Understanding Motor Salvage Categories

What is a salvage vehicle?

A salvage vehicle is one that has been in an accident, stolen, weather-damaged or other event. Usually the damage is so significant that the cost of repairing it is more than the car is worth and therefore the insurance company will declare a total loss and write it off.

What does a salvage title mean?

Insurance companies use different salvage titles to categorise the type and severity of damage that a vehicle has sustained.

Depending on the category the vehicle is classified as depends whether they have to be destroyed or can be resold and repaired to go back on the road. To help you understand which type of salvage car you would be able to buy from Charles Trent we have broken down and described the Salvage categories below.

Category S:

A Cat S vehicle has specifically suffered damage to its structural frame which could include damage to its chassis. This category of cars can be safely repaired and put back on the road.

Category N:

A Cat N vehicle has suffered some damage in an accident but not to its structural frame or chassis. With this category the insurance company would decide that the cost of repairing the vehicle would cost more than replacing it. Again this category of cars can be safely repaired and returned to the road.

Category E:

A Cat E vehicle is one that has been stolen and recovered but unrecorded.

Category X:

A Cat X vehicle is one that is known as an ‘unrecorded salvage’. They have been put in for an insurance claim but they will have minimal damage or will be a stolen recovered vehicle.

Category U:

A Cat U vehicle is an unrecorded vehicle so has not been categorised as a write off by an insurance company. This means they will have little to no damage that would need minimal repair to get back on the road.

Why should you buy a salvage vehicle?

Buying a salvage vehicle has amazing money saving benefits. You can purchase a salvage vehicle at a fraction of the price of other used vehicles. With some vehicles written off for only minimal damage you have the opportunity to get great value for money.

If you do buy a salvage vehicle that needs repairing you can buy quality used parts from Charles Trent to repair your vehicle. Using green parts will also save you money compared to repairing your vehicle with brand new parts, they have faster lead times compared to new parts and you would also be choosing an environmentally friendly option.

How can you buy a salvage car from Charles Trent?

Charles Trent holds an online salvage auction every Monday from 10 am. To be a part of our online salvage auction you can register to bid here https://auctions.trents.co.uk/account/user-registration/registration-1/