Focus is UK’s most-scrapped ELV

The most scrapped car in the UK in 2025 was the Ford Focus, a measure of its popularity in the first two decades of this century.

The car has now held the UK’s top spot for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) for 10 years. The proportion of scrapped Ford Focus’ scrapped had been increasing year on year until it plateaued in 2024 and decreased its share in 2025.

17.5 years’ average

According to used car sales company CarTakeBack, the average age of an ELV was 17.5 years, with the most common fuel type being petrol. Petrol cars made up 59% of the vehicles scrapped in 2025, while 40% were diesel and the remaining 1% covered hybrid and electric vehicles.

Ford features three times in the top ten with the Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo. Vauxhall holds the most positions with the Corsa, Astra, Zafira and Insignia. The remaining three places taken by the Renault Clio, Peugeot 207 and Citroën C3. The oldest average age is the Clio at 18 years. The most occurring colours are silver, blue and black.