Scrappage scheme: latest manufacturer deals and offers
As the UK car industry tries to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic, some brands are offering up to £5000 off new cars and £9000 off vans...
New car registrations soared when car showrooms reopened on 12 April, with an unprecedented 3177% increase year-on-year and 141,583 new cars sales by the end of that month.
Car makers are concerned that the uplift could be temporary, though, and fear the scarcity of computer chips for use in new cars could cause serious shortages in supply later in 2021. As a result, some manufacturers have extended the scrappage discount schemes offered to new car buyers to encourage them to trade older cars in for new, more efficient models.
An estimated one million cars are scrapped in the UK each year, but owners looking to replace an older, more polluting car with a greener one can get a saving of up to £5000 by trading their car in through a scrappage scheme. Van buyers can benefit from even bigger discounts of up to £9000.
To qualify for the schemes, the car you're trading in must comply with Euro 1-4 emissions standards, which generally means it will have been first registered before 31 December 2009, although some schemes have been extended to cover newer cars too.
European standards set the emissions limits for new cars – the first, Euro 1, was introduced in 1992. You can check the Euro emissions standard of your car here.
The capital's scrappage scheme
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan introduced a car scrappage scheme in October 2019, providing a discount of £2000 off a new car to help low-income motorists to switch to less polluting cars and avoid having to pay the £12.50 daily charge when the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is expanded in October 2021.
Eligible cars are petrol ones that are Euro 4 compliant (generally older than 2005) and Euro 6 diesel cars (first registered before September 2015).
It's estimated that more than 2.5 million cars will incur the ULEZ charge when the zone is increased to encompass the entire area between the North and South Circular roads. The daily fee for driving a pre-Euro 3 petrol car or a pre-Euro 6 diesel equates to £87.50 a week or £4550 a year.
Khan announced a £23 million van scrappage scheme in 2018, so this new £25 million incentive brings the total amount available to the capital's motorists up to £48 million.
Car maker scrappage schemes
Here are details of the schemes that various manufacturers are currently offering.
Hyundai
Buyers can get up to £5000 off a new Hyundai when they trade in their older petrol or diesel car. To qualify, cars must have been registered before 1 July 2012, meaning they conform to Euro 5 standards or lower.
The most polluting vehicles – those that comply with Euro 1-3 standards – will be scrapped under Hyundai's scheme, while owners of Euro 4 and 5 cars can trade in their cars instead, receiving a residual value calculated by used car expert CAP.
Hyundai's discounts are in lieu of any other offer and apply to new cars registered before 30 June 2021.
The full list of Hyundai discounts is:
Hyundai i10 – £850
Hyundai i20 – £1850
Hyundai i30 – £2400
Hyundai Ioniq (except Electric) – £3000
Hyundai Ioniq Electric – £1250
Hyundai Kona (all non-electric models) - £1750
Hyundai Kona Electric - £650
Hyundai Santa Fe (2020 diesel only) – £5000
Hyundai Santa Fe (2021) – £2500
Hyundai Tucson – £3000
Kia
Buyers can get up to £2500 off selected new Kia models when they trade in their older petrol or diesel car. To qualify, trade-in cars must have been registered before 30 June 2014, meaning they conform to Euro 5 standards or lower.
The Kia offers available are:
Kia Niro Hybrid – £2500
Kia Picanto – £2000
Kia Rio – £2000
Kia Sportage – £2500
Kia Stonic – £2500
The offer is available on cars registered before 30 June 2021.
Lexus
Savings of up to £4000 are on offer from Toyota's luxury brand for owners of older cars swapping out of older cars into a new one. Your trade-in must have been first registered before 1 October 2012 and you must have owned it for at least six months. To be eligible, new cars need to be registered by 30 June 2021.
