Insurance write-offs
Scrapping an insurance write-off
When an insurer declares a car a total loss, it is given a category. Some categories mean the car can never return to the road; others mean it can be repaired. Either way, it can be collected and processed properly.
Insurance write-offs
What the categories mean for you
Category A and B cars must not go back on the road. A Category A car is crushed whole; a Category B car can have parts salvaged first, but the body shell is destroyed.
Category S (structural damage) and Category N (non-structural) cars can legally be repaired and driven again. Many owners still choose scrappage, because repairing a written-off car properly is rarely cheap.
Useful to have ready
- The registration and the postcode where the car is
- The category from your insurer's settlement letter
- The V5C, if the insurer has not kept it
- A note of any missing parts
The four categories
Category A, B, S and N at a glance
- 01
Category A
Scrap only. The whole car must be destroyed, and no parts can be reused.
- 02
Category B
Break for parts. Some parts can be salvaged, but the shell must be crushed.
- 03
Category S
Structurally damaged but repairable. It must be re-registered with the DVLA before returning to the road.
- 04
Category N
Non-structural damage: cosmetic, electrical or mechanical. It can be repaired and driven again.
How it works
The full circle
Four stages take an unwanted car from your drive to a new life as recycled material. Here’s what happens at each one.
- 1
Value
Enter the registration and the postcode where the car is parked. The details go to a licensed buyer who covers that area, and they come back with an offer.
- 2
Collect
Agree the offer and pick a day. The car is collected free of charge from a drive, a street, a car park or a garage, wherever it happens to be.
- 3
Scrap
The car goes to an Authorised Treatment Facility, where fluids, the battery and hazardous parts are removed safely and the paperwork is completed.
- 4
Recycle
Reusable parts are recovered, and the shell is shredded so the steel, aluminium and other materials can be made into something new.
Questions
Insurance write-offs: questions
Straight answers to what people ask before scrapping a car.
Can’t see your question? Read every answer or call 0800 058 8087.
My insurer kept the logbook. Can the car still be scrapped?
Yes. Tell the buyer when they call. The paperwork depends on who now owns the car, so it's worth checking your settlement letter.
Is a Category N car worth more than a Category B?
Often, because a Category N car can be repaired and resold. The buyer takes the category into account in the offer.
Is there a charge for collection?
No. Collection is free wherever the car is in the UK, there are no admin or hidden fees, and turning down an offer costs nothing.
How quickly will I hear back?
Usually within about an hour of your details reaching the buyer. If you haven't heard by then, call us and we'll follow it up.
What we scrap
Other situations we handle
Choose the situation closest to yours for what to expect.
Ready to scrap your car?
Get an offer from a licensed local buyer in minutes, with free collection whenever suits you.