November 19, 2015
Would you buy a Cat D bike?
Would you buy a Cat D bike?
Category A – Must be crushed. All of it.
Category B – Vehicle may not be returned to road. Parts may be sold.
Category C – Repairable. Possibly structural damage. Cost of damage (at dealer prices and labour rates) is more than book value of vehicle.
Category D – Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn’t want to.
Category X – Repairable. Minor Danage.
In more detail:
Category A – May not be resold. Must be crushed. Total burnout or flood damage (salt or foul water). Severely damaged with no serviceable parts, or already stripped out shell. DVLA require “Notification of Destruction”.
Category B – May not be resold. Damaged beyond economical repair, usually with severe structural damage. DVLA require “Notification of Destruction”. Parts can be removed and sold.
Category C – Repairable salvage. Usually applies to vehicles with significant (structural) damage, where cost of repairs exceeds book value. Can be sold complete to Trade or Public. Recorded as “Category C” at DVLA. Category C vehicles’ V5 documents are returned to DVLA. You re-apply, to DVLA or at your local VRO, for registration on the original identity once you have fixed it up, MOTed it and want to Tax it. Re-registration removes the Category C classification, but evidence it was at one time Category C remains on the vehicle’s record at DVLA (and HPI and AA and the others).
Category D – Repairable salvage. Minimal damage, probably not structural, but insurer does not want to repair, even though it might be economic to do so. Often stolen and recovered after claim has been paid. Or for unusual models or grey imports where the difficulty of obtaining new parts hinders a quick repair. Does not need VIC inspection to return to road. Recorded with HPI, AA, and the like.
Category X – Insurance-speak for ‘Not Recorded’, but subject to some claim and sold on by them as repairable salvage. Not recorded on registers at HPI, AA, .. or known at DVLA. Very light damage, or vehicle is fairly new. Requires minimal repair work.