We lost around 390,000 cars to the 2009 scrappage scheme. Some of those cars were hanging on to an MOT certificate by a thread, but many others had plenty of life to give. A few were rare, exotic or desirable.
Crucially, every victim of scrappage had a valid MOT. This was one of the conditions of the scheme. In addition, the car had to be registered with the current owner for the past 12 months, be insured and have a current tax disc.
In other words, these were roadworthy vehicles. We’re not talking about cars that had to be dragged to the new car dealer by their axles, leaving a trail of garden weeds behind them.
Funding amounted to £400 million, which was enough for 400,000 new vehicles. The 41 participating manufacturers were delighted, not least Hyundai, which crowned itself the ‘king of scrappage’. At one point, the Hyundai i10 was taking one in 12 of all UK orders placed using scrappage.
Without the presence of Dacia, Hyundai was well placed to take advantage of the scheme. Buy an i10 or i20 registered in 2009 and it’s highly likely that an old car died in its honour.
It was a slow and painful death. Instead of being crushed, the victims were sent straight to scrappage jail. Do not pass ‘go’, but please collect your £2,000 scrappage trade-in bonus on the way to purgatory.
The cars were left to rot at airfields across the land – a sad and highly visible reminder of the cars we loved and lost. Worse still, we soon discovered that some of the cars shouldn’t have gone anywhere near the scrappage scheme.
The government list of scrappage victims makes for horrific reading. It goes beyond PetrolBlog’s love of the mundane and misunderstood. Many of the cars were certified classics, even in 2009. For example:
There were many examples of cars that will get PetrolBlog readers hot under the collar. For example:
The list goes on…
But why is PetrolBlog opening old wounds? Quite simply, because there’s a good chance that the government will introduce a new scrappage scheme in 2020. There are parallels that can be drawn, albeit with the added pressure to reduce CO2 emissions.
In 2009, the scrappage scheme was seen as an opportunity to kickstart an economy suffering the effects of a recession. There was also pressure to remove the most polluting cars from the road. In August 2009, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said that “on average, new cars bought under the scheme have CO2 emissions that are 25 percent lower than the cars scrapped.
“The average CO2 figure for scrapped cars is estimated to be at least 179g/km, compared to a much lower 133.9g/km emissions average for cars bought through the scheme.”
Although the government has distanced itself from a new scrappage scheme, there are ‘good’ reasons why a new incentive is likely. The economy is in desperate need of a shot in the arm, while the government is under pressure to meet strict emissions targets.
An incentive of £6,000 has been suggested, with motorists encouraged to ditch their petrol or diesel car in favour of something ‘green’. Only electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles are likely to be available as part of a rebooted scrappage scheme.
Granted, a new scrappage scheme is hardly the most important point on the world agenda. You might think that saving a few cars from the crusher has limited appeal beyond the realms of PetrolBlog. But you’d be wrong.
Here are some of the reasons why the 2009 scrappage had such a detrimental effect on the wider car industry:
It’s for the reasons outlined above that PetrolBlog is launching Save Our Scrap (SOS). Although the finer details are being ironed out, PetrolBlog wants to ensure that no cars are needlessly lost to a scrappage scheme.
Regardless of whether or not scrappage is rebooted for 2020, we must work together to save the cars we love from oblivion. Granted, some cars will be too far gone to save, but these donor vehicles can be used to keep another car on the road. Good for the motorist who isn’t interested in buying a new car. Great for the £7 billion classic car industry.
As a PetrolBlog reader, you know the difference between a properly valuable car and one that has niche appeal. You also know the difference between a car that needs to be saved and one that should be removed on environmental grounds. Heavily polluting vehicles have no place in our towns and cities.
It’s going to be tough. Good luck trying to convince a non-car person to miss out on an opportunity to earn £6,000 from a car that’s of limited worth on the open market. This is why PetrolBlog is calling on the government to give enthusiasts the opportunity to salvage parts from cars traded-in via a scrappage scheme.
Save Our Scrap is a long-term campaign that stretches beyond the realms of scrappage. PetrolBlog has been championing the old, obscure, mundane and misunderstood for a decade. It needs to be at the forefront of any effort to keep our beloved cars alive, hence Save Our Scrap.
In the meantime, use the #SaveOurScrap hashtag to spread the word. It’s time to fight for a fairer scrappage scheme. It’s time to fight for our old cars. Time to Save Our Scrap.
11 Comments
And what percentage of those cars bought via the scrappage scheme in 2009 are now going to become the new victims?
How the tables turn…
Good shout. A 2009 i20 is worth around £2,000…
This is what the movement needs, however it is not clear to me exactly what Save Our Scrap is, other than a hashtag. Is there a plan in place as to what this is, or just independent attempts to save stuff?
You’ve got mail.
I would suggest starting a petition to parliament on the matter (do here and NOT on Change.org: https://petition.parliament.uk/)
If you can get 10k signatures Govt. will respond to it. If you get 100k Govt. may debate it in Parliament.
I have previously run one for homecare for work – it’s a tough old slog but worth the effort. Get schmoozing Gav – you can do this!
I second that, we are all behind you!!
Cheers, Ben!
A petition is on the list. I might drop you an email at some point, if that’s OK?
Email away Gav – happy to help! Cheers, Ben
It’s such a shame… I saw a MK.1 Galaxy Ghia today, how many of them are there now, how many would there be if there was another scrappage scheme!?
Let’s just keep our fingers crossed they don’t decide to have another one – in the meantime I’m trying to enjoy all the MK.2 Punto’s I see while they’re around.
The Punto of all ages is in the firing line of a new scrappage scheme. Grab a low-mileage and cherished example while they’re still relatively cheap.