The Government’s car scrappage scheme has got off to a flying start as the end of its first week draws to a close.

According to Hyundai, their dealers have been surprised by the array of cars which have been scrapped in exchange for more environmentally friendly i10 and i120s.

The i10 with emissions starting from 119g/km CO2 and the i20 with emissions rating from 116g/km CO2 are proving popular with motorists looking to take advantage of the scrappage scheme which gives them a £2,000 discount on a new car when they scrap a car aged 10 years or older. According to Hyundai in the first week after the scrappage scheme was announced as part of the Budget report, enquiries at the company’s dealerships shot up by 400 per cent. Under the scheme, prices start at £4,995 for a new i10 and for the i20 from just £5,995.

One Hyundai dealer was amazed to see a Jaguar XJ-S being sent to the scrapper in exchange for a new i10, while another crushed an XJ6 to make way for an i20. BMWs, Audis and Mercedes cars and vans were relatively common sights on their way to the automotive knacker’s yard (34, 22 and 32 respectively handled by Hyundai dealers this week) as were Mazda MX-5s (six in total), MGFs (seven) and several Saabs.

And it’s not just polluting vehicles, but golden oldies too which are making their way to the scrap heap. The oldest car to be traded in this week at a Hyundai dealership was a 1966 Austin 1100, closely followed by a Morris Minor, which was just two years younger. Both were said to be ‘basket cases’ and not worthy of restoration, although the scrappage rules will allow some of the parts to be used again to keep other classics on the road. An MG Midget, MGB GT, Nissan 300ZX and even a Fiat X1/9 also appear on the list.
Many of the buyers are also being reported to be using the scrappage scheme to get shot of old cars which have major mechanical faults but still have a current MoT and are therefore eligible. Rovers with head gasket problems were the most common cars turning up at Hyundai dealers on the end of a tow rope, while one 94 year-old Ashford man was late picking up his new i10 because a wheel had fallen off his Citroen on the way to the showroom!

Tony Whitehorn, Hyundai UK’s managing director, said: “Our experience shows the scrappage scheme has really caught the imagination of the car buying public. For many it is an opportunity to buy their first ever new car, and is enormously exciting. Some people look a little embarrassed when they turn up at a showroom with an old car which is literally falling to pieces but we’re happy to take anything as long as it meets the government’s criteria. Other buyers have taken the decision to wave goodbye to cars which have been in the family for a generation, but their sadness soon disappears when they get into their new Hyundai.”