Every UK Copart lot carries a category assigned by the insurer that wrote the car off. It is the most important field on the listing. It sets the car’s legal status, the paperwork DVLA expects, and how much the next buyer will take off the price.
The four current categories are A, B, S and N. They came in with the Association of British Insurers’ 2017 change, replacing the older C and D, and they split write-offs by structural against non-structural damage rather than by repair cost. That is a much cleaner signal for a buyer.
The four at a glance
| Category | Meaning | Typical resale haircut |
|---|---|---|
| Cat S | Structurally damaged, repairable. Repair, inspect, re-register. | 25% to 40% |
| Cat N | Non-structural damage. No re-registration needed. | 15% to 25% |
| Cat B | Break for parts only. Body shell must be crushed. | Not a flip |
| Cat A | Scrap only. Nothing may be salvaged. | Not for sale to you |
The haircuts are typical ranges against clean-title trade value, not promises. Your own sold prices beat any table.
Cat S in detail
A Cat S car has had structural components compromised: chassis rails, pillars, suspension turrets, subframes, sills or crumple zones. The insurer judged the repair uneconomic against pre-loss value, but the car can still be put right competently.
- What you must do. Have the repair carried out and documented, apply to DVLA to re-register it, and pass an MOT before it goes on the road. The V5 keeps the Cat S history for good.
- Resale. Typically 25% to 40% off clean-title value. The discount is harshest in the first year after repair and eases with age, but it never goes.
- When it makes sense. The damage is localised, such as one wheel corner, the parts are cheap, and you have a frame jig or a body shop that does. If the haircut is already in your bid, Cat S can be the best margin on Copart UK.
- When to walk away. Side impact intrusion, B-pillar damage, multi-corner hits or any roof damage. Straightening those properly does not fit a home budget, and a poor repair comes back as a structural MOT failure or an insurance dispute.
Cat N in detail
Cat N covers everything that is not structural: bumpers, panels, lights, glass, electrical faults, cosmetic damage from theft recovery, wet interiors, engine bay fires that stopped short of the bulkhead. The insurer chose not to repair, but nothing safety-critical in the structure is involved.
- No re-registration. Repair, MOT, drive. The marker still goes on the V5 automatically, but there is nothing to apply for. Re-registration is paperwork, an inspection and weeks of waiting, and Cat N skips all of it.
- Resale. Typically 15% to 25% off. Smaller than Cat S because more buyers understand that “no structural damage” is a different thing from “structural repair, declared”.
- The catch. “Non-structural” is the insurer’s call. Cars that arguably should have been Cat S do end up as Cat N when the assessor missed something. Check the photos against the category yourself, or let CarMargin do it: the photo read compares visible damage with the declared category and flags a mismatch.
Cat B and Cat A
Cat B lots are for parts buyers. You can recover and resell components, but the body shell must be crushed and DVLA expects a destruction certificate. Cat A is destruction only, with no parts recovery. Few reach auction. Neither is a flip.
What the category does to insurance
- Some insurers refuse Cat S, and a few refuse both. Comparison sites will quote them, and specialists are often more flexible.
- Premiums tend to sit above clean-title equivalents. It hurts less on cheap old cars and more on newer, higher value ones.
- Expect to be asked for repair evidence: photos, parts receipts, ideally a body shop report. Keep everything.
- In a later total loss the payout reflects the category history, not clean book value.
What CarMargin does with the category
The category is one input to the max bid. CarMargin applies a category-specific haircut to the estimated retail value, on top of your target margin, transport, fees and the repair plan. A Cat N takes a smaller haircut than a Cat S, and a Cat B is treated as a parts lot. The full sum is in the buyer fees guide.
A quick rule of thumb
- Cat N. Most accessible. Easiest paperwork, smaller haircut, widest buyer pool. A sensible first salvage buy.
- Cat S. More margin, more skill. A frame jig or a good body shop changes the maths.
- Cat B. Only if you break cars and have somewhere to store and sell parts.
- Cat A. Never.
Whichever you bid on, read the Additional Information notes. They carry the useful detail (no keys, missing title, mechanical fault) and often contradict the headline category.