Is My Car Worth Repairing? The 2026 Guide to Scrap vs Repair Costs

Is My Car Worth Repairing? The 2026 Guide to Scrap vs Repair Costs

By Take My Car Away | Updated for 2026

Every year, thousands of UK drivers face the same question: “Is my car still worth repairing, or is it finally time to scrap it?”

With MOT failures rising, parts becoming more expensive, and many cars now well into their teens, repair bills in 2026 can easily exceed the car’s actual value — especially for older, high-mileage vehicles.

This guide is written for drivers across Northamptonshire, Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Rushden, Daventry, Towcester and the surrounding areas who are trying to decide whether to repair or scrap their car.

We’ll walk through:

• How to compare repair costs vs your car’s value
• Repairs that usually aren’t worth doing on older cars
• When repairing does make sense
• How scrapping works, and what your car might be worth as scrap

If you’re already leaning towards scrapping, you can get an instant online scrap quote here in under 60 seconds.

1. How to Know If Your Car Is Still Worth Repairing

Before you spend any money, assess these three core factors:

1.1 Vehicle Value vs Repair Cost

This is the biggest indicator. As a simple rule of thumb:

If the repair cost is more than 50–60% of the car’s value, scrapping is usually the better option.

Here are some common scenarios:

For older cars (often 2004–2012 plates) it’s very common for repair costs to creep above the car’s real-world value. That’s when scrapping starts to make financial sense.

1.2 Mileage and Age

High mileage usually means more future repairs, not fewer.

• Cars over 120,000 miles are far more likely to need suspension, brake and exhaust work.
• Cars in the 12–20 year age bracket regularly need repeated repairs to keep passing MOTs.

If your car is in that older, higher-mileage group, investing hundreds (or thousands) into repairs can quickly become a pattern instead of a one-off.

1.3 Type of MOT Failure

Not all MOT failures are equal. Some are cheap, some are effectively a write-off.

Relatively minor and cheaper issues might be worth fixing:

• Bulbs and wipers
• Tyres (if the rest of the car is in good condition)
• Simple brake pad/disc replacements

More serious failures are often a sign it’s time to scrap:

• Structural rust and major corrosion
• Engine or gearbox problems
• Multiple suspension and brake line failures

If your MOT sheet looks like a shopping list, it’s usually cheaper in the long run to scrap the car and put the money towards your next one.

2. Repairs That Are Rarely Worth It on Older Cars

Some repairs sound like they’ll “save” the car, but on older vehicles they almost never make financial sense.

2.1 Engine Failures and Serious Warnings (£900–£3,000+)

If your mechanic mentions anything like:

• Head gasket failure
• Oil pressure loss
• Timing chain or timing belt damage
• Severe overheating damage

Then you’re typically looking at a four-figure repair. On an older car worth less than £2,000, that’s rarely a smart move.

2.2 Clutch and Dual Mass Flywheel (£700–£1,400)

This is a classic “is my car worth repairing?” moment for owners of older Fords, Vauxhalls, VWs and similar.

If you’re quoted £900+ on a car worth £800–£1,200, the numbers simply don’t stack up.

2.3 Corrosion and Welding Work (£250–£1,500+)

Major corrosion, especially around the sills, chassis and suspension mounts, is often terminal.

Rust spreads. Even if you fix it this year, next year’s MOT may reveal more, and you’re back in the garage paying again.

2.4 Gearbox Problems (£700–£2,500)

Gearbox repairs or replacements are very expensive, particularly for automatics.

On anything under about £2,000 in value, a failing gearbox is usually a strong indicator it’s time to look at the scrap option instead.

2.5 Multiple Suspension and Brake Issues (£350–£900)

If your MOT lists:

• Broken springs
• Leaking shocks
• Corroded brake lines
• Worn bushes and arms

Each job on its own might be manageable. Together, they can quickly total more than the car is worth.

3. When Repairing Can Still Make Sense

Not every ageing car should automatically be scrapped. In some cases, repairing is still the sensible option.

You might lean towards repairing if:

• The car is under 10 years old
• The repair cost is less than 30–40% of the car’s value
• You’ve recently invested in tyres, brakes or a cambelt, and the car is otherwise sound
• You rely on the car daily and replacing it would be significantly more expensive than the repair

Even then, it’s worth getting a scrap quote to sanity-check your decision. If the scrap value is surprisingly high, scrapping might still be the smarter option overall.

