by Dominic Sacco

A scrapping scheme which could give buyers £2,000 towards a new car has been backed today by the UK motoring press.

Magazine editors and website publishers are urging the Government to support demands to stimulate new car sales.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) proposed the ‘Scrappage Incentive Scheme,’ which is already active in several European countries.

Under the proposed scheme, the Government will pay owners of cars over nine years old £2,000 towards the cost of buying a new car if they agree to scrap their old vehicle.

View ten old cars which could be eligible for scrapping:

Find out more about the scrapping scheme in our complete guide

The scheme aims to replace older, more polluting cars with safer, cleaner and reliable new vehicles.

Owners of older cars will also have the incentive of receiving £2,000 for their old car towards the cost of a new one.

Scrappage Incentive Schemes in other countries have already seen consumer confidence increase in the new car market.

In February, Germany’s new car sales rose 21 per cent following the introduction of a scrapping scheme. Sales figures have been equally impressive in France.

Publishers of Autocar, What Car?, PistonHeads, Evecars.com, Auto Express, Evo and iMotor are now calling on the Government to urgently implement a similar Scrappage Incentive Scheme in the UK.

They believe the scheme will help the consumer, retailer and its workforce beat the recession, and are urging motorists to join the campaign for “a better deal for the car buyer.”

You can register your support for the UK scrapping scheme at number10.gov.uk

Would you like £2k for your old car? Have your say on the Auto Trader Blog