An EV drive unit holds copper windings at 10 to 15 percent of motor weight, an aluminium housing and a steel core. Some also hold rare earth magnets, but several manufacturers build magnet-free designs. A working unit sold as a part beats every metal route by a wide margin.
Two metals, two stories
The copper is straightforward. It is there, it is measurable, and it prices like copper.
The magnets are not straightforward at all. They may be worth hundreds, they may be worth nothing, and on some motors they are not present.
So the first job is not weighing anything. It is finding out which motor you have.
Copper per motor, weighed
Electric motor scrap value ev buyers quote starts with copper share, and published figures let you estimate before opening anything.
- Windings generally: 10 to 15 percent of total motor weight.
- AC motors: 7 to 9 percent copper by weight.
- DC motors: 15 to 18 percent.
- Fractional motors: 9 to 10 percent.
- Steel: around 90 percent of the remaining mass.
A worked example from a recycler: a 40 pound motor with copper windings yields roughly 6 pounds of recoverable copper. Scale that to a traction motor and the ev motor copper weight becomes meaningful rather than trivial.
One identification step first, because it decides whether the exercise is worth starting. Aluminium windings exist, and they are worth considerably less. Scratch a winding with a file: copper shows reddish, aluminium shows white.
Modern traction motors increasingly use hairpin stator copper, rectangular bar conductors rather than round wire, which packs more copper into the same slot. That is good for recovery mass and awkward for hand stripping, since the bars are formed and welded rather than wound loosely.
Today's rates
Route or component Basis Notes Value today (USD) Measurement What the figure is based on What changes it Computed from the live rate unless marked a reference Working drive unit, used part Per unit Reuse market beats every metal route $400 to $2,500 Magnet-bearing rotor to a specialist Per unit Only where magnets are present; plant-scale buyers $100 to $400 Copper windings, 10 to 15 percent of weight 15 to 30 lb recovered A 40 lb motor yields about 6 lb of copper $87 to $174 Aluminium housing 40 to 90 lb Cast housing once stripped $35 to $78 Steel laminations and shaft 90 percent of remaining mass Shred grade $15 to $30 Whole unit as mixed scrap 150 to 300 lb The outcome to avoid $25 to $90
The magnets: valuable, stranded
Here is the correction that most guides miss, and it matters before you plan anything.
Not every EV motor contains rare earth magnets. Several major manufacturers have moved to magnet-free designs:
- BMW uses externally excited synchronous motors in its fifth-generation eDrive, with no rare earths, running to around 30,000 rpm.
- Renault and Nissan use wound rotor synchronous motors, which also avoid permanent magnets.
- Tesla and others have published trade-off strategies for moving away from neodymium iron boron magnets.
Where ndfeb magnets in ev motors are present, they sit on or inside the rotor and are genuinely valuable. Recyclers describe traction motor magnets as worth hundreds of dollars per unit.
But the recovery is industrial. Specialist facilities report 99.8 percent efficiency in rare earth recovery from EV motor magnets, using demagnetisation and mechanical milling to produce reusable powder, controlled acid dissolution to separate neodymium and dysprosium, or hydrometallurgical processing of mixed motor waste.
None of those is a garage process. The neodymium magnet page works through what happens when an individual tries to sell magnets directly, and the short answer is that the market exists but is not built for household quantities.
So the pm motor vs induction scrap distinction is real, but it changes who your buyer is rather than whether you can cash in yourself.
Whole drive unit resale: the third door
This is where the money actually is, and it follows the same pattern as every other major component on this site.
A working drive unit is a part, not a lump of metal. Salvage ev motor resale and drive unit core buyers price on application and condition, and a functional unit is worth many times its copper and aluminium combined.
That matters more on EVs than on conventional cars for a specific reason: replacement drive units are expensive, the vehicles are relatively new, and the used parts supply is thin. The same logic the alternator core page sets out applies with more force here.
So the order of operations is: test whether it turns and responds, quote it as a part, and only fall back to metal if no buyer exists.
The shipping problem
A practical obstacle that catches people out, and even enthusiastic sources lead with it.
Traction motors are heavy. One rare earth recycler's own guidance is to weigh what you can get for the motor against what it costs to ship, and warns plainly that transport can outweigh the sale price at a local recycling centre.
That is the same threshold problem the oxygen sensor page describes at small scale, appearing here at large scale for the opposite reason: not because the item is too small, but because it is too heavy.
If you have one motor and no local specialist, the honest answer is often to sell the whole vehicle rather than the unit.
Induction vs permanent magnet motors, and what the housing is worth
The unglamorous two thirds of the assembly.
The aluminium housing is cast and substantial, and grades as cast aluminium once separated from steel fittings, subject to the same irony downgrade the engine block page covers.
The steel laminations and shaft make up around 90 percent of what remains after copper, and an ev drive unit scrap sale on weight alone is mostly this material at shred rate. They are the majority of the weight and a minority of the value, which is the usual pattern.
EV motor prices around the world
Copper and aluminium settle in US dollars, so the metal in a drive unit is worth the same everywhere. Currency and local buyer depth are what change.
