Write-off check: has this car been written off?

The insurers’ register. Insurers record the cars they write off on the salvage and theft data held by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. It was called MIAFTR; it now lives in MIB’s Navigate platform, and MIB has retired the old name. The category stays on the record for good. The public see it through vehicle history checks.

The V5C. If an owner keeps a Category S car after the payout, gov.uk says “DVLA will record the vehicle’s category in the log book”. An owner keeping a Category N car can keep the existing logbook, so a Cat N often isn’t on the V5C at all.

What isn’t recorded. The register holds what insurers report. A car repaired privately after an accident, without an insurance payout, can have a damage history and no write-off record — which is why the physical signs below still matter.

• The V5C. Look for a write-off category on the logbook.
• The MOT history. A long gap between tests means the car was off the road for a while — often for an innocent reason, sometimes after an accident. The free MOT history check shows every test date.
• The car itself. Paint that doesn’t quite match between panels, uneven gaps, paint on rubber seals or trim, newer glass or lights on an otherwise older car, or an airbag warning light. None of these proves a write-off; each is worth a question.
• The price. A repaired write-off is worth less, so one advertised well under similar cars should make you ask why.
• The seller. Ask directly whether it’s ever been an insurance write-off, and keep the answer in writing.

A Category A or B car should never be back on the road, and nor should a car that has been scrapped. When a vehicle is scrapped the keeper has to tell DVLA, and DVLA’s record shows it. If a car recorded as scrapped is offered for sale, it may be a clone, or a car rebuilt around a scrapped car’s identity. Our car check shows DVLA's scrapped marker.

It can be fine: many repaired write-offs are sound and cost less. The risk is the repair. Get an independent inspection, ask for photos of the damage and receipts for the work, check your insurance before you commit, and expect the lower value when you sell. Our guide to Cat S and Cat N write-offs goes through it in detail, and a service history check shows whether the work since went through a franchised dealer.

• Outstanding finance, with the lender, the type of agreement, when it started and its term.
• Stolen: whether the car is recorded as stolen on the Police National Computer, with the police force to contact.
• Insurance write-offs: the category (A, B, S or N, or the older C and D), the date of the loss and where the damage was.
• Salvage auctions: any listing, with the lot description, damage, mileage and links to the auction photos where they exist.
• DVLA history: scrapped, exported and imported markers, plate changes, colour changes, the number of previous keepers and V5C logbook dates.
• Experian’s Data Guarantee: up to £10,000 for 12 months from the check if the finance, stolen or write-off data turns out to be wrong. The check must be run before you buy, and Experian’s terms apply.

Data provided by Experian. The car check is £12.99 on its own, or £8.00 added to a manufacturer service history check (£17.99 for both). Your card is authorised when you pay and charged only for what’s delivered. It comes with Experian’s Data Guarantee: up to £10,000, or the car’s market value if lower, for 12 months from the check, if the finance, stolen or write-off data is wrong (Experian’s terms apply, and claims go to Experian). Finance and theft records change daily, so check again on the day you buy.