Category A write-off
Also known as: Cat A, Cat A write off
Category A is the most severe UK insurance write-off classification — the vehicle must be scrapped in its entirety with no parts salvaged for re-use.
Category A applies to vehicles that have been so badly damaged that the entire vehicle, including all parts, must be destroyed. No parts may be sold, salvaged or fitted to another vehicle.
In practice, Cat A vehicles are crushed and disposed of immediately by the insurer or recovery agent. A Cat A vehicle should never appear on the UK road network again — if one is offered for sale, it has been illegally re-built.
Always run a vehicle history check before purchase: any vehicle with a Cat A marker on MIAFTR should be avoided entirely and reported.
How-to guides
- How to check if a car is a write-off (Cat A, B, S or N)Check whether a car has been written off and which category it was given. See the category, insurer and loss date by registration, and what each category means.
- How to check if a car has been scrappedCheck whether the DVLA has recorded a car as scrapped. A scrapped car cannot legally be sold, taxed or driven. See the marker by registration number in seconds.
Related terms
- Category B write-offCategory B is the second-most-severe UK write-off — the body shell must be destroyed but salvageable mechanical parts may be sold for use in other vehicles.
- Category S write-offCategory S means a UK vehicle has been written off due to structural damage but has been (or can be) repaired and legally returned to the road.
- Category N write-offCategory N means a UK vehicle has been written off due to non-structural damage — cosmetic, electrical or component-level — and can be repaired and legally returned to the road.
- HPI checkAn HPI check is a UK vehicle history report that confirms whether a car is stolen, has outstanding finance, has been written off, has mileage discrepancy, or has had its plate, colour or keeper details changed.