An insurance write-off category records an insurer's historical decision after a vehicle was damaged. It tells you something important about the vehicle's insurance history, but it is not a verdict on the car today. The record remains part of the vehicle history after repair or resale, so the useful question is what the category tells you, what it leaves unknown and what evidence you should check next.
An insurer may classify a vehicle as a write-off after assessing the damage and the economics of repair. The category is an historical insurance classification, not a complete engineering report and not a description of every repair that was needed.
A category alone does not establish the vehicle's current condition, repair quality, structural alignment, present safety, roadworthiness, future reliability or exact fair market value. It also does not tell you whether every insurer or lender will accept the vehicle.
A vehicle with no recorded write-off marker has not necessarily never been damaged or repaired. Some damage is repaired without an insurance write-off claim, and not every event appears in every history source.
Cat A is a serious write-off category intended for destruction. It is not a normal road-return category, and a buyer should not proceed on the assumption that the vehicle can simply be repaired and used normally.
Riskey treats any returned Cat A record as serious history and does not apply the normal Cat N, S, C or D category-adjusted price comparison. That warning does not replace checking the full record and the circumstances of the vehicle.
Do not treat a Cat A record as an ordinary repair-and-buy decision. Resolve the record and its implications before considering any purchase.
Cat B is a serious write-off category. The bodyshell should not return to the road, although some components may be recoverable or reusable where permitted. Cat B is not the same as Cat A, but it is not a normal road-return category for the vehicle itself.
Riskey treats any returned Cat B record as serious history and does not apply the normal Cat N, S, C or D category-adjusted price comparison. Avoid unsupported legal conclusions about individual components; ask for the fuller record where it is available.
A Cat B record needs careful investigation before you spend money. Do not assume that a low asking price makes the vehicle suitable to buy.
Cat S means the insurer classified the vehicle's recorded damage as structural. It does not tell you how severe the original damage was, which structural areas were affected or how the vehicle was repaired.
Cat S alone does not establish that the vehicle is currently unsafe or badly repaired. It also does not establish that geometry and alignment are correct, that the current vehicle is roadworthy or that the present mechanical condition is satisfactory. Those questions need evidence and, where appropriate, an inspection of the actual vehicle.
Cat N means the insurer did not classify the recorded damage as structural. It does not mean cosmetic-only, trivial, automatically cheap to repair or free from safety-related work.
Non-structural damage may still involve important systems, potentially including suspension, steering, brakes, electrical systems, airbags or other safety systems, bodywork or water ingress. These are possible examples, not a claim that every Cat N vehicle had any one of them.
Cat N does not establish exactly what repair was needed or how well it was completed. Ask for evidence and inspect the present vehicle rather than assuming that non-structural means minor.
Cat C and Cat D are legacy insurance write-off classifications used under the previous system. An older vehicle may legitimately have a historic Cat C or Cat D record, and that record still matters because it remains part of the vehicle's insurance history.
Do not rewrite Cat C as Cat S or Cat D as Cat N. The original category, the date of the event, the repair evidence, later history and the present condition all need to be considered together.
Riskey recognises legacy Cat C and Cat D records and may include them in category-adjusted market guidance. That guidance is an indicative comparison aid, not a universal market discount or a statement that the vehicle's current value has fallen by a fixed amount.
Sometimes a write-off marker is returned without a usable category. That still requires investigation. Do not assume that a missing category means the event was minor or that there is nothing important to check.
Ask for the fuller insurance and repair history where possible. Riskey can show a generic write-off warning when category details are unavailable, but it cannot infer the missing category or certify the vehicle's current condition.
A vehicle may have more than one recorded write-off event or category. Review the full returned record set rather than assuming that one category tells the whole story.
The first record is not necessarily the latest, oldest, primary or most severe record. Dates, statuses, insurers and the underlying repair evidence should be considered for each returned record.
If any returned record is Cat A or Cat B, Riskey treats the history as serious and does not show the normal Cat N, S, C or D adjusted-price treatment. Multiple non-A/B records still need to be understood together; the category labels do not replace the repair evidence.
More than one category means there may be more than one insurance-history event to understand. Review every returned record before relying on a price comparison or deciding whether to proceed.
For a recorded write-off, ask the seller for evidence that helps connect the historical classification to the repair and the vehicle you are viewing. Useful evidence may include:
Photographs can help you understand the recorded repair history, but their absence does not prove that the repair was poor. Invoices support evidence that work was recorded, but they do not prove that the vehicle is currently perfect.
