What does ‘Write-Off’ mean?
When repair costs exceed a car’s market (or agreed) valuation, it is deemed to be uneconomical to repair and written off. Professional bodyshop rates to repair even minor panel damage may eclipse low value classics’ worth quite easily but those cars, categorised within Insurance Categories C and D, may be repaired and returned to the road. An impact that has damaged the bodyshell significantly may dictate a Category B moniker, meaning that the body and its identification must be destroyed but the car can still be purchased in its entirety for spare parts. Category A relates to damage so severe that everything must be destroyed. Category A and B cars must never reappear on the road. If a vehicle is registered as a write-off, it will remain as a permanent record with the DVLA and you must declare it in the future, when insuring and selling the car. Should you not want this to happen, especially to a Category C or D classic that you intend to repair and return to the road, you may be able to negotiate with the insurance broker for a settlement that prevents the car being formally written-off.