CAT D CARS: THE FACTS

You see them when searchingforclassifieds but what does it mean? When a car is involved in an accidentseriousenoughtobe written off by an insurance company, it is categorised with one of four labels: Categorya,b,cord.asofoctober 2017,thesewillchange,toa,b, S and N, but the principal will remain the same.

Category A and B cars can’t bedrivenontheroad.category C and D models, however, areallowedtobere-registered after being written off. That’s why you sometimes see Category D listed alongside cars in classifieds – by law, dealers are required to make this clear.they’reusuallycheaper than comparable models but why on earth would you want tobuyacarthat’sbeenwritten off? Well, unlikecategory A cars, which must be crushed, and Category B cars, which have to be scrapped for spares, Category C and D cars have damage that’s less serious – usually cosmetic, that in the case of Cat C cars would cost more than the car’s worth to repair. If you know a friendly bodyshop who’ll do you a good deal, they’re tempting buys.

Category D cars are even more temping, because these really are cars that have been written off just because the strict rules governing insurance-approved cars would exceed the value of the car: remember,carinsurancefees includethingssuchascarhire –if,forexample,thedamageis minor but would take a long time to repair, or the parts required are hard to find, the insurance company wouldn’t hesitate to write the car off.

Such damage doesn’t warrant this, but a simple financial calculation means it’s cheaper for the insurance company to do this. It may thus be written off, then sold to an independent garage, who’ll do the work at much lower cost and then be able to sell the repaired car on.

That’s why Category D cars are often found when searching for used cars. They are worth less than normal models, but so long as you’re paying less in the first place, they canbeagreatwayintoamuch newer and more expensive model than you may otherwise be able to afford.

As of October 2017, it changes. Category A and Category B cars remain unchanged. The new Category S is for ‘structural’ cars: models that have had damage to the structural frame that’s since been repaired. These are the cars you absolutely must get inspected by an engineer.

Category N cars are those w ith ‘nonstructural’ damage.these have probably been written off because it’s too expensive to fix them to the required standards of car insurers. Core structures will not have been damaged, although they may still have damaged suspension and steering parts.

Thinking about buying a Category D or Category N car, then? Here are a few things to take note of before you do.

● Buy from a dealer, not a privateseller:thiswillgiveyou more consumer rights

●Askquestions:canyousee pictures of the damage? Who did the work? What parts were repaired?

● Buy an inspection: it’s money well spent ● Buy a history check ●Buyawarranty:someprovidersofferpackagesforcatd and Cat N cars

● Avoid cars that may have chassis damage (Cat S cars, in the new lingo, risk this)

● Be careful: if something seems too good (and too cheap)tobetrue,itprobablyis