What is an End of Life Vehicle (ELV)?

Last updated September 23, 2022

An End of Life Vehicle (ELV) is any vehicle that has reached the end of its working life. If you are looking to scrap your car, you’ve probably seen ‘ELV’ and other related terms online – read on below for a look at the different types of ELV and how to properly dispose of them.

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What are the different types of ELVs?

There are two main categories of ELV, with cars fitting into these categories depending on when and why they are considered ELVs.

  • Natural ELVs

    A natural ELV is a vehicle that has come to the end of its working life due to age-related technical failures or because it would no longer be cost-effective to repair them.

  • Premature ELVs

    A premature ELV is a vehicle that would not be expected to fail due to its age and has instead been written off as a result of a road collision or other accidental damage

How to dispose of an End of Life Vehicle

Millions of tonnes of waste are generated annually through the scrapping of cars and it’s crucial that this waste is handled in the safest and most environmentally friendly way possible.

In the UK, a car must only be scrapped at an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). These are centres that are licenced for the safe dismantling and disposal of ELVs and all hazardous waste generated by them.

Once an ATF has successfully disposed of your vehicle, it will inform the DVLA that the car has been processed and dismantled in accordance with their regulations and a Certificate of Destruction (COD) is generated.

Who does an End of Life Vehicle affect?

All vehicles will eventually become an ELV. If you believe that your car is coming to the end of its working life and are looking to dispose of it, you can scrap your car with webuyanycar. Just enter your registration number and we’ll generate a quote in under 30 seconds, making the process of scrapping your car easy and simple.