What do insurance write-off categories A, B, S and N mean?
Category A and B cars cannot be repaired: A must be crushed entirely, while B’s body shell is crushed but other parts can be salvaged. Category S cars can be repaired after structural damage and N after non-structural damage, and both can be used again once repaired to a roadworthy condition.
Last reviewed . The official sources it draws on, and the date each was read, are listed at the foot of the page.
The four categories
| Category | Can it be repaired? | What can happen to it |
|---|---|---|
| A | No | The entire vehicle has to be crushed. |
| B | No | The body shell has to be crushed, but other parts can be salvaged. |
| S | Yes, after structural damage | It can be used again once repaired to a roadworthy condition. |
| N | Yes, after non-structural damage | It can be used again once repaired to a roadworthy condition. |
The insurance company decides whether a damaged vehicle is written off. When it is, the insurer pays the owner the vehicle’s current value instead of the cost of repairing it.
What it means when you buy
A category S or N car can be used again once it has been repaired to a roadworthy condition, but it is a car with a write-off history. Categories A and B are different: DVLA treats a UK category A or B vehicle as seriously damaged, which means it cannot be registered with DVLA.
GOV.UK says that when a category S vehicle is kept, DVLA records the vehicle’s category in the log book, so the V5C is worth checking.
If an owner keeps the car
When an owner wants to keep a category N or S vehicle, the insurance company pays out and sells the vehicle back to them. A category S car also needs the complete log book sent to the insurer and a free duplicate log book applied for on form V62. A category N owner can keep the log book.
Who tells DVLA
When a vehicle is written off, the insurance company usually deals with it. The owner has to tell DVLA, and can be fined £1,000 for not doing so.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Scrapping your vehicle and insurance write-offsRead on 1 October 2026. The four categories, who decides on a write-off, the payout, DVLA recording category S in the log book and the fine for not telling DVLA.
- GOV.UK: Vehicle registrationRead on 1 October 2026. A seriously damaged vehicle cannot be registered; for UK vehicles that means category A or B.
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