Looking for a cheap car that could be a bit of a gamble? Buying a write-off can be a great way to get behind the wheel without breaking the bank – but it’s not without risks.
While you might assume a write-off is a car that’s destined for the scrap heap, there are several cars that have been written off but can still be repaired and put back on the road. In some cases, the car might have very minor damage but due to its age and low value it’s categorised as a write-off because it’s not worth the cost of repair.
Category A and B cars are unsafe to drive and shouldn’t be offered for sale, but you might come across potentially roadworthy write-offs marked as Category C, D, N, or S.
If you’re considering taking a chance on a Category C write-off, we’re here to help you weigh up the risks and rewards.
Got a specific question in mind? Why not skip ahead:
A car in Category or Cat C will usually have been written off because the insurer has decided it would be too expensive to repair it and make it safe for the road.
To land in Cat C, a vehicle must need repairs that the insurer predicts will cost more than the car’s current value.
In a nutshell, that means if a car is worth £2,000 but needs £2,350 worth of repairs to make it safe for the road, the insurer will likely choose to write it off instead and place it in Cat C.
Cat C relates to the cost of repairs needed rather than the type of damage the car has but, generally speaking, vehicles in this category will have suffered structural damage.
So, while the car’s frame or chassis may be damaged, these important structures will still be repairable for the right price.
Cat C cars can include those that have been in a flood, damaged in a fire, or involved in a crash where the airbags were deployed.
However, the damages don’t necessarily need to be severe to earn a car Cat C categorisation. An older model with a low resale value may only need minor repairs to make it roadworthy, but the cost of these fixes will still be too expensive to make it worthwhile for an insurer.
In the UK, there are four write-off categories you need to know:
These cars are severely damaged and must not be repaired and returned to the road. These cars will usually be sent to be crushed instead.
Like Cat A, these cars will also be extremely badly damaged and should be crushed, but they might have some usable parts that can be recycled to use in other vehicles.
These are cars that have sustained some structural damage but, if repaired, could be made safe to drive again.
These cars can also be repaired to be made roadworthy but will have sustained some non-structural damage.
Before 2017, Cat C and Cat D were used instead of Cat S and Cat N. While these historic categories do share some traits with the new ones, the big difference between Cat C and D is that they focus on repair costs rather than whether the damage is structural. The cost of repairs for Cat C cars will usually be more than the car’s value while Cat D cars can also be repaired, but it will likely cost more than 50% of the vehicle’s value.
Getting a Cat C car repaired so that it’s safe to drive on the road will leave the insurer out of pocket. Rather than take this loss and invest in repairing a damaged car, they’ll choose to write it off instead.
When calculating repair costs, insurers don’t only look at the cost of parts and labour. They’ll also consider how pricey it might be to source the parts needed and how much it might cost to provide a hire car while the damaged model is with the mechanic.
If they do their sums and decide that the total costs will exceed the car’s value, they’ll likely decide to cut their losses and declare it a Cat C car write-off.
While Cat C cars can need more extensive repairs than those in Cat D or Cat N, they aren’t unsalvageable.
If you can find a trusted mechanic to carry out the required repairs to a high standard, there’s no reason why you won’t end up with a car that’s safe to drive.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t run into problems in the future. Make sure the mechanic checks every part of the car so they can track down any hidden issues that could come back to bite you a few miles down the road. This is especially important if the car could be damaged under the hood or has faulty electrics.
Buying a Cat C car can save you money, but it is a gamble.
You might be able to get a great deal by choosing a car in this category, especially if your Cat C car is an older model without substantial structural damage.
However, other models can need more complex repairs to reverse the structural damage. These fixes can be expensive and take time to restore to a high enough standard to ensure you’ll be safe on the road.
When deciding whether to buy a Cat C car, make sure you understand the extent of the damage and ask to take it for a test drive before making an offer. If it’s already been repaired by the seller, you might still want to take it to a professional mechanic to ensure everything is in good order and get a quote from an insurer to find out how much it might cost to insure.
All write-offs, including Cat C cars, come with risks that can make it harder to find insurance. While the car can be repaired and made roadworthy, insurers can’t be certain that it really is as good as new and unexpected problems won’t emerge over time.
Unfortunately, this means some insurers refuse to offer cover to write-offs while others will charge a higher premium to reflect the risks involved.