Price data · 11 October 2026·Cars & garages
Car battery scrap price UK
A dead car battery is 60-70% lead by weight, and lead is one of the few scrap prices that holds up. Yards pay per kilo or a flat rate per unit. The table below turns today's UK lead-battery price into a value for each common battery size.
Worth today
LatestStandard car battery (60-75 Ah)
£2.86–£3.68
per battery, at 14–18 kg × £0.20/kg (Lead Batteries)
UK yard average. Your yard will differ by region, load size and how clean the metal is.
What each type is worth
Weight × today's grade price
Typical weights from manufacturer data and yard experience. The value column is that weight multiplied by today's UK average for the grade a yard would pay it as.
Standard car battery (60-75 Ah)
Most petrol hatchbacks and saloons
Weight14–18 kg
£2.86–£3.68
Large / diesel / 4x4 (90-110 Ah)
Includes most AGM and EFB stop-start batteries
Weight20–26 kg
£4.08–£5.31
How yards grade car battery
Every lead-acid battery, whether flooded, AGM, EFB or gel, goes in as the lead batteries grade. It is priced on gross weight with the acid and the plastic case included, because the recycler recovers the lead, neutralises the acid and pelletises the polypropylene. Lithium batteries from hybrids and EVs are not scrap lead: most yards will not take them at all, and the ones that do route them to a specialist for a fee rather than a payment.
Getting the best price
- Keep batteries upright and tape the terminals. Yards will not take a battery that is leaking onto their floor.
- Do not drain the acid or break the case open. You get nothing extra for the lead plates and you create hazardous waste.
- Batch them. One battery is worth a few pounds; ten from a garage or a fleet is a worthwhile trip.
- Check the yard pays per kilo. A flat rate per unit undervalues heavy diesel and leisure batteries.
- Cracked cases go in a plastic tray or a bag. Some yards deduct for wet, dirty batteries.
The rules
- Lead-acid batteries are hazardous waste. They cannot go in household bins or skips, and under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 any shop selling car batteries must take old ones back free of charge.
- Only a licensed scrap metal dealer or an Approved Battery Treatment Operator can pay you for them, and payment must be by bank transfer or cheque under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. Cash offers are illegal.
- A yard must record your ID for every sale, the same as any other scrap.
Got some to sell?
Get a quote from a licensed yard near you
Tell us roughly how much you have and your postcode. We offer it to licensed dealers near you, and the first one that wants it contacts you direct. Free, and payment is always by bank transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a scrap car battery worth in the UK?
A standard car battery weighs 14-18 kg and is paid at the lead-battery rate per kilo, so a single battery is worth a few pounds and a batch of ten from a garage is a meaningful sum. The table on this page shows today's figure for each size.
Do scrap yards pay for car batteries?
Yes. Almost every licensed UK scrap metal dealer buys lead-acid batteries, either per kilo or at a flat rate per unit. Payment is by bank transfer, never cash.
Can I scrap a hybrid or electric car battery?
Not at a normal scrap yard. Lithium-ion packs need a specialist recycler and usually cost money to dispose of rather than earning it. The 12 V auxiliary battery in a hybrid is still lead-acid and can be scrapped as normal.
Is it worth removing the lead from a car battery before scrapping it?
No. Yards price the whole battery on gross weight, and opening one releases sulphuric acid and lead dust. It is dangerous, illegal to dump, and earns nothing extra.
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