Does Car Brand Matter When Scrapping? Here’s the Truth

Introduction

Most people consider recycling or scrapping the car when it has reached the end of its life. However, have you ever considered whether your car’s brand affects how much you’ll get paid? Many people assume that being a premium brand would mean it would fetch a higher price on the scrap market. To some degree, the brand does matter (although not in the way many would think).

Brand and model matter far less than weight, metal composition, location, and market demand—all of which significantly influence scrap value. This article will clarify many myths. We will explore how car scrap yards establish a scrap car value, what parts hold value, and how you can get the most money for your car.

What Do Scrap Yards Pay For?

When scrap yards see your car, their immediate thoughts are not what a dealer may think. They don’t view your vehicle as a trade-in; they view it as raw materials: steel, aluminum, copper, plastic, and rubber. The first thing they consider is weight. Steel gets the most attention, since a vehicle contains 65-75% steel. Scrap yards look at the price of metal on the commodity market and multiply that by the tonnage of your car, and that is what they will give you. Things such as the air-conditioning lines or the wiring will add some copper and aluminum as value.

Pricing of Metal Vs Brand Names

If you take two vehicles with similar weights – a Honda Civic and a Mercedes C-Class – the junkyard treats them the same. What matters is the price per ton of steel/aluminum. For example, if scrap steel has a value of $250 per ton, and your car weighs 1.5 tons, your initial scrap value is $375 for the steel alone.

Then add for the other metals, such as aluminum wheels, copper wiring, catalytic converters, and batteries. A Mercedes with a similar weight to a Dodge Caravan will also get a similar scrap price for the steel. Prestige does not make a difference in what the yard will pay you. They only care about the raw material we sell them, not the badge on the hood.

Weight of The Car

Heavier vehicles will have more metal, leading to heavier paydays. SUVs, trucks, and large sedans usually make more even from mass alone. You can even have a basic old brand that weighs a lot and still makes a fair, respectable amount. On the contrary, compact cars weigh less, which yields a lower overall price. So the weight of the vehicle’s body and chassis outweighs whether it is a luxury brand or an economy brand.

Also Read: How Non-Metallic Car Parts Are Recycled and Repurposed for a Greener Future

Valuable Components That Matter More Than Brand

Scrap yards may deduct value for the labor needed to extract reusable components, and some parts add value outside of pure metal weight:

• • Catalytic converter
    These contain platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Prices fluctuate but can be worth $200–$2500, depending on the year and engine. Some scrapyards even purchase catalytic converters separately due to their high value.
  • Alloy wheels
    An alloy set can fetch more than plain steel wheels.
  • Battery
    Lead-acid batteries get recycled for lead and plastic, often paid by weight.
  • Air-conditioning lines and radiators
    Aluminum and copper pipes bring premiums.
    

Scrap Prices Change by Region and Market Demand

Prices for scrap cars will vary depending on where you live in Canada. For example, junkyards in larger cities like Toronto, Ajax, Scarborough, and Mississauga often pay higher prices because they have quick access to large recyclers and export markets.

Price variations can be attributed to regional factors such as:

• • The distance of steel mills
  • The demand for certain metals
  • Export ports (such as Vancouver and Halifax) 
  • seasonal changes in demand (such as spring scrap drives and winter slowdowns)

Do Luxury or Rare Brands Ever Affect Scrap Value?

Most of the time, no, but there are small exceptions. Some high-end or rare cars might have parts with resale value before scrapping. For example:

• • A Mercedes-Benz catalytic converter might fetch more than one from a basic Chevrolet because of its size and higher precious metal content.
  • Certain BMW or Audi components, like alloy rims, turbochargers, or high-performance brakes, can sometimes be pulled and resold before the car is crushed.

Hybrid and Electric Cars: Higher Value in Some Cases

Hybrid and electric vehicles, like the Toyota Prius or Chevy Volt, sometimes bring higher scrap payouts due to:

• • Larger batteries (recyclable for metals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt)
  • More copper wiring
  • Aluminum body panels
    

The Canadian Laws Around Car Scrapping

In Canada, scrapping vehicles comes with legal rules:

• • Ownership must be transferred to the yard.
  • Fluids like oil, gas, and coolant must be drained safely.
  • A Certificate of Destruction (COD) is issued in some provinces, like Ontario.

Yards have to follow strict environmental regulations when breaking down vehicles. This affects processing costs and can slightly reduce your payout, especially if your car is missing valuable parts.

How to Get the Best Scrap Price for Your Car in Toronto?

If you are scrapping a car and want top value, here’s what you should do:

• • Get quotes from multiple yards. Prices can vary by hundreds of dollars.
  • Remove and sell valuable parts separately.
  • Check current scrap metal rates on various portals or local scrap yard listings update rates regularly.
  • Deliver the car yourself if possible. Yards often pay less if they pick up the vehicle.

Conclusion

In the end, while the brand of your vehicle may have some effect on the resellable parts value, it has almost no effect on its base scrap value. Most of what you will get paid will be based on: weight, metal contents, workable parts, and dealer demand. If you wish to scrap a car for money in the Greater Toronto Area, consider a reputable, environmentally-friendly recycling company like Greenway Auto Recycling. 

We provide speedy and free scrap car removal services. We offer competitive prices and will handle the paperwork on your behalf! We at Greenway Auto Recycling purchase vehicles of any brand, condition, and size; whether it is a crusty Honda or a dunked BMW. Call us at (416) 783-9026 today, and get the best, and turn your old clunker into cash the right way.