in Scotland this year, and this is another brand that almost consistently has models topping the most popular car list each year. The Ford Focus, which made up 30% of all Fords scrapped in 2021, was the most sold car in the UK 20 years ago in 2001 and was maintaining that top spot 14 years ago in 2007. So, much like the Vauxhall Astra, it’s easy to see why we see so many of these cars heading to the scrap heap now they’re starting to near the end of their driveability.
Interestingly, the popularity of this American car brand seems to be dropping – this year only the Ford Fiesta (8th) and Ford Puma (9th) seem to be appearing on top UK sales lists for 2021 so far. We may be seeing far fewer Fords passing through our services in 14 – 20 years’ time!
- Renault – 9% of all scrapped cars
- Clio – 40% of scrapped Renaults
- Megane – 23% of scrapped Renaults
- Scenic – 11% of scrapped Renaults
Renault is an iconic European car make, with a long history of affordable city cars that are perfectly suited to the UK’s roads. And this year its range of models made up 9% of the cars we scrapped in Scotland, with a hefty 40% of these being the Renault Clio.
It’s interesting to see this featuring so high on the scrapped list, as 20 years ago the Clio was the 7th most popular car sold (with the Megane following closely behind in 8th position) and 14 years ago had dropped to 9th most popular (with the Megane jumping ahead to position 8th), so we’d have expected to see some of the more popular brands like Volkswagen and Peugeot taking the 3rd spot on our most scrapped in Scotland list. Could this say something about the reliability of Renault compared to these other brands.
- Volkswagen – 7% of all scrapped cars
- Golf – 40% of scrapped Volkswagen
- Polo – 26% of scrapped Volkswagens
- Passat – 14% of scrapped Volkswagens
7% of the cars Scrap Car Comparison helped to scrap in Scotland over the last year were Volkswagens, a hugely popular German car model that is world-famous for iconic creations like the VW Beetle and gorgeous retro campers. However, it’s the Golf that made its way to the scrapheap more than other models, making up 40% of the VWs we helped to process.
As you’d expect to see, this was a highly popular car 14 years ago, as the 5th best-selling car of 2007 (with only Ford and Vauxhall models beating it). It continues to be a firm favourite, currently taking 4th position of most popular car in the UK for 2021, so it’s likely we’ll continue to be seeing plenty of Golfs continuing to be scrapped over the next few decades.
- Peugeot – 6.5% of all scrapped cars
- 206 – 28.5% of scrapped Peugeots
- 207 – 20.5% of scrapped Peugeot
- 307 – 17% of scrapped Peugeots
Peugeot cars made up 6.5% of the cars scrapped across Scotland in 2021. This French manufacturer with the iconic lion badge has long been a favourite in the UK. 28.5% of the Peugeots helped to the scrapheap by Scrap Car Comparison were the Peugeot 206, which is understandable when we see that this popular supermini-style hatchback was the 3rd most popular car 20 years ago.
In 2021, however, Peugeot models haven’t even made the top 10 of the UK’s best-selling cars, with brands like Mercedes, Nissan and Kia taking higher positions – we may see fewer of this brand heading to the scrapyard in around 15 years’ time!
Positions 6 to 10
- Citroen – 5% of all scrapped cars
- Xsara – 23% of scrapped Citroens
- C4 – 18% of scrapped Citroens
- Berlingo – 17% of scrapped Citroens
- Fiat – 4% of all scrapped cars
- Grande – 39% of scrapped Fiats
- Punto – 19.5% of scrapped Fiats
- Panda – 12% of scrapped Fiats
- Honda – 3.5% of all scrapped cars
- Civic – 45% of scrapped Hondas
- Jazz – 18% of scrapped Hondas
- CR-V – 1.5% of scrapped Hondas
- Nissan – 3.5% of all scrapped cars
- Micra – 40.5% of scrapped Nissans
- Almera – 21.5% of scrapped Nissans
- Note – 8% of scrapped Nissans
- Toyota – 3% of all scrapped cars
- Yaris – 37% of scrapped Toyotas
- Corolla – 18.5% of scrapped Toyotas
- Avensis – 15.5% of scrapped Toyotas
Scrap Car Comparison was one of the country’s first comparison websites for scrap vehicle prices. Since that time, their independent website has been offering free, instant scrap and salvage quotes for all UK residents, simply by providing a car registration and postcode. They have also grown and developed a nationwide network of reputable scrap car breakers, collectors and dedicated buyers.
