Category B write-off
Also known as: Cat B, Cat B write off
Category 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.
A Cat B vehicle has been damaged badly enough that the body shell is unsafe to repair. The body must be crushed, but the engine, gearbox, axles and serviceable components can be removed and sold for re-use.
A Cat B vehicle should never be re-registered or returned to the road. If you see one offered for sale as a complete vehicle, the seller is acting illegally.
On a provenance check, a Cat B marker means walking away from the deal entirely — the only legitimate value left in the vehicle is its parts, sold separately by a licensed dismantler.
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 A write-offCategory 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 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.