What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - Firemin

Hi

Hopefully I have posted this in the correct forum. I have done some searching but nothing necessarily helps in my situation...

My mother passed away a fortnight ago and her car is currently sitting on her driveway. I am her executor. As it stands car insurance is at the bottom of the pile for notifying of the death so I have not yet informed her insurer, although I have informed the DVLA (not sent the V5 off yet).

The car is an 06 reg Peugeot hatchback (can't recall the precise model) which is missing several bits of trim and has a large dent in one side. It was my brother's old car and I think it might have been an insurance write-off (non-economical repair) although it is now back on the road. Also, the head gasket is on its way out, so safe to say the car is probably only worth a trivial amount.

I don't know if I can be bothered with jumping through hoops organising temporary insurance cover and change of ownership to myself, especially as the plan is to take the car to Webuyanycar and see what nominal amount they can give us for it as nobody now wants the car! Can I 'dispose' of the car in this way now, or will I need to first send off the v5 to register it in my name / SORN and insure it / wait for probate etc etc?

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - brum

If you scrap IIRC you need ID and the V5 to show its your car to scrap.

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - Bromptonaut

Have you taken steps to obtain probate?

Just wonder how picky WBAC or one of the scrap vehicle outfits are about sight of the grant whendealing with an executor.

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - Firemin

Have started the long drawn out process that is probate but is likely to be weeks/months before it is granted... might give WBAC a ring and see whether they need a grant of probate, otherwise I guess I need to transfer ownership and tax it...

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - RT

Have started the long drawn out process that is probate but is likely to be weeks/months before it is granted... might give WBAC a ring and see whether they need a grant of probate, otherwise I guess I need to transfer ownership and tax it...

If the car is parked off the public highway, it can be SORN'd to avoid paying VED while you get things sorted.

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - Vitesse6

Google Freecycle and see if there is a local group. If there is then a posting on there offering the car FOC to anyone who wants it will probably see a flurry of replies and someone will come and take it away for you.

Just make sure you send of the relevant forms to DVLA so that you don't get any nasty surprises in the future.

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - bathtub tom

I bought a 'dead mans car' from his estate. No problem. You don't need to wait for probate, you can sign the relevant part of the V5 as executor I believe, without going through the change of owner procedure.

Speak to Swansea, I'm sure they've had to deal with this situation countless times.

If you put it on ebay with an honest description someone's bound to want it. It'll become the buyer's responsibility to remove it and you won't have the hassle of tax/insurance/ SORN.

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - TedCrilly

Here is a suggestion, if you dont want anything for it why not donate it to your local Technical college. They are always looking for modern(ish) cars for the students to work on, they may even arrange a collection.

Edited by TedCrilly on 26/08/2015 at 10:04

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - jc2

There are charities that will take them-also try local Fire & Rescue.

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - Cyd

It's completely free and will take about 10 minutes to list on Gumtree. Do it at Friday tea time and I'd bet it's gone by Sunday tea. Someone will get cheap transport for a few months and you'll avoid a headache. I'm assuming it's got at least some MoT?

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - martint123

www.gov.uk/tell-dvla-about-bereavement/overview

Sensitive Casework Team
DVLA
Swansea
SA99 1ZZ

They are excellent. (unlike much of dvla)

Edited by martint123 on 27/08/2015 at 16:15

What to do with a deceased's (worthless) car? - Leif

Sorry to hear about your mum. As regards the car, you might get more for it by selling it as scrap. I scrapped my Ka 3 years back and the company collected it for me, I just left the keys in an accessible place for them. It didn't need to be on the road, so no insurance required. There was a wide variation in the price given for scrap, so shop around if you take this route. I got £150.