FAQs

Giveacar was the first service of its kind in the UK. It was created by Tom Chance in his bedroom back in 2009.  Giveacar has grown from strength-to-strength, and we now have a fully operational office with several members of staff.  We continue to be as passionate about promoting the idea of car donation than we were 8 years ago, reducing the environmental impact of end-of-life vehicles and raising more and more money for charities.

Yes. Our independence has always been important to us. Giveacar is not part of a larger group. It is not tied to any commercial operation, to any scrap dealers or recycling firms. It is also not owned by or affiliated to any particular charities.

Giveacar is a social enterprise and we do charge an admin fee plus VAT. This fee comes off the scrap or sales proceeds and is used solely for the purpose of running the scheme to cover our operating costs. The company directors have never taken a penny from the scheme, one is advisory only and the other works voluntarily part-time. Our admin fee is 25% for cars fetching anything up-to £150, anything £150 and over an additional 5% is retained. All our fees are subject to VAT.

Giveacar encourages your chosen charity to send you a thank you letter, but we do not control this process. You will be informed of how much your car raised usually within 6-8wks of the initial donation itself.

The only paper work that you need when your vehicle is being collected, is the vehicle registration document (the V5c). When the vehicle is collected you will need to complete Section 9 of the documentation. Section 9 must be signed by the collection agent and by the registered owner of the vehicle. The registered owner of the vehicle must then send Section 9 only back to the DVLA.

If the car has been put through to scrap, you will then be issued with a Certificate of Destruction. There is no need for your car to have a valid tax disc or MOT. All our collection companies are part of an insured motor trade and are therefore licensed to drive away any vehicles.

Only if you send back section 9 of your V5C or inform the DVLA that you have given your vehicle away.  We do not control this process.  We are unable to use the value of the car tax to supplement your donation, so please reclaim the tax yourself if possible. To find out how, please read our guide on the subject.

Yes – Type ‘retain number plate’ into Google and this will take you to a Directgov webpage with all the information you will need. The essentials are that it will cost roughly £100 to keep a registration plate and the process takes a few weeks – you must complete this process before you scrap your car through Giveacar. Give us a call when you are ready.

We can do this case-by-case.  Certain collection operators that we use have strict policies relating to abandoned vehicles.  Please contact Giveacar to discuss terms and conditions relating to abandoned vehicles.

Giveacar has helped thousands of our E.U neighbours donate their unwanted cars.  Many of you require assurances around the paperwork and processes involved and we can provide this. It’s best to contact us over the phone so that we can explain everything you need to know, properly! To speed up the process, please have your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) when you call, it’s 17 digits & letters long (usually).

N.B. The form TX23 from the DVLA, has now been replaced by the form 6.

We take regular diplomatic car donations, but first.  Diplomat car owners need to speak with their embassy to obtain relevant documentation in order to relinquish ownership via the Giveacar scheme.  Once you have all the relevant documents signed and stamped by both the Embassy and Foreign & Commonwealth Office, we will ask for a copy of these and you can then donate the car.  If you are unsure about what’s needed please call us to discuss and we can try to help you.