This is interesting…Each year thousands of vehicles are removed from UK roads, however, new data suggests certain car brands are scrapped significantly more than others.

Scrap vehicle experts National Scrap Car have combined their internal data, along with DVLA data to calculate the number of 10-year old vehicles still operating on our roads to understand how reliable some of the UK’s most popular motors are.

Top manufacturers like Vauxhall, Ford, Volkswagen and Peugeot have seen high percentages of their vehicles scrapped within this time frame. Digging deeper into the data, National Scrap Car has discovered the most common issues associated with the specific models.

The most scrapped 10 year-old vehicles

Rank

Vehicle

Common issues

Volume scrapped 2014-2023

1

Vauxhall Corsa

Electrical issues, misfiring engine, worn clutch, central locking issues

3,831

2

Ford Fiesta

Faulty clutch, turbo failure, bad fuel injectors, water leaks, suspension problems

3,061

3

Vauxhall Astra

Suspension issues, electrical faults, clutch problems, engine problems, gear linkage issues

2,248

4

Ford Focus

Transmission problems, premature clutch wear, brake performance

1,958

5

Volkswagen Golf

Smell of fuel, damp interior, premature timing chain failure, electrical issues

1,276

The Vauxhall Corsa has been revealed as the most scrapped vehicle with 3,831 vehicles  first registered in 2014  now removed from our roads.

This is approximately 5% of this specific model registered on the road.

Sourcing data from FixMyCar, it appears that some models were recalled in 2015 for loss of steering control and loss of stability, while other issues such as misfiring engines and worn clutches have been more commonly reported.

The Ford Fiesta, Britain’s best-selling car, ranks second for the highest scrap rate. Ford announced the discontinuation of its popular Fiesta model in the summer of 2023, with the final Ford Fiesta rolling off the production line in July 2023. With As parts becoming harder to come-by and with so many Fiestas still on the roads, it’s unsurprising that they ranked among the most scrapped vehicles.

Commonly reported problems include turbo failure, water leaks and suspension problems while a series of models from 2014 were recalled due to fuel pump failures and fuel tank leaks.

The fifth most scrapped 2014 model was the Volkswagen Golf, with 1,276 reported as scrapped.

Dorry Potter, vehicle expert at National Scrap Car commented:

“As these vehicles age, the cost of maintaining and repairing them often exceeds their market value, leading owners to scrap them rather than invest in costly repairs. Older models may lack modern safety features and fuel efficiency, prompting owners to upgrade to newer vehicles. Vehicles like the Corsa and Fiesta have an appeal to new and younger drivers, who are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents, which can also result in a higher rate of write-offs and subsequent scrappage.”

Our data shows a clear trend: manufacturers with higher sales volumes  have a higher number of vehicles on the road, which subsequently results in more vehicles being scrapped.

These brands also cater to a broad market segment, including entry-level and mid-range consumers who are often more inclined to replace their vehicles more frequently rather than investing in long-term maintenance.

In contrast, manufacturers with the fewest scrapped vehicles include Jaguar, with only 29 of their 2014 registered vehicles scrapped during this time period,  followed by 40 Jeep models and 44 Porsche models.