Market Equivalent range Local market note United States $15.00 to 2,500 Deepest buyer pool. Even within the US, state to state runs $50 to $60 per ton apart. United Kingdom £10.65 to 1,775 Strong processing capacity. Battery and PGM material reported 20 to 40 percent above thin markets. Canada C$20.12 to 3,354 Similar structure to the US; thinner in the prairies and the north. Australia A$19.77 to 3,296 Good coastal capacity, long hauls inland. Distance is the main discount. Germany €13.17 to 2,196 Dense processing and strict documentation. Good grades pay well; paperwork matters. India ₹1,305 to 217,459 Large volume, but black mass export restrictions have compressed local payables. Bangladesh ৳1,623 to 270,441 Ferrous depth is good. Specialist converter, PGM and battery buyers are scarce. United Arab Emirates AED52.33 to 8,722 Re-export hub with real processing depth. Among the better-paying markets outside the West. Saudi Arabia SAR52.31 to 8,719 Growing capacity; specialist PGM and battery buyers still limited. Turkey ₺755.98 to 125,997 Major ferrous importer, so steel grades hold up better than non-ferrous here. South Africa R203.46 to 33,910 Reported below UAE and UK on battery material; processing infrastructure is the constraint. China CN¥98.78 to 16,463 Aggressive bidder on imported battery material; 2026 recycling rules moved payables down.
Treat these as an anchor rather than a local quote. Magnet recovery and drive unit resale both depend on specialist infrastructure that exists in some markets and not others.
Questions people actually ask
"Does my EV motor have rare earth magnets in it?"
Not necessarily. BMW's fifth-generation eDrive uses externally excited synchronous motors with no rare earths, and Renault and Nissan use wound rotor designs. Check the manufacturer and motor type before assuming.
"What is a tesla motor scrap price?"
As metal, it is copper plus aluminium plus steel like any traction motor. As a working part it is worth far more, because used drive units are scarce and replacements are expensive. Quote it as a part first.
"Can I sell the magnets myself?"
Realistically no. Recovery uses demagnetisation and milling, acid dissolution or hydrometallurgical processing at plant scale. Individual quantities have no practical route to those buyers.
Common mistakes
- Assuming every EV motor contains rare earth magnets, when several manufacturers build magnet-free designs.
- Scrapping a working drive unit, when used units are scarce and replacements expensive.
- Failing the file test and treating aluminium windings as copper.
- Shipping a heavy motor to a distant buyer without checking whether freight exceeds the payment.
- Expecting to extract and sell magnets personally, when recovery is a plant-scale chemical process.
- Sending the aluminium housing in with steel fittings attached, which drops it to an irony grade.
- Treating hairpin stator copper as easy to strip. It packs more copper in and resists hand recovery.
Figures on this page are indicative buyer references rather than futures-linked rates. Copper, aluminium and steel rows are computed from the site's tracked benchmarks; magnet and resale values are published market references and vary sharply by application and region.
Frequently asked questions
What is EV motor scrap value today?
As metal it is copper windings at 10 to 15 percent of motor weight, a cast aluminium housing and a steel core making up around 90 percent of the remaining mass. Sold as mixed scrap a traction motor brings modest money; sold as a working part it is worth many times more.
How much copper is in an EV motor?
Windings generally run 10 to 15 percent of total motor weight, with AC motors at 7 to 9 percent and DC motors at 15 to 18 percent. A recycler's worked example puts a 40 pound motor with copper windings at roughly 6 pounds of recoverable copper.
Do all EV motors contain rare earth magnets?
No, and this is the common misconception. BMW's fifth-generation eDrive uses externally excited synchronous motors with no rare earths, and Renault and Nissan use wound rotor synchronous motors. Check the manufacturer and motor type before assuming magnets are present.
Can I sell the magnets from an EV motor?
Not practically as an individual. Recovery uses demagnetisation and mechanical milling to produce reusable powder, controlled acid dissolution to separate neodymium and dysprosium, or hydrometallurgical processing. Specialist plants report 99.8 percent recovery efficiency, but none of that is accessible at household scale.
What is a Tesla motor scrap price?
As metal it grades like any traction motor: copper, aluminium and steel by weight. As a working used part it is worth considerably more, because used drive units are scarce and replacement units expensive. Test and quote it as a part before considering scrap.
How do I tell copper windings from aluminium ones?
Scratch a winding with a file. Copper shows a reddish colour, aluminium appears white. Aluminium windings exist and are worth substantially less, so this ten-second check decides whether stripping is worth starting.
What is hairpin stator copper?
Rectangular bar conductors used instead of round wire in many modern traction motors. They pack more copper into the same slot, which raises recoverable mass, but they are formed and welded rather than loosely wound, which makes hand stripping harder.
Is it worth shipping an EV motor to a recycler?
Check the freight first. Traction motors are heavy, and even rare earth recyclers advise weighing the sale price against transport cost, warning that shipping can exceed what a local recycling centre pays. With one motor and no local specialist, selling the whole vehicle is often better.
What is the pm motor vs induction scrap difference?
Permanent magnet motors contain rare earth magnets that specialist recyclers want, while induction and wound rotor motors do not. The distinction changes which buyer you approach rather than whether you personally can realise the magnet value.
Who are drive unit core buyers?
Specialist used parts dealers and rebuilders serving EV repair, which is a thinner market than the conventional core trade but a growing one. They price on application and condition, so a unit that turns and responds is worth quoting before anything is dismantled.