1 in 6 cars could be write-offs

• 17.37% of checked cars are ex-write-offs
• Thousands of ‘Cat A’ cars could be on the road
• More than 46 million cars checked

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More than 17% of cars on the road have previously been written-off, according figures from vehicle-check site MyCarCheck.

The research looked at more than 46 million cars.

Of 46,456,106 cars checked, the research revealed 448,307 (17.37%) were previously classified as ‘Cat A’ – described as having suffered too extreme damage to be repaired and should not be in use.

Additionally, 2,049,415 ‘Cat B’ cars – classed as having significant damage and not repairable – were found, while 3,889,630 ‘Cat C’ cars suffering reparable damage that exceeds the vehicle’s value were also identified.

Roger Powell divisional head at CDL Vehicle Information Services, said: According to our data, 17.37% of the total vehicle pool are previous write-offs. If you add in ‘outstanding theft’ categories, the number of vehicles with some sort of insurance marker against them leaps to around one in four.'

A recent survey – from the same company – revealed that 21% of respondents would consider buying a previously written-off used car to save money.

Used car precautions
For more advice on how to avoid the pitfalls of buying a used car, follow our guide to 'Buying a car: used car precautions'.

Rory White