If you have ever experienced a car accident, then you must be familiar with the term “write-off”. Have you ever wondered what these terms mean? Can you legally drive a written-off car or not? Are you curious to know if it is safe to buy a Cat N car? Well, this article is exactly what every vehicle owner who is interested in scrapping should read.
Different Categories of Scrap Cars
Vehicles are declared to be written off when they are unable to return to the road. A car can also be considered a “write-off” when the repair value of your vehicle exceeds the actual value of it.
To determine how serious the accident was, car insurance assessors use different categories. Initially, the system had four categories, which were A, B, C, and D. The most severe was A, and the least severe was D. In the new system, the A and B categories have been kept the same, and the C and D categories have been replaced with S and N for more clarity.
With this in mind, here is more information on each of the four categories outlined above.
Category A
After an accident, if the damage to the car is so severe that it’s impossible to drive the car again, then the authorities will label the car under category A. A Category A car is so badly damaged that it can’t even be used for spare parts. Cars which lie under this category will be scrapped, and no parts will be used on other cars.
Category B
Category B is assigned to the car when the damage is slightly less severe than Category A. In such a case, returning the car to the road is difficult, but parts from a Category B car can be used on other cars. The “B” from this category is short for “Break”, which means that the car can be broken down and used on other cars. Sometimes, even if the car is assigned to Category B, it is still treated as category A. The reason for this is that the breaking cost could be too much.
Category S
This category was previously known as category C. This is the case when structural damage occurs to a car, but it can still be repaired. The “S” in this category stands for “structure”, meaning it has been damaged, but not enough to take it off the road. In such a case, a repair is more feasible than breaking the car up.
Category N
The category previously known as “D” is now called category “N” in the updated system. It refers to cases in which there has been no structural damage done to the car. In saying that, the safety-critical parts of the car such as brakes, gears, and steering may need to be replaced. Sometimes when the vehicle is even slightly damaged, the car is labelled as category “S” or “N”, but it won’t cost too much to repair it.
Even if the car is very slightly damaged, car insurance assessors can still write it off, just because it is old and would be too costly to replace. This is because the car's insurance cost is more than its actual market price. The insurance company, after paying you, can send the car to a scrap yard for scrapping, if the car has been decided that it will be written off. So if you have a Category N car, and it has been written off, you can then scrap it. But how do you scrap a Cat n car?
The Car Scrapping Process in the UK
If you decide to scrap your car, you must follow a certain process to make it legal.
Tell the DVLA you’ve taken your vehicle off the road
If you want to keep your damaged car, or break it down into parts, you must inform the DVLA. You can say that the car is off the road, and the DVLA will mark the car as SORN (Saturated Off-Road Notification).
SORN is not needed for a vehicle already sold. If you are scrapping your vehicle without keeping its parts, then you can skip this step. Move directly to the next step in this case.
Apply to take the registration number off the vehicle
If you have a private registration plate, you can keep the private registration number to use on another car. For this, you will have to apply online to take the private number off the vehicle.
In this case, the vehicle's original registration number needs to be reassigned. A V778 retention document and a new logbook will be sent as a result of a successful application. You must have these before scrapping your vehicle, or you will lose the right to use the private number. Also, it is important to note that you cannot keep a private number starting with “Q” or “NIQ”.
Scrap your car at an ATF
After completing the above steps, you can then scrap your vehicle at an “Authorised Treatment Facility” (ATF). It is illegal to scrap your vehicle anywhere else. The ATF will decide whether your vehicle needs complete scrapping or repairing.
If the vehicle is repairable, they may sell it to someone searching for a car like this. If you have scrapped a car or light van, then you will receive a ”certificate of destruction”. There is no certificate for other types of vehicles. The certificate proves that you have handed over the vehicle for destruction. You will also get paid for your scrapped vehicle for the amount that you have agreed with the ATF. If the ATF decides to repair and sell your vehicle, you won’t get the destruction certificate.
Give the ATF the vehicle logbook when you scrap your car
Make sure you give the ATF the vehicle logbook, but remember to take out the yellow slip and keep it safe.
Tell DVLA that you have taken your vehicle to an ATF
The DVLA needs proof whether you have sold, bought, or scrapped your vehicle. For this, you will require the 11-digit reference number from the latest logbook. If you fail to tell the DVLA about your vehicle being sold for scrap, then you may have to pay a fine of £1000 for this.
If you would like more information on the scrapping process, give us a call on 01992 929104.