Write-off check
An insurer writes a car off when repairing it costs more than it is worth to them — not necessarily when it is beyond repair. Plenty of written-off cars are repaired properly and sold on entirely legally. What matters is that you know, because it changes what the car is worth and what it costs to insure.
Free check first — the Pro report is the upgrade on your results page. See a sample report.
What the write-off check shows
The insurance industry's own loss register, read against the car's registration.
- The category
- A, B, S or N under the current scheme, or C and D on losses recorded before 2017.
- The date of loss
- When the claim was recorded, which tells you how much of the car's life has been after the repair.
- The insurer
- Who recorded it, and the claim reference where one is held.
- Certificate of Destruction
- Whether one was issued — the paperwork that means the car should never return to the road.
- How many records exist
- A car written off twice is a different proposition from one written off once.
- What it does to the valuation
- The report's valuation is for the car's specification; the analysis says plainly that a recorded write-off sits against it.
What it cannot tell you
The register records claims, not damage. A car crashed and repaired without an insurance claim — because the owner paid, or the damage fell under the excess — has no entry, and there is no register anywhere that would show it.
Nor does a category describe repair quality. Category N means the structure was not damaged; it says nothing about who put it back together or how. A recorded write-off is a reason for an independent inspection, not a substitute for one.
Where this comes from
The insurance industry's total-loss and theft register, queried against the registration as part of the Pro check.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What do Category S and Category N mean?
- Category S is structural damage that has been repaired or is repairable — the chassis, crumple zones or suspension mounts. Category N is non-structural: panels, electrics, trim. Both can legally be repaired and sold.
- What about Category A and B?
- Category A must be crushed entirely, including the parts. Category B can have parts salvaged but the shell must be destroyed. Neither should ever be back on the road, and a Cat A or B car offered for sale is a reason to walk away and report it.
- Is it legal to sell a written-off car?
- Yes for Category S and N, provided it has been repaired to a roadworthy standard. A trade seller must tell you; a private seller must not actively mislead you, which is why checking rather than asking is the safer route.
- How much does a write-off marker reduce value?
- It varies by category, age and how well the repair was done, but it is a permanent marker and it will follow the car to every future sale — including yours.