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Insurance write-offs

Categories A and B never return to the road

In the UK, Category A means crush the complete vehicle with no reusable parts. Category B means the body structure and vehicle identity must be crushed, although suitable undamaged parts may be recovered first. The rules used here were published by Association of British Insurers and checked on 28 May 2025.

What is the difference between category A and category B?

Category A means crush the complete vehicle with no reusable parts. Category B means the body structure and vehicle identity must be crushed, although suitable undamaged parts may be recovered first.

Association of British Insurers, Code of Practice for the Categorisation of Motorised Vehicle Salvage (as of 28 May 2025)

Checked on 7 September 2026.Association of British Insurers, Code of Practice for the Categorisation of Motorised Vehicle Salvage (as of 28 May 2025)

The categories at a glance

Categories A and B never return to the road: category summary
CategoryABI meaningMay returnV5C and DVLA
A: ScrapThe vehicle is not suitable for repair and no part of it is safe to reuse. The complete vehicle must be crushed.NoThe V5C goes to the insurer after the keeper completes the DVLA notification. The destruction record prevents another V5C being issued for this identity.
B: BreakThe vehicle is not suitable for repair, but some undamaged parts may be recovered. Its bodyshell, chassis or frame must be crushed in full.NoThe V5C goes to the insurer after the keeper completes the DVLA notification. The destruction record prevents another V5C being issued for this identity.

What is the difference between category A and category B?

Both are destruction categories. Category A means the vehicle is not suitable for repair and no part of it is safe to reuse. The complete vehicle must be crushed. Category B means the vehicle is not suitable for repair, but some undamaged parts may be recovered. Its bodyshell, chassis or frame must be crushed in full.

GOV.UK's table matches that split: A, entire vehicle crushed; B, body shell crushed, other parts may be salvaged. Neither identity may be used on the road again. The Department for Transport calls them an actual loss: vehicles that cannot or should not be repaired, and that DVLA will not re-register.

Write-off categories A and B can never return to the road: A is crushed whole, B is crushed after parts are salvaged. Categories S and N can be used again once repaired to a roadworthy condition.CategoryBack on the road?AScrapWhole vehicle crushedNeverBBreakParts saved, body shell crushedNeverSStructural damageRepairable to a roadworthy stateAfter repairNNon-structural damageRepairable to a roadworthy stateAfter repair
A is crushed whole with no reusable parts. B is crushed after permitted undamaged parts are taken. S and N are the repairable letters. ABI code and GOV.UK, September 2026.
Destruction categories A and B
CategoryPartsBody structureBack on the road
A scrapNone may be reusedCrushed with the rest of the vehicleNever
B breakPermitted undamaged parts may be recoveredBodyshell, chassis or frame crushed in fullNever

ABI Code of Practice for the Categorisation of Motorised Vehicle Salvage and GOV.UK insurance write-offs, checked 7 September 2026.

What happens to the V5C and the VIN?

The insurer records every categorised vehicle through MIAFTR. The registered keeper must also notify DVLA when the insurer takes the vehicle after settlement, and can be fined £1,000 if they do not. The remaining V5C goes to the insurer. The destruction record prevents another V5C being issued for this identity.

Take a personalised registration off before you notify, if you want to keep the number. You cannot later resurrect the old VIN on a different shell and call it a repair.

  • The insurer enters every categorised vehicle on MIAFTR and must update the final category promptly. That entry supplies the insurer's DVLA notification.
  • The registered keeper must notify DVLA when the insurer takes the vehicle after the claim settles, unless the insurer acts as the keeper's agent.
  • The remaining V5C is destroyed and the destruction record prevents a new V5C being issued for the original identity.
  1. Read A or B on the insurer's letter. Neither is a keep-and-repair option.
  2. Take a private plate off if you want to keep it.
  3. Tell DVLA, using the insurer as trader, or post the yellow V5C/3 section to Swansea SA99 1BD.
  4. Hand the rest of the V5C to the insurer.
  5. Expect a letter that you are no longer the keeper, and a tax refund of full unused months.

Can parts from category B go on another car?

Yes, if they are undamaged, suitable and lawfully recovered before the body structure is crushed. The sale is a parts transaction. It is not a route back to registration for the original vehicle.

Category A allows no such recovery. The ABI code requires the complete vehicle to be crushed without components being removed for reuse. An advert offering a category A car 'for repair' is a warning to stop.

Major components from a vehicle with a Certificate of Destruction must not be reused. A Certificate of Destruction is the authorised treatment facility's document, not an MOT.

What if someone offers me a repaired A or B car?