The discounts are as follows:
Lexus CT – £3500
Lexus ES – £4000
Lexus NX – £4000
Lexus RX and RX L – £4000
Lexus UX – £3500
Mazda
To qualify for Mazda's Upgrade scheme, your petrol or diesel car must have been registered before 31 December 2011. When you trade it in, you'll be given up to £4000 off the price of a new Mazda model that emits less than 161g/km of CO2. The discount will be offered, whether you pay with cash or on a PCP finance deal, on cars registered by 30 June 2021. Scrappage cars must have been owned for at least 60 days.
Traded-in vehicles will be scrapped by CarTakeBack, which recycles 95% of components and materials.
The full list of discounted Mazda vehicles is:
Mazda 2 – £3000
Mazda 3 – £3500
Mazda 6 – £3000
Mazda CX-30 – £3000
Mazda CX-5 – £4000
Mazda MX-30 - £2000
Mazda MX-5 – £3000
Nissan
Nissan's Switch Up scheme offers up to £6300 for buyers trading in eligible cars, which must have been first registered before 20 December 2012 and registered in the customer's name for at least 90 days. The offer runs until 30 December and is available on all trim levels except Visia.
The savings are as follows:
Nissan Leaf – £2000
Nissan Micra – £3300
Nissan Qashqai – £6000
Nissan X-Trail – £4200
Renault
If you're after a new Renault, you could get up to £3000 off with the French brand's New for Old scrappage scheme. To be eligible, trade-in cars have to have been first registered before 31 March 2014 and owned by you for at least 90 days. Cars need to be ordered by registered by 30 June 2021.
The following discounts are available on Renault cars:
Renault Clio (Play and Iconic) – £1000
Renault Clio (S Edition and RS Line) – £1250
Renault Clio E Tech Hybrid (Play and Iconic) – £1250
Renault Clio E Tech Hybrid (S Edition and RS Line) – £1500
Renault Captur Play and Iconic TCe 90 – £1500
Renault Captur other Iconic models and S Edition TCe 90 – £1750
Renault Captur other S Edition models – £2000
Renault Captur E-Tech Hybrid - £2000
Renault Kadjar Iconic – £2500
Renault Kadjar S Edition and GT Line – £3000
Renault Mégane hatch and Sport Tourer Iconic – £1000 (RS Line £1500)
Renault Mégane E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid hatch and Sport Tourer Iconic - £1750 (RS Line £2250)
Renault Zoe – £3000
The following discounts are available on Renault vans (prices exclude VAT):
Renault Master SWB - £9750
Renault Master MWB - £9000
Renault Master LWB - £9500
Renault Traffic - £6500
Renault Kangoo ZE - £4750
Renault Kangoo - £4100
Renault Zoe van - £2250
Toyota
Toyota’s scrappage scheme applies to cars first registered by 30 June 2013 and owned by the current owner for at least six months. The initiative is for cars ordered before 30 June 2021 and registered by 30 September 2021. Buyers can save up to £4000 off cars and vans.
The savings for cars are as follows:
Toyota Aygo – £2000
Toyota C-HR – £2000
Toyota Camry – £2000
Toyota Corolla – £2000
Toyota GR Supra – £4000
Toyota Highlander - £2000
Toyota Land Cruiser – £2000
Toyota Prius – £2000
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid – £2000
Toyota Yaris – £2000
The savings for Toyota vans are as follows:
Toyota Hilux (excluding Active) – £4000
Toyota Proace (excluding Proace Electric) – £3000
How to get the best deal for your car
These trade-in offers can look tempting, especially if you currently own an older diesel car, but it's still important to check what other deals and offers are available. Many of the car makers offering the schemes mentioned above are also offering regular discounts on top of their trade-in incentives, so it's worth haggling in the dealership.
The What Car? Target Price is the most we think you should pay for a new car. It can often net you more than £2000 in savings, so check what this is for your desired model before you buy. Don't forget that you can buy a new car using the free What Car? New Car Buying service, which has deals on thousands of new cars that are being offered at Target Price or less. We also offer advice on how to get the best price for your car.
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