Ben
17-03-11, 03:33 PM
There always seems to be a lot of confusion when people ask for advice about VIC checks or write off markers used by insurance companies so I have written this little guide to help try and clear things up.
When an insurance claim is made against a car the insurance company assess the damage and then place it in a category depending on the age of car and value etc.
CAT A:
To be honest no one on this site will ever have anything to do with a CAT A write off as they are destroyed without the option of removing parts.
CAT B:
As soon as a car has been registered a CAT B it means it should never go back on the road again but if you have a breakers licence then you can buy them and strip them from parts, usually these cars are medium to hard damage, bloodstained, burnt, salt water flood or freshwater flood that has gone over the dashboard. Sometimes as with every rule people repair a CAT B and try to sale them on, there are also some people who export the CAT B register it abroad then re import it back to the UK and re register it as an import, obviously we are not talking about a £500 car for this amount of effort.
CAT C:
A CAT C vehicle is the hardest damage level allowed to be returned to the road in the UK, for a private car they will require a VIC check performed by VOSA at a local testing station (see this list for your local one (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/UsefulContactsByCategory/MotoringContacts/DG_069953)). The VIC test was introduced to stop people ringing stolen cars with written off cars, the VOSA test do not or are not interested in the quality of repairs carried out to a car, they literally just check the chassis numbers, engine number if it’s in easy reach and they randomly check a couple of age markers on a couple of items such as an ash tray or similar.
If you want to drive a car to a VIC check it does not need tax but will need to be road legal such as MOT and insurance. If you trailer or use a car transporter to take the car there it does not need to be road legal, once the VIC check is complete they will issue a certificate and then you can go to your DVLA local office and tax the vehicle (as long as you have MOT and insurance). If you pay for a VIC check then you do not need to pay for the new logbook when you apply to the DVLA. The fee is currently £41 for a VIC check and there are more details here. (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/AdviceOnBuyingAndSellingAVehicle/DG_4022107)
One thing I will recommend about VIC checks is if you book online or over the phone you will be given one in a few weeks time, I have always found if you go to the local office you can often get a test that day or week.
If your vehicle is a commercial van or truck they do not require a VIC check even if they are a CAT C (I don’t know why it seems mad to me).
Once you get a V5 Logbook back from the DVLA for a CAT C it will state on there that the vehicle has been involved in an accident and has undergone a VIC check YOU CANNOT GET THIS REMOVED, EVER?
CAT D
CAT D vehicles are usually quite light in damage as they are usually economical to repair but the insurance company won’t warranty the level of repair so write them off, usual examples of CAT D write offs are: Freshwater floods below the dashboard, mechanical damage, vandalism, interior fire, light crash damage.
With a CAT D vehicle there will not be a marker on the logbook stating it has been crashed, the only way you or others will find out is by carrying out an HPi check. Normally CAT D vehicles demand a much stronger salvage price due to this fact as a CAT C has it printed on the logbook there is no hiding it. Quite often you will find if it’s a very high value vehicle the insurers will place a CAT D marker even if its hard damage as they will demand a higher salvage price.
CAT X/U:
If you are looking on salvage websites you will see CAT U OR X vehicles for sale, these are supposedly not claimed on against the insurance, such as 3rd party only cover etc so people sale them personally as salvage. Although again you are very unlikely to find a Ferrari or similar with an insurance marker against it, they are usually CAT U or X for the same reasons explained above.
There are probably things i have missed out and not explained correctly so will edit/add to this over time, but it is only a basic guide and there are always exceptions to the rules so you may well have a mate who has seen or heard different.
When an insurance claim is made against a car the insurance company assess the damage and then place it in a category depending on the age of car and value etc.
CAT A:
To be honest no one on this site will ever have anything to do with a CAT A write off as they are destroyed without the option of removing parts.
CAT B:
As soon as a car has been registered a CAT B it means it should never go back on the road again but if you have a breakers licence then you can buy them and strip them from parts, usually these cars are medium to hard damage, bloodstained, burnt, salt water flood or freshwater flood that has gone over the dashboard. Sometimes as with every rule people repair a CAT B and try to sale them on, there are also some people who export the CAT B register it abroad then re import it back to the UK and re register it as an import, obviously we are not talking about a £500 car for this amount of effort.
CAT C:
A CAT C vehicle is the hardest damage level allowed to be returned to the road in the UK, for a private car they will require a VIC check performed by VOSA at a local testing station (see this list for your local one (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/UsefulContactsByCategory/MotoringContacts/DG_069953)). The VIC test was introduced to stop people ringing stolen cars with written off cars, the VOSA test do not or are not interested in the quality of repairs carried out to a car, they literally just check the chassis numbers, engine number if it’s in easy reach and they randomly check a couple of age markers on a couple of items such as an ash tray or similar.
If you want to drive a car to a VIC check it does not need tax but will need to be road legal such as MOT and insurance. If you trailer or use a car transporter to take the car there it does not need to be road legal, once the VIC check is complete they will issue a certificate and then you can go to your DVLA local office and tax the vehicle (as long as you have MOT and insurance). If you pay for a VIC check then you do not need to pay for the new logbook when you apply to the DVLA. The fee is currently £41 for a VIC check and there are more details here. (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/AdviceOnBuyingAndSellingAVehicle/DG_4022107)
One thing I will recommend about VIC checks is if you book online or over the phone you will be given one in a few weeks time, I have always found if you go to the local office you can often get a test that day or week.
If your vehicle is a commercial van or truck they do not require a VIC check even if they are a CAT C (I don’t know why it seems mad to me).
Once you get a V5 Logbook back from the DVLA for a CAT C it will state on there that the vehicle has been involved in an accident and has undergone a VIC check YOU CANNOT GET THIS REMOVED, EVER?
CAT D
CAT D vehicles are usually quite light in damage as they are usually economical to repair but the insurance company won’t warranty the level of repair so write them off, usual examples of CAT D write offs are: Freshwater floods below the dashboard, mechanical damage, vandalism, interior fire, light crash damage.
With a CAT D vehicle there will not be a marker on the logbook stating it has been crashed, the only way you or others will find out is by carrying out an HPi check. Normally CAT D vehicles demand a much stronger salvage price due to this fact as a CAT C has it printed on the logbook there is no hiding it. Quite often you will find if it’s a very high value vehicle the insurers will place a CAT D marker even if its hard damage as they will demand a higher salvage price.
CAT X/U:
If you are looking on salvage websites you will see CAT U OR X vehicles for sale, these are supposedly not claimed on against the insurance, such as 3rd party only cover etc so people sale them personally as salvage. Although again you are very unlikely to find a Ferrari or similar with an insurance marker against it, they are usually CAT U or X for the same reasons explained above.
There are probably things i have missed out and not explained correctly so will edit/add to this over time, but it is only a basic guide and there are always exceptions to the rules so you may well have a mate who has seen or heard different.