Sell My Written Off Vehicle
Get the very best price for your insurance write-off from industry experts
Dealing with a car that’s been written off by your insurers can be slow, painful and leave you feeling isolated as you search for the next steps. With Scrap Car Comparison, we take all of that away and simply provide you with the very best price for your car – no matter its condition, and help you sell your car to the write people in an instant.
Guaranteed Sale
No need to worry about phoning around the local garages or putting out adverts – with one phone call your write-off will be on its way to being sold.
Best Value
With a network of specialists at our disposal, we can promise you the very best price for your car, no matter its condition. Simply call to find out more.
UK-Wide Free Collection
A written-off car will of course have no insurance, making driving one a crime. Thankfully we can provide a free collection to all customers UK-wide.
What is a write-off and how do they happen?
What is a write-off and how do they happen?- An insurance write off is a vehicle that had sustained significant damages or mechanical breakdowns to the point the cost to repair it will outweigh the overall cost of the vehicle itself.
- When a vehicle is written off, it is placed into one of four categories (A, B, S or N) depending on what severity of the damage.
- Category A – The most severe damages. The car must be scrapped in its entirety and under no circumstances can it return to the road.
- Category B – Similar to Category A vehicles, a Category B write-off can never return to the road, but it can have some parts salvaged from it to repair others. For this reason, ‘B’ is often believed to stand for ‘Break’.
- Category S – Standing for ‘Structural’ due to the type of damage sustained, a Category S vehicle can return to the road once it has been repaired. This was once known as Category C.
- Category N – Formerly known as Category D, Category N cars are similar to Category S but have sustained ‘Non-Structural’ damage, hence the N designation. These are often the least damaged of the four and can often be found as potentially cheaper options when searching for a used car.
- You don’t always have to return a Category S or N write-off to your insurers, and in some cases can even negotiate with them to buy the vehicle back and repair them yourself.
- If you intend to return either to the road, you must re-register Category S write-offs with the DVLA. You will also need to inform the DVLA of a Category N write-off yourself.
- Your insurance policy will be cancelled the moment your insurers deem it a write-off. You will then receive the payout and the car becomes the insurer’s property.
Who is Scrap Car Comparison?
- We are the largest scrap buying website in the UK, dealing with over 150,000 enquiries for scrap and salvage vehicles every month.
- Since the company was founded, we’ve taken a staggering 38,000 tonnes of vehicles off the road.
- We’ve also paid out over £18 million since the company began, whilst also donating over £750,000 to charity in the past four years.
You may have seen us
Testimonials
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“Excellent service from start to finish. My car was written off due to engine problems and the team here made the situation so much better by working quickly and found me the best deal. All sorted within 48 hours which meant I could focus on getting a new car.” – Nick
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“I was surprised to be contacted but Scrap Car Comparison offered the best price with clear instructions and then paid within three hours of taking the car. What’s not to like when selling a written off car?” – Richard
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“Very Helpful and got me a good competitive price for my written off car.” – Steve
Step by step guide to selling a written-off car
1. Initial Write-Off from your insurers
When your car has been involved in an incident and your insurers have been informed, they will carry out their own calculations as to its value and likely costs for any potential repairs. If the cost of repairs outweighs the value of the car, then it’ll be deemed a write off.
2. Negotiate insurance buy-back
If you’re convinced that you could get more for your car if you were to sell it yourself, then you can buy your old car back from your insurers. You’ll need to let them know this is your intention as soon as possible. Remember, they’ll often start low with their offer, so be prepared to negotiate.
3. Get a quote from Scrap Car Comparison
Once the car is back in your possession and under your ownership, simply pop the vehicle’s registration and your postcode into our instant quote generator. This will provide you a basic quote based on likely scrap prices, but the next step makes all the difference.
4. Provide more detail
A member of our team will then call to discuss your car in further detail. Here you’re given the opportunity to explain the exact condition of your car, allowing us to provide a much more accurate price for your car as a salvage vehicle for one of our trusted buyers.
5. Arrange collection
Once you’ve accepted a quote from one of our specialist buyers, we’ll then put you in touch with the collection agent, who will arrange a mutually convenient time with you to collect your car, absolutely free of charge. Once your car has been collected, your funds will be released.
FAQs
What type of damage is considered a write-off?
Any damage that will require repair works costing more than the value of a car can be considered a write-off. This could be anything from crash damage, mechanical breakdowns or even damages caused by extreme weather events.
