CityGrip Recovery / Scrap car collection
The car may be ready to leave, but the way out needs planning. Send the registration, full address and actual vehicle entrance. We agree the vehicle details, access and collection arrangements before booking.
Jaguar vehicle guide
Start with the vehicle entrance, level, bay and the contact who can authorise access. Add the exact Jaguar model and its ability to roll and steer.
Read our Jaguar scrap collection guide for the model checklist, quote factors, I-PACE considerations and paperwork. Free scrap collection is arranged after the vehicle and access are confirmed.
The short answer
CityGrip Recovery arranges free scrap-car collection in Central London, including non-runner enquiries. Collection from a street, workshop, private courtyard or managed car park is assessed against the vehicle’s condition and actual access. Cars being scrapped go to an Authorised Treatment Facility. Ask for the quote and receiving facility details, keep the destruction paperwork and make your own DVLA notification.
Pinpoint the vehicle
Start with where the vehicle stands now, not simply the nearest hotel, station or office. Give the street, full postcode, building name and a map pin if it helps. If the log book address is elsewhere, keep the actual collection address separate in your message.
In a managed building, ask for the vehicle entrance and the person who can authorise removal. Include the bay number, level and how the barrier is opened. A receptionist giving directions to the front door is not necessarily describing a route a collection vehicle can use.
Explain any deadline honestly: a tenancy ending, a garage handover or a car-park booking expiring may affect coordination, but does not create an immediate collection guarantee. We confirm availability and the agreed collection window for your address.
The local access guide
Identify the side street or service entrance when the main address is on a busy frontage. Send photographs of the vehicle’s exit route and explain whether another car, barrier or delivery could block it. Give any building loading slot before agreeing a collection time.
A postal address does not establish permission to stop at the kerb. Check current signs, loading controls and instructions from the premises. If reserved space or other permission may be needed, discuss it before collection rather than assuming a booking overrides restrictions.
Tell us which council or private operator controls the collection space. A Central London label can span different authorities. For Camden streets, the council’s loading and unloading guidance explains restrictions; the actual site and proposed loading still need checking.
For an office, residential block or service yard, distinguish the public street from the private loading area. Give security’s release instructions and any vehicle dimensions limit. Do not direct the collection to a pedestrian courtyard simply because it shares the building’s postcode.
Below ground and behind gates
An underground collection needs more than the car-park name. Supply the displayed height limit, ramp restrictions, level, bay and turning space. Mention whether the car is facing a wall or parked between other vehicles. Ask the operator if there are additional limits on recovery or collection access.
Tell us whether the keys are available, the steering turns, the wheels roll and the parking brake releases normally. Do not move an unsafe vehicle, force a release or attempt to tow it up a ramp yourself. We assess the proposed loading arrangement before confirming the job.
A locked garage or gated courtyard also needs a named contact who can attend. Confirm that the vehicle may be released, clear your own belongings and describe any obstruction. The request is assessed before a particular truck or access method is promised.
What you are disposing of
Describe an MOT failure, long-stored car, damaged vehicle or non-runner as it is now. Include missing keys, wheels or essential parts, and say whether anything has been stored inside it. A complete vehicle and a stripped shell require different assessments. Free collection is part of the scrap service; confirm the actual arrangement and any exceptional work before booking.
For a Rolls-Royce, use our Rolls-Royce scrap collection guide for London and provide the exact model and year. If repair, restoration or another sale is still under consideration, make that decision before authorising permanent destruction. A car that does not start is not automatically a car that must be scrapped.
If the intention is simply to move the vehicle to a garage, ask for Central London car recovery instead. Give the receiving address and make clear that it is transport, not disposal. Recovery has its own quote and is separate from the scrap collection arrangement.
From enquiry to handover
The disposal paperwork
Only an Authorised Treatment Facility can lawfully scrap the vehicle. CityGrip’s role is collection and delivery to the receiving ATF; the treatment site issues the Certificate of Destruction. Confirm the facility details rather than assuming the collection company is itself a scrapyard.
Follow the GOV.UK scrapping steps: arrange retention of a private number first if you want to keep it, give the ATF the V5C while retaining the relevant motor-trade slip, and tell DVLA yourself. Ask for the notification instructions if the log book is missing.
The GOV.UK ATF guide says an eligible car that is completely scrapped should receive a Certificate of Destruction within seven days. A vehicle the ATF repairs and sells does not receive that certificate. Agree the intended outcome before handing over the car.
Cash payment for a scrap vehicle is not permitted in England or Wales. Our scrap service uses bank transfer. Confirm the amount and payment arrangement before collection; no model-wide scrap valuation is promised on this page.
The business behind the number
CityGrip Recovery is based at 68 Ruckholt Road, Leyton, London E10 5NP. Call 07960 200253 or email info@citygriprecovery.co.uk. The phone line takes enquiries 24 hours; the collection date, availability and access arrangement are agreed individually.
We are an independent collection and recovery business. Central, West and North London are collection areas served from our Leyton base. Confirm the receiving ATF and the agreed collection arrangements when booking. Read about CityGrip and our main scrap collection guide.
Before you enquire
Free collection is part of CityGrip’s scrap-car service. Give the registration, current condition and full access details so acceptance and the collection arrangement can be confirmed. Ask about missing components or exceptional access before booking.
Tell us the condition, keys situation and whether the vehicle can roll and steer. Non-runner and MOT-failure enquiries are welcome. Suitable equipment and access must be assessed before collection is confirmed.
Provide the level, bay, entrance height, ramps, turning limits and building contact. Check that the operator permits the proposed collection access. We do not assume a normal car entrance is suitable for a collection truck.
A Rolls-Royce enquiry can be assessed through our London model-specific guide. Send the exact model, year, condition and access. If repair or restoration is still being considered, say so before authorising a scrap arrangement.
It is issued by the Authorised Treatment Facility when an eligible car is completely scrapped. Confirm where the car is going, keep the certificate and tell DVLA yourself that the vehicle has gone to the ATF.
Tell us before booking. Do not assume a missing log book prevents every collection, but the receiver must be satisfied about the vehicle and your authority to dispose of it. Check the required identification and follow the current DVLA notification process for your circumstances.
Only arrange disposal with the necessary authority. Explain who owns the vehicle and who can release it. An abandoned car that you do not own should be reported through the appropriate council route; being on your property does not make it yours to scrap.
Cash payment for a vehicle being scrapped is not permitted in England or Wales. CityGrip’s scrap service uses bank transfer. Confirm the agreed amount and payment arrangements before handing the vehicle over.
Continue with the right guide
Checked 2026-11-11
These sources inform the guidance and do not endorse CityGrip. Current street signs and site instructions must be checked for the actual collection.
Send the registration, condition and actual access. We can discuss the next step before you authorise a handover.
