Write-Off Check — How to Tell If a Car Has Been Written Off
Ask to see the V5C. GOV.UK's own guidance on insurance write-offs states that “DVLA will record the vehicle's category in the log book” — so on a Category S or Category N car the keeper kept, the write-off is printed on the document the seller is already holding. That is free, it takes ten seconds, and most buyers never do it. What it will not catch is a car written off and then sold on without the paperwork following it; for that you need the insurers' own register, MIAFTR, which is licensed data we do not hold.
Buy privately and there is no comeback: no warranty, no returns, no refund.
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Last updated August 2026.
Three ways to check, cheapest first
Two of them are free. The third is the only one that is definitive — and nobody gives it away, here included.
The V5C log book
GOV.UK: “DVLA will record the vehicle's category in the log book.” If a Category S or Category N vehicle was bought back from the insurer and kept, the category goes on the record. Ask for the V5C before you travel to see the car, not after.
- Category A and B vehicles are not re-registered by DVLA at all — they should never be on sale as a road car.
- For Category S, GOV.UK's process is: send the complete log book to the insurance company, then apply for a free duplicate log book using form V62.
- For Category N, GOV.UK says you can keep the log book if you keep the vehicle.
- A seller who will not show you the V5C before the viewing has told you something.
The free DVLA and DVSA records
Useful, but be precise about what they are. The free DVLA vehicle enquiry returns tax, SORN, MOT expiry, date of first registration, last V5C issue date, year of manufacture, type approval category, weight, engine size, fuel type, CO2, Euro status and export status. Salvage category is not in that list. Neither is it in the DVSA MOT record.
- A 'free car check' site that shows tax and MOT is not showing you a write-off, whatever the page title says.
- What these records do give you is a timeline — and a repaired write-off usually leaves a shape in that timeline.
- We return the same DVLA and DVSA data, free, with no sign-up.
MIAFTR, through a licensed provider
The definitive record of an insurance total loss is the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register, maintained for the insurance industry. It is not a public database and it is not free anywhere. Providers such as HPI and Total Car Check licence it and resell it inside a paid report.
- MOT Checkup does not licence MIAFTR. No tier of our report — free, Basic £2.99 or Premium £3.99 — contains a write-off record, and we are not going to imply otherwise.
- This is the only route that catches a write-off where the paperwork does not follow the car.
- GOV.UK's own consumer guide for buying a repaired write-off tells you to get a private history check for exactly this reason.
What the MOT record can evidence — and what it cannot prove
There is no write-off field in the MOT record. There is a timeline, and a repaired accident car often leaves a shape in it.
A gap in the test record
A car that was tested every year, then missed a year, then resumed — the gap can line up with the period a damaged vehicle spent off the road being assessed and repaired.
Structural advisories after the gap
Corrosion, welding, damaged or repaired structural sections and 'previously repaired' notes recorded on tests after a gap, when earlier tests were clean, are worth asking about.
Alignment, suspension and lighting defects clustering
Headlamp aim, steering alignment, suspension geometry and body-panel items appearing together on the first test after a gap is the pattern a repaired front-end impact leaves behind.
A mileage plateau
Annual mileage that flatlines for a period and then resumes at the previous rate tells you the car was not being driven. It does not tell you why.
Read that as evidence, not as a verdict
Every pattern above has innocent explanations. A car can be SORN for a year because its owner went abroad, was ill, or was restoring it. Corrosion advisories arrive with age. Alignment faults arrive with potholes. What the MOT trail earns you is a specific question to put to the seller — “why was it off the road in 2022, and what was done to it?” — and a reason to spend money on an inspection before you spend it on the car. It is not a write-off check, and we will not describe it as one. See the full MOT history for any registration, free.
The four categories, in GOV.UK's words
A and B are actual losses and are not re-registered by DVLA. S and N are constructive losses — repairable, but the repair would cost more than the vehicle is worth. For the buy or walk-away decision, see the Cat S and Cat N guide.
Category A — Scrap
“Cannot be repaired. The entire vehicle has to be crushed.”
Category B — Break
“Cannot be repaired, but you can salvage other parts from it.”
Category S — Structural
“Can be repaired following structural damage. You can use the vehicle again if it's repaired to a roadworthy condition.”
Replaced Category C in October 2017
Category N — Non-structural
“Can be repaired following non-structural damage. You can use the vehicle again if it's repaired to a roadworthy condition.”
Replaced Category D in October 2017
Category definitions quoted from GOV.UK, “Scrapping your vehicle and insurance write-offs: insurance write-offs”.
Buying a repaired write-off: GOV.UK's own checklist
Not our list. This is what the Government's consumer guide for buying repaired written-off vehicles actually tells buyers to do.
Check the vehicle has been properly repaired and is in a roadworthy condition.
Get an independent expert inspection — structural damage is what an inspection is for.
Ask to see the V5C registration document, and read the category recorded on it.
Ask for the full service history and any documentation of the repair itself.
