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Cat D, Cat C and insurance write-offs are terms we hear a lot about, especially when looking to buy a used car. Although cars are often written off after being involved in an accident, the term could refer to a vehicle that has, for example, been flood damaged. The term ‘write-off’ can also be misunderstood – it means the insurance company writes off the cost of the repair (because it is uneconomic) rather than the vehicle itself.
It can be hard to know what everything means, so read on to find out more about what happens to cars that have been written off by an insurance company.
When a car is damaged, the owner will call his or her insurance company to notify them. Aside from the financial and claiming process that will happen as a result, the insurer then has to decide whether to write off the car if the cost of parts, labour and any storage make repairing the car uneconomical. If a car is written off, the owner will get a sum of money that the insurer deems to be the value of the car. The owner can choose to keep the car, and have it repaired at their own cost. The insurance company’s staff or an independent engineer will put the car into one of four categories: A, B, C and D. These are often known as Cat A, Cat B, Cat C and Cat D, and they mark out how severe the damage is .
Category A: scrap only – Cat A cars should not be allowed back on the road, but their parts can be sold for recycling.
Category B: break for parts – Cat B cars are not allowed back on the road, but there will be some parts that can be removed and sold as spares. Its shell (the main component of the car) must be crushed.
Category C: repairable total loss – Cat C cars are allowed back on the road, as the damage is repairable, although the cost of repair is higher than the value of the car. The car must be subject to a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC).
Category D: repairable significant damage – Cat D cars are also allowed back on the road, because the damage can be repaired. Unlike Cat C, however, the repairs won’t cost more than the value of the car, but it is significant enough for the car to be written off.
In order for a car to be put back on the road after a Cat C classification, it must be repaired and then be subject to a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC), carried out by the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA). This check makes sure the car is what it purports to be – in order to prevent money-making scams.
However, a VIC check does not check the quality of the repairs or the roadworthiness of the vehicle – so some Cat C cars may be dangerous. A detailed vehicle inspection provided by an AutocheckLondon approved engineer will help ascertain the quality of repairs and allow you to make an informed decision
Only cars that are written off, and not repaired at the insurance company’s expense, carry a category C or D listing. Cars that are damaged, but then repaired by the insurance company, would remain unlisted.
Insurance premiums on Cat D and C cars should not be affected compared to a normal car, though it’s best to check with
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