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 the original UK car donation not-for-profit social enterprise, and as such Giveacar reinvests every penny that is made into its advertising, staffing and administration costs.

To allow Giveacar to continue raising money for charities up and down the UK, Giveacar takes a small service charge from each donation. This is not a charge to the donor as the money is subtracted from the value of your donation.

Vehicles that raise up to £150 will have a 25% admin fee applied, and vehicles with a value of £150 and over will have a 30% admin fee applied. VAT of 5% is also deducted, but then the rest of the donation goes to your nominated charity. Giveacar is the only independent car donation company in the UK, and therefore our admin fee is our sole means of income.

Your donation not only means your supporting your nominated charity, but you are also helping support a great many other charities by investing in Giveacar’s operational costs and therefore Giveacar’s ability to keep raising money for charities of all causes.

Ready to donate? Have a look at our charities here.

Giveacar is proud to have over 1800 charities registered onto the Giveacar Scheme meaning we will likely have a local charity and cause that you’ll wish to support when you donate your unwanted car.

Charity comes first at Giveacar which means that you can donate to charities that aren’t yet registered with the Giveacar Scheme. So long as the charity is Registered in the UK we can donate the value of your unwanted car to them on your behalf.

Why not take the time now to see which local charities you can donate your unwanted car too by clicking here. By donating to a local cause you are having an immediate impact on your community, amazing!

If you have any further questions please get in touch on 0207 736 4242 and we’ll be happy to help.

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.

Please read below to see the details required before donating. Have these ready for when we call to arrange the collection and donation of your vehicle.

Documents

V5C

On collection day you’ll need to complete Section 9, or Section 4 in newer vehicles.

Foreign Vehicles: for foreign registered cars we will need the vehicles VIN Number, Year of Manufacture and it’s Make and Model. 

Identification Required

If you don’t have a photocard driving licence, you can instead show another form of photo ID from list 1 below, along with separate proof of address from list 2 below.

1. Accepted forms of photo ID:

• a valid UK passport
• a valid passport issued by a European Economic Area state, or
• a valid UK biometric immigration document.

2. Accepted proof of address (which must not be older than 3 months):

• a bank or building society statement
• a credit or debit card statement
• a council tax statement or demand letter
• a utility bill (e.g. gas, electricity, water), but not a mobile phone bill.

Proving your identity is a requirement of The Scrap Metal Dealers Act in England and Wales and The Air Weapon and Licensing Act in Scotland.

Personal Information

So we can arrange the collection of your unwanted vehicle it’s important that we have some of your basic details. Below is what we will require:

• Contact Number
• Email
• Collection Address
• Home Address
• Nominated Charity

Vehicle Information

To allow the Giveacar team to establish the best way to raise the most amount for your chosen charity we will need to know a few things before arranging your collection, these include:

• Make
• Model
• Registration Number
• Millage
• V5C
• Keys
• MOT Status
• Running

That’s it! We look forward to hearing from you and arranging the collection and donation of your unwanted car to your nominated charity.

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.