What You Need To Scrap A Car In BC
Registration, photo ID and one ICBC form. Here is how it works.
Selling a car for scrap in BC takes less paper than most people expect. You show the car is yours, sign it over once you're paid, and deal with the plates and the insurance. This page covers exactly that, the way it works when we pick up a car in East Van.
- Free towing on most cars
- Same-day when a truck is free
- Paid on the spot: cash or e-Transfer
- Open 7 days
We only buy vehicles. No used parts, no boosts or roadside help.
What To Have Ready
For a car registered in your name with no loan against it, this is all you need. The rest of the page is for the cases that need a bit more.
Five things, and the driver brings the form
You sign the transfer once you've been paid, so nothing gets signed over before the money is in your hand.
- The vehicle registration, signed by everyone named on it
- Government photo ID that matches a name on the registration
- ICBC's Transfer/Tax Form (APV9T), signed after you've been paid
- Plates off the car before it's loaded
- Keys, if you still have them
Registration, Transfer Form, Plates And Insurance
Your registration is the proof
BC doesn't issue vehicle titles. The registration from your Autoplan broker is what shows the car belongs to you, and ICBC calls that form the APV250. It usually came with your insurance papers, so check the glovebox and the folder where you keep your policy.
If two people are listed, both of you sign. If the car is registered to a business, the person signing needs the authority to sell it for that company.
Lost it? The registered owner can get a replacement from any Autoplan broker. Bring photo ID, and do it before you book the pickup so the truck doesn't wait on a missing page.
Signing the Transfer/Tax Form
Every change of ownership in BC goes on ICBC's Transfer/Tax Form, the APV9T. ICBC's advice to sellers is to sign it only once the money is in hand, and that's the order we follow. The driver checks the car, you're paid, and then you sign. The driver brings the form, so there's nothing to print.
Keep your copy. It's your record that the car left your name on that day, and your broker will want to see it.
Plates and insurance
Plates belong to ICBC, not to the car, so they come off before the truck loads. Keep them for your next vehicle, or hand them in at an Autoplan broker if you won't need them.
Once the car is gone, visit an Autoplan broker to cancel the policy or move it to another vehicle. Bring your copy of the transfer form so the broker can see the car was sold.
Estates, Relatives And Company Cars
These take a little more paper. Call before booking and we'll tell you what usually works.
A parent or relative who has died
Start with ICBC's estate transfer checklist, because the papers depend on how the car was owned and whether there's a will. An executor named in the will usually signs, with the death certificate. A surviving joint owner can sign with the death certificate and the registration. For some small estates with no will, ICBC accepts a declaration form instead of a court grant. An Autoplan broker can tell you which case is yours.
A parent who is alive but can't sign
Someone holding a valid power of attorney can usually sign for them. Bring the original document and your own ID, and tell us about it when you ask for a price.
A car someone left behind
We can only buy a car from its registered owner or a person with legal authority to sell it. A car left by a tenant, a relative or a neighbour isn't yours to sell, even when it's parked on your property. Call us anyway. Sometimes the honest answer is that the next step is the City or a lawyer, not a tow truck.
A company vehicle
The registration has to be in the company's name, and the person signing needs authority to act for the business. Our post on company vehicle paperwork goes through who can sign and what to bring.
Cars With A Loan Or An ICBC Claim
Cars with a loan on them
A financed car may have a lien registered against it in BC's Personal Property Registry. A lien stays with the car, not the person, so it has to be paid out and discharged before we can buy the car. You can check for one with a serial number search using the VIN.
Nearly done paying it off? Call us and we'll set the pickup for after the final payment clears.
ICBC write-offs and damaged cars
When ICBC declares a car a total loss, it usually keeps the car. If your claim was settled and the car stayed with you, it's yours to sell and the same paperwork applies.
Flood-damaged cars are usually marked non-repairable, which means they can only go for parts and scrap. Text photos of the damage and we'll price it.
What Happens When The Truck Arrives
VIN Check
The driver checks that the VIN on the car matches the registration.
Photo ID
You show government photo ID with a name that's on the registration.
You're Paid
Cash or e-Transfer, before anything is signed.
You Sign
The registration and the Transfer/Tax Form. Keep your copy, and the car leaves for recycling.
Before the truck arrives, empty the glovebox, the trunk and the space under the seats. Take the garage or parkade fob, and delete your phone from the car's Bluetooth if the screen still works.
What You Don't Need
No safety inspection. No trip to ICBC before pickup. The car doesn't need valid insurance, because it leaves on a truck, not on its own wheels. A bill of sale isn't required in BC either. Your copy of the Transfer/Tax Form is your record of the sale.
Related: non-running car removal in East Vancouver, junk car removal in East Vancouver, and company vehicle paperwork.
Scrap Car Paperwork Questions
Do I need a title to scrap a car in BC?
No. BC doesn't issue vehicle titles. The registration, signed by everyone named on it, is the proof of ownership, along with photo ID.
Can I scrap a car if I lost the registration?
Yes, once you've replaced it. The registered owner can get a new copy from any Autoplan broker with photo ID. Do that before booking so the pickup isn't held up.
When do I sign the Transfer/Tax Form?
After you've been paid. ICBC tells sellers to sign the APV9T once the money is in hand, and that's the order we use at every pickup. The driver brings the form.
What do I do with my licence plates?
Take them off before the car is loaded. They belong to ICBC, so keep them for your next vehicle or hand them in at an Autoplan broker.
Can I sell my late father's car for scrap?
Usually, yes. Which papers you need depends on whether there's a will and how the car was owned. ICBC's estate transfer checklist sets it out, and we can talk it through before you book.
Can I scrap a car that still has a loan on it?
Not until the loan is paid out. The lender's lien stays with the car, and it has to be discharged before we can buy it.
Does the car need to be insured for you to pick it up?
No. It leaves on a truck, so it doesn't need valid insurance. If it's parked on a street or lane, though, the City doesn't allow uninsured cars there, so book soon.
Can I scrap a car ICBC wrote off?
Only if the car stayed with you after the claim, because ICBC usually keeps total-loss vehicles. If it's still yours, the same paperwork applies.
Papers Sorted?
Text a photo of the car and the year, make and model to 236-201-8504, or fill in the quote form. You'll get a price before anything is booked.