Classic and older vehicles are once again under threat, with the news that Renault has relaunched its scrappage scheme.
Any car or light commercial vehicle, from any manufacturer, is eligible for up to £5000 off the price of a new Renault providing it was registered before December 31, 2011 and has been in the current owner’s name for at least 90 days. The scheme savings can then be put towards any of Renault’s range, with £1000 offered off the price of the Megane and Scenic range, right up to £5000 off the all-electric ZOE model. The scheme will run until January 7.
Crucially though, Renault says that any scrapped car will be permanently taken off the road. But though that rightly rings alarm bells amongst enthusiasts, it doesn’t necessarily mean the floodgates will open for classics to be scrapped. Renault’s Product and Corporate Communications Manager James Bolton said: “We do have to scrap the car if the customer would like to take advantage of the scrappage offer. But in instances where there is value in the car then the customer is advised to take advantage of one of Renault’s other attractive offers. That’s because Renault is proud of its heritage and we wouldn’t want to scrap a car that we considered to be of potential interest to owners’ clubs.”
While a step in the right direction compared to previous schemes (with the exception of Vauxhall, which offered a similar ‘safety net’ last year), this does still rely on the discretion and knowledge of the individual dealer. Established classics may well be spotted, but what about modern classics that are at a low point on the value curve and are just on the point of being interesting? Here’s hoping they are spotted and removed from the system before they are lost forever.
Renault’s new scheme has led to fear that cars on the cusp of becoming collectable will be scrapped.
