WriteOffCars · Editorial guides
Know what the marker means.
All six UK write-off categories, explained from the ABI Code, DVLA guidance, and primary engineering standards.
Why this site exists
UK write-off coverage is fragmented. The Association of British Insurers updated the Code of Practice in May 2025 (Version 12) with the first explicit rules for electric vehicles, mega-castings, and high-voltage batteries. The industry's write-off register, MIAFTR, was renamed Vehicle Salvage & Theft Data and migrated to a new platform in November 2025. Both changes are recent, and much of the available consumer coverage predates them.
Cat C and Cat D markers from before October 2017 still appear on history checks every day. Current consumer-information sources cover them to varying degrees; this site treats them as first-class topics.
WriteOffCars brings the four current categories (Cat A, B, S, N) and both retired markers (Cat C, D) into a single regularly maintained reference. Every page cites primary sources only. The list is the ABI Code itself, GOV.UK, the Motor Insurers' Bureau, Parliament, Thatcham, the IAEA, and primary legislation. Re-verification runs every six months, and a new Code version triggers a full rewrite.
The site explains how the categories work and what to expect at each stage. It does not recommend specific car buyers, insurers, salvage yards, or history-check providers. Decisions sit with the reader.