Insurance write-off check

When an insurer decides a damaged car is not worth repairing, it records the car as a total loss on the insurance industry's register and gives it a category. Many of those cars are repaired and sold on, and the seller does not always say so. The write-off check searches that register for the registration and tells you whether the car has ever been written off, in which category, and when. It is part of the full history check, £9.99 for everything.

What the write-off check shows

Insurers record every total-loss decision on a shared database used to prevent fraud and theft. The check returns any entry for the car: the category assigned, the date of the loss, and where recorded the nature of the damage. A write-off entry stays on the record permanently, so a car written off and repaired ten years ago still shows, which is exactly what you want when the seller has forgotten to mention it. A car with no entry has never been declared a total loss by an insurer; it may still have been crashed and repaired privately, which no register can see, so the MOT history and a look underneath remain worth your time.

Write-off categories explained

Category A is a car so badly damaged it must be crushed whole; no part of it may be reused. Category B has a body shell that must be destroyed, though parts may be salvaged. Neither should ever appear for sale as a car, and a check that finds one is a reason to walk away and tell the police.

Category S, introduced in 2017, is structural damage that is repairable: a chassis leg, a pillar, a crumple zone. The car can go back on the road once repaired, and it should have been re-registered with the DVLA after the work. Category N is non-structural damage: panels, lights, electrics, interior. It too can be repaired and driven. Before 2017 these were Category C and D, and you will still see those letters on older cars; C broadly maps to S and D to N, though the definitions were about cost rather than damage type.

Should you buy a written-off car?

A Cat S or Cat N car is not automatically a bad buy. Older cars are written off for modest damage because repair costs quickly exceed their value, and a Cat N for a scraped wing on a nine-year-old hatchback tells you very little about the car today. What matters is the quality of the repair, and that is why the right next step after a write-off result is an independent inspection rather than a decision. Expect to pay noticeably less than for an equivalent car with a clean record, because you will sell it for less too; tell your insurer, since some will not cover written-off cars and others charge more; and for a Cat S, ask for the paperwork showing the car was re-registered after repair. If the seller did not declare the write-off and you only found it through the check, treat that as the more important finding.

Write-off check questions

How do I check if a car has been written off?

Run the free check, then add the full history check for £9.99. The insurance register is searched when you pay and the category and date appear in your report.

Is a write-off shown on the V5C?

Only for Category S, which must be re-registered and gets a marker in the logbook. Cat N and older Cat D cars show nothing on the V5C, which is why the register check matters.

Does a free car check show write-offs?

No. The insurance register is a commercial database that charges for each search, so no free check includes it.

Can a Cat S or Cat N car be insured?

Usually, but not by every insurer, and some charge more. Ask before you buy rather than after.

What is the difference between Cat S and Cat N?

S means the structure was damaged; N means it was not. Both are repairable and both can legally be driven once repaired, but a structural repair needs closer inspection.

What were Cat C and Cat D?

The categories used before October 2017. Cat C was repairable but the repair cost exceeded the car's value; Cat D was repairable at a cost below the value. Cars written off before 2017 keep those letters.

Last updated 9 November 2026. Write-off data: insurance industry total-loss register via our data supplier. For information only; have any written-off car inspected before buying.