Scrap in a flap - So, is scrappage worth it?

So, is scrappage worth it?
If you want something small, the chances are that scrappage will be worth more than the discounts you could get otherwise. For instance, £2000 off a Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i20 or Vauxhall Corsa is a good deal. Take it off a Fiat 500 or Mini, which dealers hardly discount at all, and it’s amazing. The same is true for real exotics such as Porsches or a Nissan GT-R.

As for other, bigger, day-to-day models, things are not as clear-cut. Our Target Prices show that you could easily get more than £2000 off more than 50% of new cars on sale if you don’t have a car to scrap. Online brokers offer even bigger savings.

Some manufacturers also offer money on top of scrappage deals, however – save up to £5000 on a Ford Galaxy, for example, so you need to compare Target Price with brokers and manufacturers’ deals to work out which is best.

As a crude rule of thumb, try haggling for our Target Price, then ask for your £2000 scrappage on top (or at least the £1000 Government portion that doesn’t cost manufacturers or dealers a bean). Depending on how much the dealer has been pressed to invest in the incentive, they may tell you where to go, but it can’t hurt to try.