You can compare your scrap value in under a minute here and weigh it against your repair estimate.

4. The Real Cost of “One Last Repair”

Our experience dealing with scrap cars across Northamptonshire shows a clear pattern: once a car reaches its mid-teens in age, big repairs rarely happen in isolation.

Owners often say:

“I’ll just fix this one thing and keep it for another year.”

But what usually happens is:

• Year 1: Clutch or major MOT work
• Year 2: Suspension issues and exhaust
• Year 3: Corrosion and brake pipes

Over two or three years, it’s not unusual to spend £1,500–£2,200 keeping a £500–£1,000 car on the road.

At that point, scrapping earlier would have saved money, stress and time, and given you a contribution towards your next vehicle.

5. Scrapping vs Repairing — Cost Comparison

5.1 Option A: Repairing the Car

• High, often unpredictable costs
• No guarantee of long-term reliability
• Risk of failing the next MOT on something else
• Car value doesn’t increase with repairs

For older vehicles, the annual repair spend often ends up higher than what the car is actually worth.

5.2 Option B: Scrapping the Car

• Free collection from your home, workplace or garage
• Instant online quote based on real scrap values
• Fast bank transfer when we collect
• No more MOT tests, road tax or repair bills
• Up to 95% of the vehicle recycled through our Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF)

Even non-runners and MOT failures can be worth a surprising amount as scrap, especially heavier vehicles and vans.

To see where you stand, get a free scrap quote and compare it with your latest repair estimate.

6. Clear Signs It’s Time to Scrap — Not Repair

If any of these sound familiar, scrapping is usually the smart financial choice:

• The repair cost is more than the car is worth
• Your car has just failed its MOT badly (multiple major items)
• The engine or gearbox is failing
• There’s major structural rust or corrosion
• The car has been SORN and immobile for months
• The mileage is very high (120,000+), and repairs are becoming frequent
• You were planning to replace the car in the near future anyway

If you nodded along to one or more of those, it’s worth at least checking your scrap value before committing to another big garage bill.

7. Why Scrap with Take My Car Away?

Take My Car Away is a local Northamptonshire scrap car specialist, not a faceless national call centre. We make the whole process simple and transparent.

Here’s what you get when you choose us:

• Instant online quote — just enter your reg
• Free collection across Northamptonshire and surrounding areas
• Any car, any van, any condition — MOT failures, non-runners and accident-damaged vehicles all welcome
• Fast payment straight to your bank at collection
• Fully licensed ATF with responsible, eco-friendly recycling
• DVLA paperwork handled correctly so you’re no longer liable for the vehicle
• No hidden fees — what we quote is what you get

If you’d like to know more about who we are and how we work, you can read our About Us page or see a step-by-step breakdown on How We Work.

8. How the Scrap Process Works (Step by Step)

Scrapping your car with us is straightforward:

1. Get your quote: Enter your registration on our instant quote page.
2. Book a collection time: Choose a date and time that works for you.
3. We collect your car: Our local driver arrives, checks the vehicle and loads it — you don’t need to move it if it doesn’t run.
4. You get paid: We send a fast bank transfer at collection.
5. We handle the paperwork: We deal with the DVLA notification and ensure the car is processed at our Authorised Treatment Facility.

That’s it. No stress, no confusing forms, and no surprise charges.

For full details, you can also visit our dedicated How Do We Work? page.

9. Final Checklist: Repair or Scrap?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Does the repair cost more than 50–60% of the car’s value?
• Has the car failed its MOT with several major faults?
• Are you seeing a pattern of big repairs every year?
• Is the car 12+ years old with high mileage?
• Are you worried there will be more problems even after this repair?

If the answer is yes to any of those, it’s worth seriously considering scrapping instead of repairing.

At the very least, get a scrap price so you can make an informed decision.

10. Ready to See If Your Car Is Worth Repairing?

If you’re on the fence, here’s a simple way forward:

1. Get a repair quote from your garage.
2. Get an instant scrap quote from Take My Car Away.
3. Compare the numbers side by side.

If the scrap value plus the money you save on future repairs gets you closer to your next car, scrapping is likely the better move.

Ready to find out? It takes less than a minute to see what your car is worth as scrap.

Get My Instant Scrap Quote

Still have questions? Contact our friendly local team and we’ll talk you through your options with no pressure at all.