Car scrappage scheme reaches half-way pointTime's running out for scrappage buyers

11 August 2009

Government money for the scrappage scheme is running out

More than half of the government money set aside for the car scrappage scheme has already been used up, new figures show.

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Nearly 155,000 new cars have been ordered through the scrappage scheme since mid-April, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said, and new-car registrations are now up for the first time since April 2008.

Government funding for the scrappage scheme is capped at £300m, so consumers looking to take advantage of it will need to act quickly. To see if you’re eligible, read our expert guide to the scrappage incentive scheme.

New car orders

Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business said: ‘I'm pleased that we have already achieved over 150,000 new car orders. This is a great deal for manufacturers and dealers, not to mention the customers.

‘The scheme has contributed to the 13.5% jump in car manufacturing and the first growth in new car registrations since April 2008.’

On average, new cars bought under the scheme emit 25% less CO2 than the old models they replace. This puts the average annual road tax bill of scrappage buyers at just £120 a year. But some models proving popular under the scheme, such as the Ford Fiesta Econetic, are completely exempt from road tax charges.

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