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Mayor of London’s scrappage scheme
The Mayor of London’s scrappage scheme has been expanded to all Londoners with cars, motorcycles and wheelchair accessible vehicles that do not meet the ULEZ emissions standards.
Details of the Mayor’s scrappage scheme are available at: Mayor of London's Scrappage Scheme
Merton’s scrappage scheme
Merton Council have launched a £1m local vehicle scrappage scheme for Merton residents wanting to swap their higher-polluting cars for a sustainable alternative, but who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
A £1000 grant per vehicle is now available to help residents in the poorest areas in our community that are not well connected by public transport, provided their car meets the Transport for London (TfL) scrappage criteria. The grant will also be available for Merton’s hardworking carers.
Check your vehicle
Please check the TFL website to find out if your vehicle meets emissions and safety standards required to drive in the ULEZ, or if you need to pay a daily charge.
Check if your vehicle meets the ULEZ emissions standards
If your vehicle is ULEZ compliant, you don’t need to do anything.
If your vehicle is not ULEZ compliant, you can apply for the Mayor of London’s scrappage scheme. In addition, you may also be eligible for Merton’s scrappage scheme.
Eligibility criteria
If you have already scrapped your vehicle, you are not eligible for a grant from Merton's scrappage scheme.
You must meet the following three criteria to be eligible for the Merton scrappage scheme.
- You live in Merton and have done for at least 12 months before 11 September 2023.
- Your vehicle(s) is registered to a Merton address and has been for at least 12 months before 11 September 2023.
- Your vehicle(s) is not ULEZ compliant
You must also meet one of the following two criteria:
- Your home is in an eligible part of the borough (see details below),
or - You are a carer
Eligible areas of Merton
We have targeted help where it is most needed in the borough. The scrappage payment is only available to addresses in specific areas.
Check if your home is in an eligible area
The eligible area includes:
- all parts of Merton with a Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) rating of 1-4, and
- 9 out of 10 areas of the borough ranked as most deprived.
This eligibility requirement doesn’t apply if you are a carer.
Application stages
The application process has 2 stages:
Stage 1: Check and apply online
You will need to send us evidence that you and your vehicle qualify for the scheme.
We will aim to process your application within 10 working days of receipt and contact you by email to let you know if your stage 1 application has been approved.
If your stage 1 application has been approved, we will email you a reference number and link to the Stage 2 application form.
Stage 2: Scrap your vehicle and submit evidence
If your application is approved, we'll ask you to scrap your vehicle at an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). They will issue you with a Certificate of Destruction. You will have one month to scrap your vehicle and provide us with the evidence.
TfL have partnered with ATFs CarTakeBack and EMR who can scrap vehicles approved for the scrappage scheme quickly and may also offer an additional payment for most vehicle types.
You should not scrap your vehicle until you receive confirmation from us that your application has been approved.
Once you have scrapped your vehicle, you will need to provide us with the evidence. See our evidence required section below for more information.
Grant payment
We will pay you via bank transfer (BACS) once we have received and verified the evidence that you have scrapped your vehicle. We will use the bank details you provided to us in the stage 2 application form.
Evidence required
To apply, you will need to provide information and upload documents about you and your vehicle. You may upload photos, scans or screenshots, including from your phone, but they must show the entire page and be clear enough to read. Files can be uploaded in JPG, PNG, or PDF formats via our web form.
Stage1 Evidence:
About you
You'll need to prove you live in an eligible address in Merton with:
- a valid driving licence and
- a recent utility bill or bank statement dated within the last 3 months.
You’ll also need to provide a form of photo ID showing your name – this can be:
- a valid driving licence, or
- a passport, or
- a UK Blue Badge.
Carers
If you’re applying as a carer, you will also need to provide an image of:
- your Merton Carers Parking Permit (if you have one),
or - a current Merton-issued Blue Badge (if you have one) that includes your name or the name of the person you care for, photograph and Blue Badge number,
or - a letter on official headed paper from one of the below services stating your name, address and details of carer arrangements:
- General Practitioner (GP)
- Merton Social Services
About the vehicle
You will need to provide images of:
- the vehicle’s V5C log book (DVLA registration document) showing that you have been the Registered Keeper since 11 September 2022 or earlier,
and - valid vehicle insurance certificate
You must also provide:
- one image showing the whole rear of the vehicle including clearly legible number plate of the vehicle
- the “vehicle identification number” which is 17 digits long. You can find this on your V5C logbook labelled "VIN/Chassis/Frame No", stamped into the chassis of the vehicle, or on or near your dashboard.
Stage 2 Evidence:
Once your application has been approved and you have scrapped your vehicle, you will need to provide us with the evidence.
If you've scrapped a vehicle, you need to upload an image of the Certificate of Destruction issued by an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). This must be dated after the date of the letter we send you confirming your eligibility for the scheme.
In stage 2, we will ask you for your bank details to make the grant payment. Once approved, your payment will be made by electronic bank transfer.
Apply now
Stage 1: Check and apply online
Stage 2: Submit evidence of scrappage
Follow the link and instructions in your stage 1 approval email to send us evidence of scrappage.
Your benefits and tax status may be affected
Some low income, means-tested benefits are affected by the amount of money you have in savings. The ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme grant payment may be treated as savings for any means-tested benefits you claim. If this grant payment is treated as savings, and takes you over the permitted savings limit, your benefit claims may be affected. Find out more about this and how benefits can be affected by lump sum payouts. Merton Council will have no liability to you if the ULEZ car and motorcycle scrappage scheme grant payment affects any means-tested benefits you receive.
Applying with a private (personalised) plate
If you are applying to scrap a vehicle that has a private (personalised) number plate, you will need to provide the private plate details when entering your number plate (Vehicle Registration Mark) in the application form, so that we can validate your vehicle make and model. If you receive a confirmation of eligibility letter from us, you should remove your private plate and then scrap your vehicle.
Disclaimer, terms and conditions
The scheme has limited funds and operates on a first come, first served basis. We may review how this scheme is operating (such as length of the scheme, eligibility checks, grant payment options and more) and make changes when necessary.