► Trade in a banger, get a discount
► Savings can go up to £8000
► All the best scrappage deals here, updated constantly
Dacia is the latest brand to offer some interesting deals for customers willing to trade in their old wheels. Until the end of the month, the Duster Lauréate dCi 110 4×2 will come with £1,500 off. Similarly, the all-wheel drive version will come with a total of £2,000. That brings the Lauréate down to just £12,995 with the 4×4 variant starting at £14,495.
Both cars are powered by a 1.5-litre 110hp dCi engine that can give you up to 64.2mpg – according to Dacia anyway.
For the lowdown on the other scrappage scheme deals in the UK, keep reading.
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Best scrappage scheme deals in 2018
Fancy a chunky discount on a new car by scrapping your old heap? In 2018, car manufacturers actually want you to trade in your old cars, and in 2018 scrappage schemes mean it can actually be worthwhile,
Car manufacturers are promising up to an amazing £8000 off the price of a new car if you part exchange an emission-belching banger, so saying yes to scrappage schemes could seem like a very good idea. But will it actually save you money? Well, it’s more complicated than that…
Before we get into whether it makes financial sense for you, it’s worth looking at the scrappage schemes currently on offer in the UK, in 2018.
Best scrappage schemes in the UK in 2018
Quite a few scrappage schemes ended at the beginning of this year, but many manufacturers are still offering cash incentives for trading in your old car. Below is a list of all the scrappage schemes running right now, from Audi to Volkswagen.
Around 20 manufacturers offered scrappage schemes in 2017. Approximately 10 manufacturers are offering updated scrappage schemes at the start of 2018, though this number may leap depending how slowly car sales take off in 2018.
- Audi £2000 to £8000 off for orders by 31 March 2018 with a trade-in EU1 to EU4 diesel registered before January 2010
- Dacia £500 on Sandero and £1000 on Duster (excluding Access models) when trading in pre-2010 EU4 vehicle by 31 March 2018
- Hyundai £1500 to £5000 to trade in EU1 to EU4 vehicles registered before January 2018
- Mitsubishi Scrappage scheme extended until 27 March 2018: now £5000 off Outlander diesel, £4k off PHEV, £2k off a Mirage mini, £3k off ASX
- Nissan £1000 to £2000 for Micra, Juke, Qashqai, X-Trail (plus used Leaf purchased through finance) ordered by 2 April 2018 with pre-2010 trade-in
- Peugeot £1750 to £6000 for orders by 31 March 2018 with a pre-2011 trade-in
- Seat £1500 to £3500 for orders by 31 March 2018 with a pre-2010 EU1 to EU4 diesel trade-in
- Skoda £1500 to £4000 for orders by 31 March 2018 with a pre-2010 EU1 to EU4 trade-in
- Suzuki £2000 for new car orders with any pre-2010 EU1 to EU4 trade-in. No end date announced
- Toyota £1000 to £4000 for orders placed by 31 January 2018 with any pre-2010 trade-in
- Volkswagen £1800 to £6000 for orders placed by 2 April 2018 with a pre-2010 EU1 to EU4 diesel trade-in
2018 scrappage schemes: is it worth trading in your used car?
If you’re running a pre-2010 model – especially if it’s powered by diesel – chances are you can chuck the keys at a main dealer in exchange for a £500 to £8000 scrappage discount.
In return, your old car – whether it’s a 60mpg Daihatsu Charade or a 15mpg V8 Land Rover Discovery – will meet its maker in most cases before being recycled.
The premise is that new cars should be greener and cleaner than older ones, though this round of scrappage is a way to shift new cars funded by manufacturers rather than being subsidised by the government, like the previous bout prescribed in the 2009 Budget.
Well, it depends how cheap your car is
Simply put, the less your car is worth, the better a deal you’ll get with scrappage. With Dacia, for instance, offering a £500 scrappage discount on the Sandero, if your car’s worth £100, you effectively get a £400 saving. If, however, it’s worth £2000 you’ll be £1500 out of pocket by scrapping it.
If the scrappage allowance is much more than the value of your current car not only do you have less to spend on your new car, but you also don’t have to worry about finding a buyer, or dealing with a car purchasing service that may give you a rock-bottom valuation.
2018 scrappage schemes: when NOT to do it
If you’re sitting on an older car worth £5000, for example, giving the keys to the dealer to take advantage of a £3000 scrappage allowance is completely mad. Therefore, you’ll want to check the value of your car before simply cashing it in.
This is even more important if you’re considering finance. Go for a TT on Audi’s PCP finance schem, trade in your old car, and you can get a £4000 deposit contribution discount plus the value of your old car – potentially shaving another £5000 off the total price.
Scrap the car, however, and you get just £4000 in scrappage allowance – and nothing for your old car – meaning you’re worse off to the tune of £5000 and your old car is scrapped for no reason.
2018 scrappage schemes: getting the best deal
Whether you’re planning to pay cash or finance your next car, shopping around is crucial if you care about how much you spend.
With substantial cash discounts available online, you can often find larger discounts online than the scrappage savings – and still cash in your existing car.
This is the case with PCP finance, too. Most scrappage schemes don’t let you take advantage of deposit contribution discounts – which can be more than the scrappage discount in isolation – and you may be stung with higher interest rates as well.
For a further look at the scrappage schemes in 2018, read our sister sites Parkers’ guide