Time for a scrappage scrap - Introduction

Now there's even more time to benefit from the Government's scrappage scheme. We help you work out what the advantages are and how much you'll pay

The Government has extended its hugely successful scrappage scheme, so you can turn your 10-year-old banger into £2000 towards a new car. Yes, you'll have to pay several thousand pounds as well, but you'll make a lot of that cash back through savings on fuel, road tax and repairs.

There's more than just your bank balance to think about, too. Our braking tests prove that older cars can take up to 1.5 times the distance to stop in an emergency than modern cars, and you'll usually come off far worse in an accident due to poorer safety equipment.

Buy a new car and you'll often be pampered by more creature comforts. Even entry-level models come with electric windows and central locking these days. Modern cars are also greener, because they have more efficient engines. So, by scrapping your old motor, you could be doing the planet a favour.

Old vs new
We rounded up four people thinking of scrapping their old cars and paired them up with equivalent new ones. The aim? To find out how much buying with the scrappage scheme would cost them, and to discover what other benefits buying new would offer.