Later MOT passes can show that the vehicle continued to be tested and used, but an MOT pass does not certify the quality of the original write-off repair or prove perfect structural integrity. For a fuller explanation of MOT limits, see the Understanding MOT History guide.
Where available, Riskey may offer access to an external damage or salvage photo record as supporting historical evidence. Photo records may not exist for every vehicle or event, and the absence of photos does not prove anything about repair quality.
Photos can provide useful context about the recorded damage, but they do not replace repair documentation, a viewing, a test drive or a physical inspection.
A write-off category describes a historical insurance event or classification. It does not replace viewing the actual vehicle, checking bodywork and panel fit, looking for warning lights, taking a test drive or arranging a mechanical, structural or alignment inspection where appropriate.
Two vehicles with the same category can have very different repair quality, current condition, documentation, asking price and future ownership experience. Use the What to Look For When Buying a Used Car guide for the physical checks that belong at the viewing.
Also compare the registration, physical VIN and V5C details with the vehicle in front of you. The Vehicle Identity and Cloning Checks guide covers those identity questions separately.
A recorded write-off may affect buyer demand, resale value and the asking price. It can also affect insurance availability, premiums, lender attitudes and future buyer confidence. The size of any effect varies with the category, repair evidence, repair quality, current condition, age, specification, demand and the policy of the insurer or lender.
Do not apply a universal discount such as Cat N always reducing value by 25% or Cat S always reducing value by 30%. Riskey's category-adjusted comparison is an indicative aid based on the vehicle's normal market comparison and recorded category. It is not a guaranteed valuation and is not an automatic negotiation deduction.
Before buying where relevant, obtain an insurance quotation and ask the lender about its policy. The Outstanding Finance Checks guide covers lender interest and should be used for finance markers rather than inferred from a write-off category.
A category may affect the price and future sale, but the right comparison is the particular vehicle, its evidence and its current condition — not a fixed percentage.
Evidence: a Cat N record with repair invoices and before-repair photos. Interpretation: there is supporting evidence of the repair history, but it does not prove current condition. Next: inspect the repair and present vehicle and consider an independent inspection.
Evidence: the History Check shows Cat S but the seller says it was “only cosmetic”. Interpretation: the description conflicts with the recorded structural classification. Next: ask for the original damage and repair evidence and resolve the discrepancy before proceeding.
Evidence: an older vehicle has a Cat C record from 2014. Interpretation: this can be a legitimate legacy classification. Next: assess the historic repair evidence and present condition without relabelling it as Cat S.
Evidence: two similar vehicles are offered, but only one has a recorded category. Interpretation: the category may affect demand and resale value. Next: compare condition, documentation and asking price rather than applying a universal discount.
Evidence: no write-off marker is returned, but the vehicle shows visible signs of previous repair. Interpretation: not every accident or repair results in an insurance write-off marker. Next: investigate the repair history and physical condition separately.
Evidence: a Cat S or Cat N vehicle has several later MOT passes. Interpretation: later MOT history provides useful subsequent evidence but does not certify repair quality. Next: assess present condition and repair documentation independently.
Evidence: multiple write-off records are returned. Interpretation: there is more than one insurance-history event or category to understand. Next: review each returned record and its associated repair evidence rather than relying on one category label.
Use this sequence to keep the historical record, the current vehicle and the buying decision separate:
If a History Check returns a write-off marker on a vehicle you are considering buying, use the category to decide what evidence and questions are needed — not to make an automatic decision about the car:
Riskey can show a returned write-off marker and the category, date, status and insurer where those details are available. It can display multiple returned records, flag serious Cat A or Cat B history, provide category context and place eligible non-A/B history alongside category-adjusted market guidance.
Riskey helps you identify the evidence and questions to pursue, and may offer supporting damage or salvage photo records where available. It does not physically inspect the repair, certify structural integrity, guarantee current safety or roadworthiness, guarantee insurance availability or resale value, or know the full original damage from a category alone.
A vehicle with no write-off marker has not been proved never to have been damaged. The History Check is one part of the wider decision alongside the records, the viewing, the test drive and appropriate independent advice.
Enter the registration to check the vehicle's recorded history and get practical guidance on what to inspect, what may need attention next and whether the asking price makes sense.
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