.header__wrapper { opacity: 1; }[Skip to content]
Areas we cover

What To Do If You're Car's Been Written Off

Posted in General

A serious accident or collision could result in your car being written-off.  That means that it is no longer fit to drive and is irreparable – or it will cost too much money to get it repaired, possibly even more than buying a brand new car.   That’s one of the reasons why you must have suitable car insurance in place.  It covers accidental damage, protects you from costly claims and hopefully, gets you back on the road very quickly.  It might even be that the collision your car experienced was nothing to do with your driving, it wasn’t your fault, for example, your car could have been parked by the side of the road or on your driveway – unfortunately, accidents do happen.   So, if you’ve experienced a write-off situation and your car’s no longer drivable, what’s next?  Could it be that you’re ready to scrap a car in Hertfordshire, London or Essex?  Let UKCarMovement talk you through what to do if your car’s been written off.

The Police and Insurance Company

Firstly, you need to inform the police and then get your car assessed.  You might think your car’s a write-off, but your insurance provider will want your car thoroughly checked, to see if it’s salvageable.  The first thing to do is to swap owner details with the other person/persons involved.  That is if you can do so – sometimes, you might be unlucky to experience an accident and the driver at fault has left the scene with no witnesses.  You still need to inform your insurance company and the police too because often there are security cameras that might display footage of the accident.  It is a crime to leave the scene of an accident if you’re involved.

When you speak to your insurance provider, you will be expected to supply as much detail as possible and evidence if required.   Your insurers will advise on what you’re entitled to and assess your car’s current value.  Write-offs usually come under four different categories, these essentially grade the damage, car safety and cost of repairs.

You should also inform the police; a major car accident could become a crime scene especially if there are injured persons involved.  Your insurer may well request a police report so it’s best to call the police immediately after an accident.

Insurance Categories for Write-Off Cars

As mentioned above, there are four categories for write-off cars.  Strangely, they are categorized as A, B, S and N:

  • Category A – This refers to a car that is only suitable for car scrapping in Herts, Essex or London and the parts from a Cat A can be sold on for reuse.
  • Category B – Is similar to Category A.
  • Category S – This refers to a car that has suffered structural damage, the cost of repairs will be higher than the vehicle so it will be considered a write-off and not worth the cost of repair.
  • Category N – This is when the damage is cosmetic rather than structural.  It may be salvageable.  This is particularly relevant if you are still paying off a financial plan on your car – in which case, you should speak to the finance company or car company, explain the situation and see what they suggest.

Once you’ve found out which category your car falls into, you can decide what to do.  If your car falls into category N you might be able to repair your car and sell it on but for Category S, you should inform the DVLA for instruction and to notify them that your car is off-road. If your car falls into Category B or A then it’s time to scrap a car in Herts or get your car scrapped in London.  Always use an ATF registered scrapyard so you are with a reputable firm and ensure you get your Certificate of Destruction issued to prove that you scrapped a car “near me”.  Search for the best scrap car prices near me too – you’ll find that UKCarMovement is always the number one scrapping service in London, Herts and Essex and we offer the best scrap car prices!

While it’s upsetting to have to scrap your car in London or the surrounding areas because of an accident, there are some advantages.   When you choose UKCarMovement for your car scrapping service in Herts, you get your money transferred the very same day, so you can quickly put a deposit on a new car, if you want one.   You also get the best possible car scrap price, and we aim to beat or match any quote from anywhere else.   Additionally, it’s good to know that we’re the number one scrap car service in Hertfordshire, we’re ATF registered, reputable and have thousands of happy customers!  We’ll even collect your car for free from any address in London, Herts or Essex.  

Keeping It Green

At UKCarMovement, we like to keep it as green as possible and we aim to recycle 95% of your scrap car in London, which means that at least you know your car will get reused, somewhere!  We also carefully dispose of any harmful fluid, to avoid polluting the atmosphere.  Finally, we’ll issue you with that all-important COD (Certificate of Destruction) as mentioned above.

So, if your car’s been involved in a collision and it’s deemed a write-off, get in touch with our car scrapyard in Herts and book in your free collection and delivery.  We can scrap a car on the same day and transfer your money too – so you’re done and dusted in no time at all.  Get your car scrap quote or scrap your van in Herts today by clicking here, no need to search “Where can I scrap my car near me?” when we’re right here waiting!

Further reading