The facts
Write-offs & Cat S / Cat N
What the insurance write-off categories mean, and whether a repaired write-off is worth buying.
- What do Cat S and Cat N mean?
- They are insurance write-off categories. Cat S (structural) means the car suffered structural damage, to the chassis or crumple zones, that was repairable but cost more than the insurer would pay out. Cat N (non-structural) means the damage was cosmetic or electrical, with the structure intact. Our full guide covers Cat S and Cat N write-offs.
- Should I buy a Cat S or Cat N car?
- It can be a genuine bargain, but only with eyes open. A written-off car is worth roughly 20 to 40% less than an equivalent clean one, can be harder to insure and to sell on, and is only as safe as its repair was good. Insist on evidence of a professional repair and an independent inspection before you commit.
- Is a written-off car safe to drive?
- It can be, if it was repaired properly to the correct standard. A Cat S or Cat N car is legal to return to the road once repaired. The risk is a poor repair hiding structural or safety faults, and there is no compulsory safety re-check for these categories, so the quality of the repair is entirely down to who did it.
- Will insurance cover a Cat N or Cat S car?
- Most insurers will cover a repaired write-off, but you must declare the category, some charge more, and a few decline it. Always confirm cover before you buy rather than after, and expect the car's own future write-off value to be lower.
- How do I check if a car is a write-off?
- A write-off marker sits on the insurance industry's records, not the free DVLA data, so it takes a full history check to surface it. Our paid check flags any recorded write-off category along with finance and stolen markers. See what each tier includes on our pricing page.
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