Sell a damaged, accident or salvage car in Scotland

Write-off categories, explained

Cat S means structural damage that's repairable; Cat N is non-structural (electrics, cosmetics, sometimes airbags). Both retain repair and parts value, so they command a premium over scrap — often a good deal more if airbags are unfired or the drivetrain is clean. Cat A and Cat B can never return to the road: Cat B can be broken for usable parts before the shell is destroyed, while Cat A must be crushed entirely.

New to the categories? We'll explain exactly where your car sits and what that means for the price.

Insurer buy-back or sell to us?

If your insurer has offered a buy-back, weigh the reduced payout against a genuine repair cost — and remember the write-off marker stays on the car's history either way, so it will show on any HPI-style check when you come to sell. If you'd rather be done with it, selling the salvage to us means you keep the settlement and take the salvage price on top, with no write-off car left on the drive. The full breakdown of the categories is in our Cat S vs Cat N guide.

What lifts a salvage quote

Two write-offs with the same category can be worth very different money. Unfired airbags are the big one — once they've deployed, a chunk of the parts value goes with them. A straight drivetrain (engine, gearbox, driveshafts) keeps trade demand high, undamaged panels and lights on common models sell steadily, and an intact catalytic converter matters as much on a write-off as on a straight scrap car.

Accident history helps us too: photos of the damage, the insurer's category decision, and whether the car drove after the impact all sharpen the quote. Send what you have with the reg — and if the car's still on finance, settle that first since a financed car legally isn't yours to sell.