Scrapping a car without a V5C logbook: what you can do, and what we need from you

"I've lost the logbook, can you still take it?" is one of the questions we are asked most. The answer is yes, nearly always. Here is how it works and what we need from you.

The V5C is proof, not permission

The V5C logbook shows who the registered keeper is. It is useful because it lets the driver confirm your identity against the DVLA's record in seconds. But the DVLA itself says a vehicle can be scrapped without one, provided the keeper tells them it has gone to an Authorised Treatment Facility. We are an ATF, and we complete that notification with you on collection.

What we need instead

• Proof of who you are: photo ID with your name and the address the car is registered at, or a recent utility bill with it.
• The registration and the keeper's details, so we can look the vehicle up and complete the DVLA form. If you are not the keeper, we need the keeper's written authority.
• Where the car is, and whether it runs.

On the day, the driver completes the DVLA form with you, gives you a Waste Transfer Note, and the Certificate of Destruction follows once the car has been processed at our yard. The DVLA then refunds any full months of tax.

When we have to say no

If the vehicle is on finance, the finance company owns it until the agreement is settled, and we cannot buy it from you. If the name on the DVLA's record is someone else and you cannot show their authority, we cannot collect. And if a car looks like it may have been stolen, we will not take it; a licensed yard is not where that car ends up.

Should you order a replacement V5C first?

Not usually. A replacement takes time and costs money, and for a car that is about to be destroyed it adds nothing. Save it for a car you intend to keep or sell. If you want one anyway, apply through the DVLA before the collection date, because the registration ceases to exist once the Certificate of Destruction is issued.

Keep your private plate

A personalised registration must be transferred off the car with the DVLA before we collect it. We cannot do that for you and it cannot be recovered afterwards.

Lost the logbook and want the car gone this week? Call 01603 916893 with the registration or use the form on this page. Free collection across Norfolk and Suffolk, running or not.