Cat S vs Cat N: UK salvage categories explained

Since October 2017 the UK classifies insurance write-offs into four categories. Two of them — S and N — flow through the salvage auctions in volume and are the ones a buyer needs to understand.

The four categories

• Cat A — scrap. The whole car must be crushed; even parts may not be resold.
• Cat B — break for parts. The body shell must be destroyed; parts may be recovered and sold.
• Cat S — structural. Repairable damage that involved the structure (chassis, crumple zones). The car can return to the road after professional repair; re-registration with the DVLA is required.
• Cat N — non-structural. Repairable damage that did not touch the structure — cosmetics, electrics, suspension bolt-ons. No re-registration requirement, though repairs must still make it roadworthy.

Where C and D went

Older listings and history checks still show Cat C and Cat D — the pre-2017 scheme, which categorized by repair cost rather than damage type. Roughly, C maps to S and D to N, but the mapping is informal; treat any pre-2017 brand as "investigate the actual damage".

Practical notes for buyers

A Cat N car with panel damage is often the best value in the UK market; a Cat S needs a repairer you trust and jig-level equipment. There is no mandatory government inspection for either category before returning to the road — the market relies on insurance engineers and MOT tests — so an independent post-repair inspection is money well spent. Browse live UK stock across Copart UK and IAA UK (SYNETIQ), and price repairs against our fee calculator's all-in figures rather than the hammer price.