Area guide · M40 corridor
How to scrap a car along the M40 corridor
The M40 links London and Birmingham through Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. The towns and villages strung along it share one thing: the motorway is their quickest way anywhere, including to a recycling facility.
The motorway begins at Denham, where it takes over from the A40, and runs to the M42 south of Birmingham. Its first section opened in the late 1960s; the long extension from Oxford to Birmingham was completed in 1991. Along the way it climbs through the Chilterns at Stokenchurch, passes Thame and Bicester, and crosses Warwickshire to Leamington and Warwick.
Buckinghamshire Council became a single unitary authority in 2020, so everywhere from Gerrards Cross to Stokenchurch now comes under one council. Further north, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire each keep a county council with district councils beneath it.
Chiltern villages
Between junctions 3 and 6 the motorway passes through the Chilterns, a protected landscape of beech woods and steep valleys. Villages there often have narrow lanes, sharp bends and little on-street parking. If your car is kept somewhere like that, the driver will be glad of directions and a note about the turning space.
Junction by junction
Collection drivers think in junctions along this route. Telling them the nearest one, whether J4 for High Wycombe, J8 for Wheatley or J15 for Warwick, along with the postcode, makes planning straightforward and keeps the time window tight.
the M40 corridor at a glance
- Councils
- Buckinghamshire Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Warwickshire County Council, District councils along the route
- Main roads
- M40 (J1 to J16), A40, A404, A418, A41, A43, A46
- Clean air rules
- No clean air zone along the corridor charges private cars, though Oxford's Zero Emission Zone pilot is nearby.
- Postcode areas
- HP, SL, OX, CV, B
Local guides
Towns and villages in the M40 corridor
Each local guide covers the council, the roads and anything particular about scrapping a car there.
Also covering
- Gerrards Cross
- Loudwater
- Lane End
- Watlington
- Tetsworth
- Ardley
- Gaydon
- Bishop's Tachbrook
- Wooburn Green
- Flackwell Heath
- Lewknor
Questions
Scrapping a car in the M40 corridor
Short, straight answers. The guides go into more depth.
Do I need to be near a motorway junction for free collection?
No. Collection is free wherever the car is. The junction just helps the driver plan the route.
Which council covers Stokenchurch now?
Buckinghamshire Council, the unitary authority created in 2020.
Who tells the DVLA that the car has been scrapped?
You should. Use the DVLA's online service with the 11-digit reference from your logbook, or send the yellow section by post. Without that step the car stays linked to you, and the DVLA can fine you up to £1,000.
Does collection cost anything?
Nothing. The recovery truck comes free of charge, and turning the offer down costs nothing either.
Scrap your car in the M40 corridor
Start with the registration and postcode. A licensed buyer covering your area comes back with an offer, and collection is free.