Selling a ‘Cat N’ car

Selling a car can be a stressful process, particularly when a car has been involved in an accident and given ‘Category N’ status, information which will now show up in a car category check.

As the UK’s leading car buying service, we will buy any car, but first let’s examine what a ‘Cat N’ car is and how it impacts the value and interest of your car. Simply enter your number plate below to find out how much your car is worth in under 30 seconds.

 

30 second car valuation

 

What is a ‘Category N’ car?

 

‘Category N’, often abbreviated to ‘Cat N’, is used by insurance companies to describe the amount of damage to a car which has been written off. The car will have been involved in an accident where it has suffered damage to the bodywork without any structural damage. Prior to the 1st October 2017 the same car could’ve been given ‘Cat C’ or ‘Cat D’ status, but the new system aims to make it easier for buyers to understand the level of damage a car has endured.

Whilst the insurance company has decided that the cost of repairing a vehicle would be greater than replacing it, the owner may still wish to fix the car, thus branding it a ‘Category N’. Due to the car being involved in an accident, the desirability of the vehicle will be negatively impacted and buyers are often reluctant to purchase a ‘Cat N’ car. As such, this is usually reflected in the value of the car, which will be lower than the same vehicle which hasn’t been involved in an accident.

 

Selling a ‘Category N’ car

 
Category N damaged car

It is a legal obligation to disclose that your car has been previously written off when selling. You will have probably seen this on some car selling websites, where there are labels alongside the listing.

A ‘Category N’ car will be worth notably less than the same model which is an identical age, has the same mileage, and comes with the same documentation. This is due to the car being less desirable to buyers and there being an element of risk involved if the car hasn’t been repaired to the highest standard. Even where the car is categorised as a ‘Cat N’ and only suffered cosmetic damage, it has still been involved in an accident.

 

Will webuyanycar buy my ‘Cat N’ car?

 
Category N damaged car

Whilst you may struggle to sell a ‘Category N’ car privately, webuyanycar will buy your car off you in under 60 minutes. All you need to do is enter your registration plate into the box at the top of the page and we will give you a FREE, no-obligation car valuation in under 30 seconds.

If you are happy with your valuation, you can book an appointment at one of our 500+ UK branches. We offer a hassle-free option for selling your car, and with over 3.5 million customers you can sell to us with confidence.

 

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