LEZ Edinburgh – Donate car to Ukraine

If you own an old SUV, pickup truck or a van, it may help selfless men and women in Ukraine to defend their children, their homes and their country. Vehicles evacuate the wounded and to save lives.

We deliver vehicles directly to soldiers in war zones: Kharkiv, Donbas, Kherson regions. We don’t trust intermediaries in Poland, Lviv or Kyiv. All vehicles are given directly in the hands of the end-users. It’s absolutely free for ZSU – we think it’s immoral to charge them anything.

Why donate car to Ukraine via Sunflower Scotland?

1. Direct to frontline areas

We will deliver your car directly to frontline regiments in Ukraine: where the vehicles are needed. You know exactly which regiment it goes to. Important: we provide photo reports for all vehicle deliveries.

We don’t give cars to intermediaries in Poland or Lviv. Our cars always get to the right people, they don’t “disappear”.

See real-life examples of our past deliveries:

2. We follow the rules

We are a registered Scottish charity regulated by OSCR, and we follow the law (Ethical Standards in Public Life Act 2005).

We MOT, tax and insure the vehicles. If anything happens during the journey, cars are insured. We register V5C in our name: in case of a speeding or parking ticket you do not get charged.

3. Not a penny for us. No cost to Ukraine

Sunflower Scotland does not sell cars: we deliver them Ukraine defenders absolutely for free, always. All costs are covered by our Scottish donors. We do not ask Ukraine to cover our costs: it’s a donation, not a business transaction.

We have not made a single penny of profit for ourselves.

To prevent re-sale in Ukraine, we declare vehicles as humanitarian aid “not for resale” and do full customs clearance. Here’s in an example of V5C stamped “resale forbidden” by Ukraine customs.

You will get a copy of your car’s V5C and customs declaration with a similar stamp.

As a registered charity we collect and keep all paperwork for future audit.

LEZ Checker – can my vehicle enter Edinburgh LEZ?

What other people who donated vehicles to Sunflower Scotland say

We asked other Scots who donated their vehicles to Sunflower Scotland to share their experience.

If you have a sturdy 4×4 or any other vehicle that could be useful for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, I would urge you to consider donating it through Sunflower Scotland… This is a very trustworthy charity…” 

Barclay, Scotland

(Full report on delivering Barclay’s car to ZSU and what he said about his experience working with Sunflower Scotland)

We were quickly convinced the Sunflower Scotland was a genuine charity and that the car would end up at a place where it would be the most useful….Sunflower Scotland dealt with all the paper work and then drove to car to Ukraine where we are hopeful that it is making a useful contribution. We have been sent photographs of the car in its new camouflage paint at various points on the journey.

Diana, Scotland

(Full report on delivering Diana’s car)

Which cars are needed in Ukraine?

The defenders of Ukraine need SUVs, pickup trucks and vans. But in some cases, civilian cars are useful as well. If you are considering donating but have doubts, please speak with us.

Sunflower Scotland has been helping in the frontline areas for two years. We provide vehicles which will be used to save lives: evacuate the wounded, bring food and vital supplies.

Examples of vehicles which are most needed in Ukraine:

• Pickup trucks: Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200, Ford Ranger
• Heavy-duty 4×4 SUVs: Mitsubishi Shogun, Volvo XC90, BMW X5
• Vans: Ford Transit, Renault Trafic, Renault Master, Vauxhall Vivaro

Can I have my name written on the car I donated?

Yes. Some of our donors want their name written on the vehicle. For example: “Help to Ukraine from …”. We order decals from Specialised Signs in Edinburgh. If you want to make a sign with your name, we will ask you to cover the cost of printing.

How does the process work?

• If you want to donate a car, please contact us by phone 0131-358-54-90 or email contact@sunflowerscotland.co.uk.
• Wash and hoover the car
• Bring the car to our location in Edinburgh. Transfer the V5C to Sunflower Scotland.
• We will prepare the car for Ukraine: paint it green, insure it (for the journey UK – Ukraine), and do full technical servicing.
• Sunflower Scotland work with a regiment in Ukraine that needs the car. We will sort out all paperwork.
• We will drive the car to Ukraine and officially transfer it to the regiment.
• Upon returning to Edinburgh, we will send you electronic copies of the customs paperwork and photos of the delivery

As a registered charity, Sunflower Scotland will keep all paperwork and invoices for future independent examination and audit. Copies of the paperwork will be available to the person who donated the car.

Are there any costs involved?

We pay for servicing and delivering the cars. The guys on the front line don’t have much time to service the cars. Their main duty it to protect their country.

Please make sure the car is technically sound. If there are any mechanical issues with the engine or suspension, please fix them or contribute some money so we can pay to the garage.

Before setting off, we will do full servicing (change oil, filters, etc).

If possible, please put on a set of low-budget offroad tyres. Here’s a link to ASDA tyres, but feel free to use any brand, or high-quality used tyres.

Where will my vehicle go?

We will send your car to help on the front line. Depending on what kind of car you donate, we will decide what will be the best use for it. If it’s a pickup truck, we will send it for the off-road duty. If you donate a van, we may send it to medics.

Examples:

• Nissan Navara delivered to 225th Assault Brigade in the Kharkiv Region
• Ambulance delivered to the 151st brigade in the Kharkiv region
• Two pickup trucks delivered to the defenders of Bakhmut and New York

IMPORTANT: we support several units, we are not exclusive with just one regiment. When a unit needs a vehicle, they reach out to us, explain why they need it, and send a “Letters of request”.

We will speak with them and learn how they want to use it, and what are the road conditions. We will try to send the best vehicle that will help in this particular situation.

Why donate via Sunflower Scotland

1. Experience

Our team have been helping Ukraine since March 2022, and – sadly – we have lots of experience. Please read our chairman’s article “Help to the eighth pit of hell”.

2. Registered charity: we have a legal and moral duty to uphold the law and act honestly

Sunflower Scotland SCIO is a registered Scottish charity. We are regulated by OSCR: the Scottish Charity Regulator.

All members of Sunflower Scotland follow the “Code of Conduct for Members of the Scottish Charity Regulator“. This Code has been issued by the Scottish Ministers, with the approval of the Scottish Parliament, as required by the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc.(Scotland) Act 2000 (the “Act”). Each of us pledged:

• I have a duty to uphold the law and act in accordance with the law and the public trust placed in us;
• I have a duty to take decisions solely in terms of public interest. I must not act in order to gain financial or other material benefit for myself, family or friends.
• I have a duty to act honestly. I must declare any private interests relating to my public duties and take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

3. Full transparency

As a regulated organisation, Sunflower Scotland keeps all paperwork for each vehicle, for the purposes of independent examination and audit (when appropriate):

• Request from Ukraine for the vehicle
• Insurance
• All bills including fuel, paint
• Sunflower Scotland provides vehicles in response to official requests from Ukraine.