What Cat S means
Cat S is one of the four insurance write-off categories (A, B, S and N). GOV.UK describes it as a vehicle that “can be repaired following structural damage”, and says “you can use the vehicle again if it's repaired to a roadworthy condition”. (GOV.UK)
“S” stands for structural: the AA's wording is “structurally damaged but repairable”. (The AA) The insurance company decides that a car is written off and which category it goes in. (GOV.UK)
Cat S and the log book
When a written-off car is in Cat S and the owner wants to keep it, GOV.UK says:
- the insurance company gives the owner an insurance payout and sells the car back to them;
- the owner sends the complete log book to the insurance company;
- the owner applies for a free duplicate log book using form V62;
- DVLA records the vehicle's category in the log book.
Source: GOV.UK, Insurance write-offs
That last step is the difference from Cat N on paper: for Cat N, GOV.UK says the owner can keep the log book. More in What is a Cat N car?
Cat S compared with the other categories
| Category | Damage | Back on the road? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Cannot be repaired | No — the entire vehicle is crushed |
| B | Cannot be repaired | No — the body shell is crushed; other parts can be salvaged |
| S | Structural, repairable | Yes, if repaired to a roadworthy condition |
| N | Not structural, repairable | Yes, if repaired to a roadworthy condition |
Source: GOV.UK, Insurance write-offs. All four categories: Write-off categories explained
Cat S and the old Cat C
Cat S has been used since 1 October 2017, when the salvage code changed the categories from A, B, C and D to A, B, S and N, with “a greater focus on the condition of the vehicle rather than repair costs”. (Bodyshop magazine, 14 June 2017)
The old Cat C meant “repairable but repair costs exceed pre-accident value”. (The AA) So Cat C was about cost; Cat S is about the kind of damage. They aren't the same category under a new name. Cars written off before October 2017 were given the old letters.
Buying or selling a Cat S car
From trading standards' official guidance for businesses:
- A trader not telling a consumer that a car “has previously been an insurance write-off” is listed as a misleading omission (Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024).
- Any seller, trader or not, has to describe the car correctly.
- Selling, offering for sale or supplying an unroadworthy vehicle is illegal under the Road Traffic Act 1988 — for private sellers as well as traders.
Source: Business Companion, Selling used vehicles (England, Scotland and Wales)
Cat S cars on Motorwatchr
Motorwatchr marks a car Cat S only when the advert, the seller or the site's own vehicle check says so — “Cat S, seller says”, with the seller's words quoted and the link to the advert. We never guess a category from photos or price.