How do you write off a car?
Writing off a car is how the motoring industry describes a car that has sustained damage to the extent that the repair bill will outweigh the value of the car itself. This isn’t something that you will be able to do yourself, however, and it is the decision of your insurer.
The only part you’ll play (apart from the physical damaging of the car) is calling your insurer to inform them of the damage, and they will make the call as to whether or not your car is a write-off or not.
Is my car a write off?
If your car has been involved in an accident and has sustained significant amounts of damage then your insurers will be able to inform you as to whether it has been written-off or not. The decision will be made based on the value of your car against the cost of repairs.
The cost of repairs doesn’t even need to be higher than the value, and it could be that it’s just simply not worth repairing – for example, £3,000 worth of repairs to a £4,000 car makes little sense in the long run.
What do I do with a written-off car?
When your vehicle is written off, you’ll have a couple of options. You can allow your insurance company to pay out for it and take it off your hands. They’ll give you a settlement fee based on the current value of the vehicle if you were to sell it without the damage that’s written it off.
Alternatively, if you believe your insurers are not offering a fair price, you can negotiate to buy the car back from them.
What happens to my insurance after a write-off?
After your vehicle is written off, your existing insurance policy will be cancelled as the car or van is no longer driveable or taxable. At this point, the insurer will pay out the value of the vehicle which also means that it no longer belongs to you – it becomes their property.
If you’ve paid off your insurance in one annual lump sum, then everything is settled and you’re in the clear, but if you were paying monthly, you’ll have to continue paying the installments for the car that no longer exists!
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Can I keep my vehicle if the insurance company writes it off?
Can I keep my vehicle if the insurance company writes it off?You can choose to buy back your car from your insurer, but you will need to let them know of your intention to do this as soon as possible. You will be able to keep the car after an agreed settlement figure is paid to the insurers.
If your car or van has been written-off into Category A or B then you have no choice but to scrap the car. You can keep and repair Category S or N write-offs back to the point of being back on the road, although you must re-register a Cat S car with the DVLA, and you must also inform them that a Cat N car has been written-off.
Can written off cars be resold?
If your car or van has been titled either Category S or N, then you will be able to sell the written off car. When advertising or speaking to potential buyers you should be honest about your car’s write-off history. If the car has been written off as either Category A or B then to sell would be illegal and they must be crushed. Watch our video explainer for more information.
Can a write off affect your finance?
When a car or van is determined a write off, you will most likely receive a settlement price from your insurance company, depending on how it was damaged. This price is how much they are prepared to pay you for the vehicle.
If the amount they offer you is the same amount as you borrowed on finance to pay for it, then you can simply pay off your finance plan with the money you receive. However, sometimes the amount offered isn’t quite enough to cover the finance borrowed, putting you in a shortfall situation.
Say you bought a car for £4,000 on finance and have already paid back £1,000 of that finance plan. When your car is written off, the insurance company offers you £2,000 as payment for the car, meaning that you still need to find £1,000 to pay your finance company after giving them the £2,000.
Additionally, until the vehicle is officially written off, you will need to continue to make your monthly finance payments on the payment plan. If you don’t continue to make these payments, as per your contract, you could seriously damage your credit score, meaning that you may find it more of a struggle to get finance in the future.
How Much is My Vehicle Worth?
How Much is My Vehicle Worth?A vehicle’s worth is constantly changing, which means that the value fluctuates and is never fixed for very long. If you are selling your car or van for scrap or salvage, the main factors which will affect the price given are:
- Vehicle’s overall weight
- Valuable parts – engines, catalytic converters, alloy wheels.
How Do I Scrap a Category A or B Write-Off?
The easiest way, and the only way to guarantee you’ll get the very best deal for your car or van, is to sell it through Scrap Car Comparison. With our dedicated and experienced team, and a network of trusted buyers in all four corners of the country, Scrap Car Comparison guarantees not only guarantees the best scrap prices, but the best service no matter where in the UK you call home.
How Do You Sell a Category S or N Car or Van?
Selling a written-off vehicle, providing it is either Category S or N, is no more difficult than it is to sell a Category A or B write-off. Simply provide all of the vehicle details to one of Scrap Car Comparison’s knowledgeable and friendly advisors, and they will be able to secure you the best price available from our nationwide network of buyers. Remember, the more information you provide at the first step, the more accurate your initial quote will be.
