Insurance Total Loss Categorys Explained
All damaged repairable salvage vehicles in the UK will carry a recorded marker on a HPI report alerting potential new buyers of a total loss claim with an insurance company. Only cars with a category D,C,N or S can be repaired and returned to the road.
CATEGORY C IS DEFINED BY THE A.B.I. ( ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH INSURERS ) AS "REPAIRABLE" total loss vehicles where repair costs including VAT exceed the vehicle’s pre-accident value
CATEGORY N IS DEFINED BY THE A.B.I. ( ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH INSURERS ) AS "REPAIRABLE" total loss vehicles where repair costs including VAT do not exceed the vehicle’s pre-accident value and no structural damage was visible at time of assessment
CATEGORY S IS DEFINED BY THE A.B.I. ( ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH INSURERS ) AS "REPAIRABLE" total loss vehicles where repair costs including VAT do exceed the vehicle’s pre-accident value and structural damage is presumed although not guaranteed at time of assessment
CATEGORY B
& A vehicles can NOT be repaired and must be disposed of legally by an ELV
( End Of Life Vehicle ) disposal company
The extent of damage is not always determined by the insurance category, this is a reference only to the cost of the quote to repair or what could be seen or estimated at the time of assessment
VIC Checks
The VIC check has now been abolished, so applying for a replacement V5 for category C or S salvage is now a straight forward process by filling in a V62 application form. The new V5 will be issued and will take approx 14 days to arrive the same as a typical HPI clear or cat D or N vehicle
Owning A Damage Repaired Vehicle
Owning a category D,C, N or S repaired
vehicle will not affect your insurance. These vehicles can be used the same as
any other vehicle but with the added benefit of saving you money on the
purchase price.
2012 VW SCIROCCO R-LINE
BEFORE & AFTER
RETAIL / USED DEALER
£12,000
OUR PRICE
£8995
2013 MINI COOPER D CONVERTIBLE
BEFORE & AFTER
RETAIL / USED DEALER
£10,000
OUR PRICE
£7995