Check the vehicle identification numbers across the vehicle match the log book.
Get a private history check for the insurance record the free sources do not carry.
Review the MOT history, and check for outstanding manufacturer safety recalls.
Contact your insurer before you buy — not after you have committed.
After purchase, tell your insurer the vehicle's write-off status, or a claim can be rejected.
For a Category S car, if the price looks too good to be true, GOV.UK's guidance is to be wary.
One line from that guide is worth repeating on its own: vehicles classed as actual losses — Category A and Category B — “should never be repaired and returned to the road”. If a car you are looking at is a Cat A or Cat B, the conversation is over.
Write-off check FAQ
How do I check if a car has been written off?
Can you check if a car is written off for free?
Does the free GOV.UK vehicle check show a write-off?
Can the MOT history prove a car was written off?
What are the write-off categories?
Is it legal to sell a written-off car without saying so?
Should I buy a Cat S or Cat N car?
Does a write-off affect insurance?
Sources
- GOV.UK — Scrapping your vehicle and insurance write-offs: insurance write-offs (categories, V5C, V62)
- GOV.UK — Buying repaired 'written off' vehicles: a consumer guide (buyer checklist)
- GOV.UK — Get vehicle information from DVLA (exactly what the free record returns)
- GOV.UK — Tell DVLA your vehicle has been written off
- GOV.UK — Check the MOT history of a vehicle
Related checks and guides
The buy or walk-away decision guide, category by category.
The honest costs, risks and the rule for deciding.
What MIAFTR is, who holds it, and why nobody gives it away.
The short version, in one screen.
Every test, advisory, failure and mileage reading — the timeline this page relies on.
The other thing a gap in the record can be hiding.
More checks before you buy
Run all of these on any UK car before you pay a deposit — every one is free to start.
Full Car Check
MOT, mileage, tax and spec by reg — the free starting point.
MOT History Check
Every test, advisory and failure on the DVSA record — free.
DVLA Vehicle Check
The DVLA registration record and DVSA MOT history in one search.
Car Import Check
No free import marker exists — how to read the four indicators instead.
Mileage / Clocking Check
Spots odometer rollbacks and implausible jumps across MOTs.
MOT Failure History
Pass-rate and recurring-failure patterns from MOT history.
Outstanding Finance
Why unpaid finance can cost you the car — and how to verify.
Stolen Car Check
The warning signs of a stolen vehicle before you pay a deposit.
Cat S / Cat N Check
Insurance write-off categories explained — is it worth buying?
HPI Check Alternative
What each check covers and costs — an honest price comparison.
Car Tax Check
Tax status, due date and SORN by registration — free.
Insurance Group Check
The 1–50 insurance group for any model — what it will cost to cover.
Is My Car Insured?
How to confirm a car's insurance status before you drive it away.
Car Tax Calculator
Estimate the annual VED road tax for any car by reg or spec.
Car Recall Check
Check DVSA safety recalls for the make and model, free.
Selling Your Car
See the record a buyer will pull on your reg — before they pull it.
Service History: Who Holds It
No site can look one up. Who really has the record, by make.
Used Car Buying Checklist
The full step-by-step checklist before you buy a used car.
Buying a Cat S / Cat N Car
Is a write-off worth it? The honest costs, risks and decision rule.
Check Finance Before Buying
Why there's no free finance check — and how to verify before you pay.
What Does HPI Clear Mean?
Why an 'HPI clear' result does NOT mean accident-free.
How to Spot a Clocked Car
The tell-tale signs of mileage fraud before you buy.
What Is a Cat S Car?
Category S write-off meaning — structural damage, explained.
What Is a Cat N Car?
Category N write-off meaning — and why 'non-structural' isn't 'minor'.
What we check — and where it comes from
| Check | What it tells you | Source |
|---|---|---|
| MOT history & mileage | Every test, advisory, failure and odometer reading since 2005 — plus our clocking analysis the DVSA listing doesn't do. | DVSA MOT API (official) |
| Tax & MOT status, CO2, ULEZ | Current tax and MOT validity, emissions band and ULEZ position. | DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service |
| Outstanding finance | Coming soon — not yet offered, and not something we charge for today. | |
| Stolen / write-off / keeper history | Coming soon — not yet offered, and not something we charge for today. | |
We're honest about our limits.
The MOT & mileage data here is the same data you can get free at gov.uk — we add the analysis and the clocking flags. We don't claim a guarantee we can't back, we don't hide our data sources, and we don't use fake countdown timers. If a check isn't live above, we don't have it yet — and we won't pretend otherwise.
Buy privately and there is no comeback: no warranty, no returns, no refund.
Get the timeline the write-off record will not give you
The MIAFTR register needs a licensed provider. Everything the DVSA holds on this car — the gaps, the advisories, the mileages — is free here.
- Every MOT test and the exact defect behind every failure
- Every odometer reading on record, so a mileage plateau is visible
- Open DVSA safety recalls that were never actioned
Free · Official DVLA & DVSA data · No sign-up