BMW 3 Series Among The Most Scrapped Cars In The UK In 2022

As cars age and don’t receive proper maintenance, they become more vulnerable to facing the crusher. It’s especially true in the case of mainstream models that are more likely to be used for the sole purpose of serving as a means of transportation. While some cherish their vehicles even if they’re not performance versions or other special derivatives, the reality is the vast majority of owners are not enthusiasts.

A new list shows the most scrapped cars of 2022 in the United Kingdom, and for the first time, it has a BMW. Specifically, the 3 Series ranked sixth among the models that often ended up as salvage vehicles in the UK. Scrap Car Comparison has been conducting this study since 2017 and notes there has never been a BMW on the list before. Data shows BMW 3 Series popularity peaked in the UK back in 2014 when there were no fewer than 671,000 cars on the road.

Interestingly, MINI also appears in the top 10 for the very first time. The hardtop version (One / Cooper) was the eighth most-scrapped car in the UK last year. Being a British brand at heart, it goes without saying they’re everywhere on British roads. Scrap Car Comparison says 856,000 MINIs were registered as of the middle of last year.

The analysis also includes a breakdown of the automakers that had the most vehicles taken off British roads in 2022. BMW ended the year in sixth place mainly because of the 3 Series as the number of scrapped cars was higher than the 1 Series, 5 Series, and X5 models combined.

If you’re wondering what happens to these cars at their end of the life cycle, UK legislation introduced in 2015 calls for 95% of a vehicle’s weight to be recycled, much like in countries from the European Union.

Source: Scrap Car Comparison