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The most scrapped vehicle in 2024 was the Ford Focus, new findings reveal.
Scrap Car Comparison data shows the Focus accounted for 6.3 per cent of all vehicles scrapped last year, two percentage points more than in 2023, as a higher proportion of blue oval-branded family hatchbacks were crushed.
While the Focus was the car sent to the motor graveyard most frequently in 2024, the Vauxhall Astra and Vauxhall Corsa were frequently discarded, coming in second and third respectively.
Many of the models that ended up on the scrapheap most frequently last year were sold in large numbers between 2000 and 2010.
And with the average age of cars scrapped by Scrap Car Comparison in 2024 being 17 years old, it may now be unviable to keep many of them on the roads due to high repair costs.
Here’s a countdown of the 10 most scrapped cars of 2024:
10.Volkswagen Polo
In last place is the VW Polo, which represented 1.7% of the total cars scrapped.
Last but not least, the VW Polo was the tenth most scrapped car.
Of all the scrapped models, the Polo accounted for 1.7 percent of the cars.
The German car giant, which is the UK’s best-selling car brand, is the third most scrapped carmaker of all, with 7.2 per cent of the total share sent to scrapyards in 2024, figures show .
9.Peugeot 207
The penultimate place is occupied by the Peugeot 207, which replaces the BMW 3 Series in last year’s ranking.
The Peugeot 207 was the ninth most scrapped car between January and December last year, with 2 percent of the year’s total scrapping.
Since last year, the Volkswagen Polo and the Peugeot 207 have replaced the Ford Transit and the BMW 3 Series in the positions of most scrapped models by share.
8. Mini Hatch (Cooper/One)
The Mini Hatch, a beloved automotive hero in Britain, was the eighth most scrapped car of 2024
In 2024, 2.2 percent of all scrapped cars were Mini Hatches made by BMW.
Having been reintroduced to the market by the German car giant in 2001, this is the era of the cars that most often became unsuitable for the road and were sold for scrap last year.
The comparison site says the Mini Hatch was the eighth most scrapped car.
7. Opel Zafira
The Vauxhall Zafira is the third Vauxhall model to appear in the top 10, taking seventh place.
The seventh most scrapped car was the Vauxhall Zafira minivan.
The Zafira ‘B’ models (like the one in the photo) suffered a high volume of fires in recent years. The DVSA found that the main cause of its fire was a poorly repaired thermal fuse in the heating and ventilation system, which could affect around 234,938 vehicles.
Despite many of them being wrecked over the years, a 2.3 per cent proportion of scrapyards puts the Vauxhall MPV in the list of the 10 most commonly wrecked engines in 2024.
6.Renault Clio
The Renault Clio was the sixth most scrapped car last year, but Renault as a brand was the fifth most scrapped, one place more than last year.
The Renault Clio was the sixth most scrapped car last year.
The French supermini accounted for 2.5 percent of scrappage, the same amount as the car in fifth place.
Overall, Renault accounted for 5.9 percent of all scrapped cars, ranking fifth in the ranking of automakers.
Renault has seen a steady rise on manufacturers’ scrapping lists, rising from sixth to fifth place over the past 12 months. This is a trend that Scrap Car Comparison says could continue for years to come.
5.Volkswagen Golf
The Golf was the fifth most scrapped car. This is no surprise given its immense popularity.
Completing the top five of the most scrapped cars of 2024 is the Volkswagen Golf.
The evergreen family hatchback contributed 2.5 percent to all cars scrapped last year.
With its fifth position, the Golf completes a classification that has remained very constant over recent years.
Like the Ford Focus, Golf and the rest of the top five, all variants of this stalwart car sold in large numbers between 2000 and 2010.
4.Ford Fiesta
Ford’s second entry into the top five, this time with the Fiesta. The hatchback was the fourth most scrapped car in 2024
Ford’s first entry in the top five is the Fiesta.
Around 4.4 per cent of all cars scrapped were Fiestas, contributing to Ford being the second most scrapped car brand last year.
When Ford ends production of this much-loved model, which remains the most common car on Britain’s roads, in June 2023, the volume of used models will begin to decline.
This could cause the percentage of Fiesta scrapped to decrease slightly in the coming years.
3.Vauxhall Corsa
Combine the Vauxhall Corsa’s 4.8% scrappage rate with that of the Astra and it becomes clear why Vauxhall was the most scrapped car brand in 2024.
Just ahead of its biggest rival, the Vauxhall Corsa supermini was the third most scrapped car last year.
Of all the car models scrapped, the Corsa represented 4.8 percent of the total that ended up on the pile.
In total, 17.8 percent of all cars scrapped between January and December were Opels, according to the comparison website.
As a result, the affordable British brand displaced Ford as the most scrapped automaker.
2.Vauxhall Astra
5.6% of all cars scrapped last year were Vauxhall Astras, making it the second most frequently scrapped car.
For the second year in a row, the Vauxhall Astra is the second most scrapped car in Britain.
The Astra accounted for 5.6 percent of all scrapped cars, according to Scrap Car Comparison’s own data.
The brand, which is now owned by Stellantis, is the most scrapped car brand of all in 2024.
1. Ford Focus
For the eighth consecutive year, the Ford Focus is the most scrapped car of the year according to Scrap Car Comparison’s own scrapping data.
Scrap Car Comparison’s processing of car makes and models between January and December 2024 found that the Ford Focus was the most scrapped car of the year.
Accounting for 6.3 percent of all scrapped cars in 2024, it was the most scrapped car for the eighth consecutive year.
There could be a good reason for this, though: Having debuted in 1998, the Focus topped the best-seller list for much of the 2000s, and hundreds of thousands of Focuses will reach the end of their lives 20 years later.
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