Insurance Write Off

When a car has been damaged extensively to the point where it cannot be repaired, it is then called an insurance write off. Every year hundreds of thousands of cars are involved in car accidents, thefts or fires. Insurance companies will classify some of these cars as write offs so that they do not spend more money on repairing the car than what's it's worth. So if you have reported an accident and your insurer believes your car is a write off, then don't despair as scrap metal also sells well and you may still be able to get a good amount of cash for it.

Categories for insurance write offs

• Cat A is when parts can only be sold for scrap; the scrap value will not cover the cost of recovery or delivery in most cases.
• Cat B is when the vehicle itself cannot be used again but non-structural and roadworthy parts can be used in other vehicles; the vehicle body shell must be crushed.
• Cat C is when the vehicle can be salvaged but by doing so the parts and labour would exceed the value of the car so the insurer decides to write it off.
• Cat D is when the vehicle is repairable but the insurer decides that the car is a write off. For example deliveries for the parts are too long and hiring a car is too expensive.
• Cat F is when the car has been damaged by fire and the insurer decides not to repair it.
• Cat X is when the car can be repaired and can still be roadworthy.
• Unrecorded insurance write off is usually when a driver does not report the accident to the insurer or was uninsured. An example would be a driver who has third party insurance only being involved in an accident that was their fault.

Having a car being written off by the insurance company is a lot of hassle. Insurers will usually offer a low value than what your car is really worth and most people accept this first offer as they do not know any better. If you can get a like for like replacement of your car with that money, then fine, grab it without hesitation but what if a similar car will cost you a lot more than that? Are you going to save up to get the car? No! You should look how much cars similar to the one you have are selling for. Get an average price and then contact your insurer and tell them that they are offering too little for the write-off car and you wouldn't be able to replace it. The key here is to negotiate until they give you a decent value for your car. Don't overdo it otherwise you'll be wasting your time but you need to be patient as well because the payout can take time if you're still negotiating but it's better to wait than having to find the money yourself. Make the car insurance write off work to your advantage and not the other way round.