Do not buy it as a road vehicle. GOV.UK and the ABI code both say these identities cannot return. A current MOT, a fresh coat of paint, or a V5C that 'went missing' does not change that.

If you already paid, stop using it on the road and take advice from Trading Standards or Citizens Advice. The Department for Transport consumer guide points to those routes where a dealer sold a vehicle that was not roadworthy or not as described.

Example

A category B shell advertised as a project car with a V5C

Advert
Category B, 'easy repair', V5C available
ABI meaning
Body structure must be crushed, identity cannot return
Seller claim
A new MOT will put it back on the road
  1. Category B is a destruction category. The bodyshell, chassis or frame must be crushed in full.
  2. A V5C should not be available to start a new road life for that identity.
  3. An MOT cannot re-register a destroyed identity.
  4. Walk away. If parts are the genuine offer, they must be permitted undamaged components, not the shell.

The lawful destination of a category B vehicle is authorised destruction of the structure after any permitted parts are removed. It is not a restoration project.

What goes wrong with A and B?

Keepers delay the DVLA notification and then receive a late licensing letter for a car the insurer already has.

A private plate is left on until after the crush. GOV.UK says take it off first.

Parts from A leak onto the used-parts market. The code says they should not.

A motorcycle or van is treated as if only cars had salvage categories. The ABI code is for motorised vehicle salvage.

Which A and B myths should I ignore?

Myth: B is 'almost N'. B cannot return. N can.

Myth: if it still drives it cannot be A. Driveable is not the test. The qualified person's decision is.

Myth: Northern Ireland will re-register a B shell. DVLA does not re-register actual-loss identities.

What should I do on the day the insurer writes it off as A or B?

Stop treating the vehicle as yours to drive. A and B are not keep-and-repair categories. Remove personal possessions, take the private plate off if you want it, and complete the DVLA notification with the insurer as trader. Hand over the V5C as they ask.

If the car is a motorcycle, the frame is the structure. Category B still means that frame is crushed. Do not plan to rebuild around it. If it is a van with useful tools in the back, those tools are not ABI salvage parts; take them out as your possessions before the vehicle goes.

A Certificate of Destruction from an authorised treatment facility is the end of the identity. Keep any confirmation DVLA sends that you are no longer the keeper. That letter is what you produce if a camera notice arrives later.

Do not list the vehicle for sale as a runner. An advert that says 'category B, drives well, MOT last month' is advertising an identity that cannot return. Report that to the platform and to Trading Standards if a dealer is doing it. Parts-only listings should say parts, and should not include the VIN as a car for sale.

  • Take a private plate off before you notify DVLA, if you want to keep the number.
  • Notify DVLA with the insurer as trader, or post the yellow V5C/3 section, to avoid the £1,000 failure-to-notify fine.
  • Do not buy A or B as a car, MOT or no MOT. The identity cannot return.
  • Category B parts must be undamaged and lawfully recovered before the structure is crushed. Category A allows no reusable parts.

Common questions

Can I repair a category B car?
No. Its body structure and original identity must be destroyed. Some undamaged parts can be recovered for reuse, but the category B vehicle itself cannot return. An MOT does not create a way around that.
Can parts be taken from category A?
No. The ABI code requires the complete category A vehicle to be crushed without components being removed for reuse. Its only destination is authorised treatment and material recycling.
Can an MOT put category A or B back on the road?
No. An MOT checks specified items on the vehicle presented. It cannot overturn the destruction category or recreate the vehicle identity and V5C. GOV.UK says these vehicles will not be re-registered.
Do I still tell DVLA if the insurer is taking the car?
Yes. GOV.UK treats writing off and scrapping as selling the vehicle to the insurer, and you can be fined £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA. Use the insurer's name and postcode as trader details, plus the 11 digit yellow-section reference.
What happens to vehicle tax on A or B?
DVLA cancels the tax when it gets the notification and refunds any full months left. Direct Debit is cancelled automatically. The cheque goes to the name and address on the logbook. Contact DVLA if it has not arrived after 8 weeks.
Can I keep the registration number?
Yes, if you take it off the vehicle before you tell DVLA the vehicle has been written off. GOV.UK lists that step first. Once the identity is destroyed, you cannot retrieve a number you left on it.
Is a Certificate of Destruction the same as an MOT?
No. A Certificate of Destruction is issued when an authorised treatment facility destroys the vehicle. An MOT is a minimum-standard inspection of a vehicle presented as being in use. A and B need the first, not the second.
What if a dealer sold me a repaired A or B?
Stop using it on the road. The Department for Transport consumer guide points to the Sale of Goods Act wording on dealer sales being as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose, and to Trading Standards. This site cannot check a registration for you.

Sources

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