Thousands of untaxed cars to be auctioned instead of scrapped
In a landmark deal, announced today, quality cars seized on behalf of the DVLA for road tax evasion will no longer be automatically scrapped, but will be auctioned off instead.
NSL Ltd on behalf of the DVLA seizes more than 100,000 untaxed vehicles every year. They are held at impound yards around the UK for up to 14 days. Until now, all vehicles that are not claimed within that time have been sent to the crusher, regardless of their value.
Following a successful eight-month trial, Newport Auctions, an independent auction house in south Wales, has now scooped the nationwide contract to save the most valuable vehicles from the scrap heap.
Starting on Tuesday 7 July, the fortnightly auction will feature approximately 150 of their most valuable cars, motorbikes and commercial vehicles.
Jon Collingbourne, managing director for Newport Auctions, says that this will be great news for those who cannot afford a new car or bike, and a real shot in the arm for the UK’s used vehicle market.
“When we started the trial last year, we didn’t know what to expect. Since then, we have been staggered at the quality and variety of the stock available to us,” he says.
“We have access to all makes and models, and the majority of stock is clean, tidy and less than eight years old. Each vehicle is fully valeted and supplied with a V5 document. The majority will also be supplied with a new set of keys.
“The current car scrappage scheme is all well and good for those who can afford it, but many people just want a comparatively new, good quality, clean, tidy motor. Well, that about sums up 90 per cent of the stock that we will auction.
“Obviously, many people cannot justify a trip all the way to Newport, so we have made everything available online. Our catalogues are updated continually with information and multiple photographs of each vehicle. People can review each vehicle in detail before placing an online bid.
“We...