Between around September and December last year, nearly every mainstream manufacturer was offering a scrappage scheme – or a ‘low-emission’ or ‘switch’ scheme as some like to call them.
These schemes see consumers trading in their old, more-polluting cars and vans in place of a shiny new motor, and being financially rewarded with a generous discount for doing so.
This not only reduces pollution, but can help consumers slash their running costs with a new vehicle, as well as receiving up to £7,000 towards a new car or van.
While some car makers extended their schemes from 2017 into 2018, most of these stopped at the end of March.
Fortunately, some manufacturers have re-launched their schemes, or extended them even further.
Here we list who is offering such schemes, and the best buy from each brand.
Ford
Ford has had, by some margin, the most successful scrappage scheme of any manufacturer – trading in 19,200 cars in the time its scheme has been running,
The latest offer applies to cars purchased by the end of June 2018 and registered by the end of December, while the car you’re trading in must have been registered before January 1, 2011 and owned by you for at least 90 days.
Discounts of between £2,000 and £4,850 are available on cars, and up to £7,000 across the firm’s commercial vehicle range. One of the most popular picks is £2,000 off Ford’s best-selling Fiesta.
Our pick:
Ford Focus
The unveiling of the new Ford Focus recently means that there are some fantastic offers available on the outgoing model. It still looks the part and is great to drive, if lacking on the technology front. Scrappage savings of up to £4,850 are available on Titanium models, but act fast as these models won’t stay around long.
Hyundai
Hyundai is another manufacturer that has extended its scheme. As with Ford, your car will be eligible if registered before 2011 and if you’ve owned it for three months. Unlike other schemes, though, Hyundai will only scrap the most polluting of those traded in.
Discounts of between £1,500 and £5,000 are available across the range until June 30, with the only cars not included being the sporty i30 N models, the i800 MPV and oddly, the emission-free Hyundai Ioniq Electric.
Our pick:
Hyundai i30
The i30 hatchback has only been on sale a year, but hefty scrappage discounts of £4,000 are available across the hatchback, estate and fastback variants.
Mazda
Mazda is keen to push its low-emitting petrol and diesel cars with its current generous offers that are available on cars registered by June. All cars traded in will be scrapped, while the offer is only available when buying a new Mazda vehicle emitting less than 135g/km of CO2, which excludes the MX-5 models and petrol versions of the CX-3 and CX-5 crossovers.
Savings of between £3,000 and £5,500 are available when trading in cars registered before December 31, 2010, and that have been owned by you for at least two months.
Our pick:
Mazda 3 Diesel
Mazda is offering £5,500 off any Mazda 3 fitted with its diesel Skyactiv-D engines. While discounts are not quite so generous on petrol models, £4,500 savings can still be had.
Kia
Kia has recently added more cars into its updated scrappage offer that started at the beginning of April. Previously only the Picanto and Rio were included in the offer, but now the Stonic crossover and outgoing Cee’d hatchback have also now been added.
Kia’s discounts are not quite as generous as other schemes, but £2,000 is available across the four mentioned models. The scheme requires you to have owned the car for 90 days, and for the car being scrapped to have been registered before June 30, 2011.
Our pick:
Kia Picanto
The Picanto is one of the best city cars on sale, and also has the benefit of Kia’s lengthy seven-year warranty. The £2,000 scrappage discount also applies to the firm’s recently launched SUV-style X-Line and X-Line S models, too.
Toyota
Toyota’s scrappage scheme is one of the widest out there, covering nearly every model in its broad range. Discounts of between £1,500 and £4,000 are available from cars as diverse as the Aygo city car to the Land Cruiser SUV.
Toyota’s scheme runs until July 1, with the car being scrapped needing to have been registered by June 30, 2010 and owned for at least six months before being traded in.
Our pick:
Toyota Auris Hybrid
The British-built Auris Hybrid might not be the most exciting of hatchbacks in the world, but it’s a fantastic family hatchback and is cheap to run in hybrid guise. A new model has only just been revealed, but in the meantime you can save yourself £3,000 off the old one through this offer.
Lexus
The Lexus scrappage scheme works in a similar way to the Toyota one. The difference being that the vehicle you’re trading in has to be registered by December 31, 2009 – the earliest of all the schemes sill running. As with the Toyota scheme, your car or light commercial must have been owned by you for six months and it has to be registered by July 1.
Discounts of up to £4,000 are available on CT, IS, NX and RX models.
Our pick:
Lexus NX
The Lexus NX is a striking, well-made and cheap-to=run SUV, which is made even more affordable by a £4,000 scrappage discount, even if you’ll need quite deep pockets to buy the car in the first place.
BMW
BMW’s scheme – named the ‘BMW Upgrade Scheme’ – works in a slightly different way to the rest, as the money received can only go towards a BMW PCP finance agreement.
BMW gives you a fixed £2,000 towards any of its models that emit under 130g/km, just as long as your car is an EU4 emission compliant, or lower, diesel vehicle registered before January 2011. The scheme runs until June 30, 2018.
Our pick:
BMW 3 Series
BMW’s 3 Series saloon has been a popular executive saloon for some time now, and the new model is better than ever with its improved infotainment system and driving ability. Not every 3 Series emits less than 130g/km of CO2, though.