Insurance write-off categories, all of them
There are four categories today. Cat A and Cat B can never go back on the road. Cat S and Cat N can, once repaired to a roadworthy condition. Cars written off before October 2017 may carry the old Cat C or Cat D instead.
Updated 14 October 2026
The four categories in use today
Cat A: scrap. The whole vehicle must be crushed and nothing may be salvaged from it.
Cat B: break. The body shell must be crushed, but parts that are safe can be removed and sold.
Cat S: structural damage, repairable. The damage reached the chassis or a load-bearing part. It can be repaired and used again.
Cat N: non-structural damage, repairable. The damage did not reach the structure. It can be repaired and used again.
The two older letters: Cat C and Cat D
Before October 2017 repairable write-offs were Cat C or Cat D. Cat C meant the repair would cost more than the car was worth. Cat D meant it would cost less, but the insurer decided not to repair it anyway, usually because of the extra costs around a claim.
The old letters described the cost of the repair. The new ones describe the kind of damage. That is why Cat S and Cat N are not a straight swap for C and D: a Cat D car could have structural damage, and a Cat C could have none.
A car recorded as Cat C or Cat D keeps that marker. It was not converted when the rules changed.
Why a car gets written off at all
An insurer writes a car off when repairing it does not make economic sense for them, not when it cannot be fixed. The value of the car, the cost of parts and labour, a hire car for weeks and the salvage value all go into that sum.
So an older car with modest damage is written off far more readily than a new one with the same damage. The category tells you what kind of damage it was; the age and value of the car at the time explain why it was written off.
What the owner has to do
The owner at the time must tell the DVLA the vehicle has been written off. GOV.UK says you can be fined £1,000 if you do not.
Keeping a Cat S car means sending the complete log book to the insurer and applying for a free duplicate with form V62. The DVLA records the category in the new log book. A Cat N car can keep its existing log book.
What each one does to the price
A repaired Cat S car usually sells for 20 to 40 per cent less than the same car with a clean record, and a Cat N for roughly 10 to 25 per cent less. The marker never comes off, so the next buyer will see it too.
That discount is why some people buy them on purpose. It only works out if the repair was done properly and you plan to keep the car long enough for the saving to be yours.
How to find out
The category is recorded on the insurance industry’s own register when the claim is settled, and a vehicle history check reads it. Nothing on the car itself will tell you.
An Odomint Check shows the category, the date and, where it was recorded, what was damaged, explains it in plain English, and includes the full MOT history free so you can see how the car has done since.
Common questions
Which write-off categories can be driven?
Cat S and Cat N, once repaired to a roadworthy condition. Older Cat C and Cat D cars that were repaired can also be on the road. Cat A and Cat B can never return to the road.
Is Cat S the same as Cat C?
No. Cat C described the cost of the repair, Cat S describes structural damage. They replaced each other in October 2017 but they do not mean the same thing.
Does a write-off ever come off the record?
No. The category stays with the car permanently and will show up on a history check every time it is sold.
Do I have to tell the DVLA my car was written off?
Yes. The owner at the time must tell the DVLA, and GOV.UK says you can be fined £1,000 if you do not.
Check any car before you buy it
MOT history, every advisory and the full mileage record are free for any UK registration. An Odomint Check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, stolen markers and salvage history, with a £10,000 data guarantee.