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What is a write-off?
Following an accident, a car Insurance company might decide to write-off a vehicle and give its owner a cash sum, rather than pay for it to be repaired. This could be because the car is so badly damaged that it is unsafe for it to go back on the road.
Or it could be because the insurer feels the vehicle is beyond economical repair – in other words, it would cost more to repair than it is actually worth. Each insurer has its own 'repair-to-value" ratio. This ratio takes into account the total cost of repairing the vehicle – in some cases including the provision of a hire car while the work is being done.
For example, if your car is worth £30,000 and your insurer may use a repair-to-value ratio of 60%, the vehicle will be deemed a write-off if the cost of repair is more than £18,000.
What are the different salvage / write off categories and what do they mean?
Category A
Vehicles that have received extensive flood or fire damage and have no salvageable parts. Insurance companies have written off these vehicles and are not suitable for resale. It is required to be completely destroyed including all parts at an Authorised Treatment Facility. This vehicle is a complete write-off by Insurance companies. Only ATFs are legally permitted to handle such a vehicle. A Certificate of Destruction is created to notify the DVLA with the information also recorded with the HPI.
Category B
Vehicles that have severe chassis and/or structural damage and have been written off by Insurance companies. These vehicles are not deemed suitable for resale, are not roadworthy and deemed unsuitable for any repair work. Parts from these vehicles can be removed provided that the body shell is destroyed. Like Cat A vehicles it is only ATFs such as ourselves that can handle and process vehicles of this category.
Cat D and Cat C cars:
Cat C and Cat D cars are vehicles which have been written off by Insurance companies on the basis that they can't be economically repaired. That means that when fixed using official, brand-new parts and licensed maintenance centres the cost of the repair will exceed the car's value. You may find already repaired cars sold as Cat C and D, or cars where the damage has not yet been fixed.
With insurers able to claim up to 65 per cent of the car's value from salvage companies, they can often be in pocket by writing the car off and allowing an independent garage with lower overheads to repair it.
However, while superficial damage can cost a fortune to repair through the official channels, it can sometimes be accomplished much cheaper with a bit of imagination. Using a trusted local garage, second-hand or scrapyard parts and panels or even a spot of DIY can make Cat C and D vehicles a cheap way to get behind the wheel of a decent car.
They are recorded on the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR) and this information is readily available though companies such as HPI.
Category C
Vehicles that have sustained heavy damage and have been written off by Insurance companies. Costs of repair exceed the pre-accident value of the vehicle leading it to be classified in this manner. These vehicles can however be sold on for repair but it is required to take the vehicle for a VOSA Test to ensure that it can be driven safely and legally on the road again.
Category C cars require a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) before a V5C registration certificate is re-issued by the DVLA.
Category D
Vehicles that have sustained light damage but have been written off by Insurance companies in-spite of the costs of repair being less than the pre-accident value. These vehicles can be sold for repair and no VOSA Test is required.
Category D cars can be put back on the road without the need for a VIC.
Category U
Vehicles that are not owned by an Insurance company and may have sustained accident damage. The vehicle is not governed by ABI categorisation guidelines and is unlikely to have been reported to the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud Theft Register (MIAFTR).
Category X
A category X vehicle is considered the most desirable of salvage category. Once the vehicle has been repaired there is no record of the initial damage and cars are not recorded on the HPI register. These vehicles are typically sourced direct from manufacturer or rental companies who are unable to re-sell the vehicle as new or are unwilling to progress an Insurance claim.
Following an accident, a car Insurance company might decide to write-off a vehicle and give its owner a cash sum, rather than pay for it to be repaired. This could be because the car is so badly damaged that it is unsafe for it to go back on the road.
Or it could be because the insurer feels the vehicle is beyond economical repair – in other words, it would cost more to repair than it is actually worth. Each insurer has its own 'repair-to-value" ratio. This ratio takes into account the total cost of repairing the vehicle – in some cases including the provision of a hire car while the work is being done.
For example, if your car is worth £30,000 and your insurer may use a repair-to-value ratio of 60%, the vehicle will be deemed a write-off if the cost of repair is more than £18,000.
What are the different salvage / write off categories and what do they mean?
Category A
Vehicles that have received extensive flood or fire damage and have no salvageable parts. Insurance companies have written off these vehicles and are not suitable for resale. It is required to be completely destroyed including all parts at an Authorised Treatment Facility. This vehicle is a complete write-off by Insurance companies. Only ATFs are legally permitted to handle such a vehicle. A Certificate of Destruction is created to notify the DVLA with the information also recorded with the HPI.
Category B
Vehicles that have severe chassis and/or structural damage and have been written off by Insurance companies. These vehicles are not deemed suitable for resale, are not roadworthy and deemed unsuitable for any repair work. Parts from these vehicles can be removed provided that the body shell is destroyed. Like Cat A vehicles it is only ATFs such as ourselves that can handle and process vehicles of this category.
Cat D and Cat C cars:
Cat C and Cat D cars are vehicles which have been written off by Insurance companies on the basis that they can't be economically repaired. That means that when fixed using official, brand-new parts and licensed maintenance centres the cost of the repair will exceed the car's value. You may find already repaired cars sold as Cat C and D, or cars where the damage has not yet been fixed.
With insurers able to claim up to 65 per cent of the car's value from salvage companies, they can often be in pocket by writing the car off and allowing an independent garage with lower overheads to repair it.
However, while superficial damage can cost a fortune to repair through the official channels, it can sometimes be accomplished much cheaper with a bit of imagination. Using a trusted local garage, second-hand or scrapyard parts and panels or even a spot of DIY can make Cat C and D vehicles a cheap way to get behind the wheel of a decent car.
They are recorded on the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR) and this information is readily available though companies such as HPI.
Category C
Vehicles that have sustained heavy damage and have been written off by Insurance companies. Costs of repair exceed the pre-accident value of the vehicle leading it to be classified in this manner. These vehicles can however be sold on for repair but it is required to take the vehicle for a VOSA Test to ensure that it can be driven safely and legally on the road again.
Category C cars require a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) before a V5C registration certificate is re-issued by the DVLA.
Category D
Vehicles that have sustained light damage but have been written off by Insurance companies in-spite of the costs of repair being less than the pre-accident value. These vehicles can be sold for repair and no VOSA Test is required.
Category D cars can be put back on the road without the need for a VIC.
Category U
Vehicles that are not owned by an Insurance company and may have sustained accident damage. The vehicle is not governed by ABI categorisation guidelines and is unlikely to have been reported to the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud Theft Register (MIAFTR).
Category X
A category X vehicle is considered the most desirable of salvage category. Once the vehicle has been repaired there is no record of the initial damage and cars are not recorded on the HPI register. These vehicles are typically sourced direct from manufacturer or rental companies who are unable to re-sell the vehicle as new or are unwilling to progress an Insurance claim.
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