Although the number of junk cars has declined, more than 150,000 vehicles remain registered in Estonia that are either sitting unused or no longer exist.
At the beginning of the year, there were 225,290 unused vehicles in Estonia. That number has since fallen to 158,274. It will decline further on November 1 when vehicles that have been out of use for more than seven years will be automatically removed from the vehicle register.
"On November 1, the Transport Administration will automatically remove from the register vehicles whose registrations have been suspended for seven years. In simple terms, these are vehicles you haven't used on the road. If you don't take action, we'll remove the vehicle from the register. If the vehicle still exists and you want to start using it again, you'll have to pay a registration fee. Depending on the vehicle's engine power, that could run into thousands of euros under the current motor vehicle tax rules," said Siim Sarapuu, director of the Transport Administration's traffic division.
A vehicle can be temporarily removed from the register for two years. If the owner fails to do so and simply leaves the car sitting in their yard, they will have to start paying motor vehicle tax next year.
Another important change affects car owners whose vehicles are still registered but no longer physically exist. Rather than paying motor vehicle tax, these owners should remove their phantom vehicles from the register. They can still do so for €15 until the end of this year, but the fee will rise to €800 next year.
Abandoned vehicles remain a major problem in Tallinn, although there are signs of improvement.
"I wouldn't say the problem has gone away. It's still there. Previously, the process took time and people held out hope that their vehicles might be put back into use or something along those lines. But this year, people have been noticeably more willing to give them up. They either donate the vehicles to us or arrange for their disposal themselves," said Šahrijar Abdullajev, chief inspector for Lasnamäe at Tallinn's Municipal Police Department (Mupo).
"About 9,300 certificates of destruction have been issued this year. That's actually a couple of hundred fewer than last year. Last year, vehicles could be removed from the register without paying a state fee, so I believe people took preventive action and dealt with their junk cars early. Those who didn't get around to it last year are still dealing with them now," said Siim Sellik, executive director of the Estonian Association of Car Dismantlers.
Scrapping an average old passenger car brings in between €200 and €300.
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