What Car? Q&A - What does Category F mean?

Q: I’m looking to buy a car, and I’ve seen one that I like. The vehicle history check says that it is an insurance write-off category F. What does that mean?
Paul Gilzene

A: Category F is the lowest classification of insurance write-off and means that the car has been damaged by fire and the insurer has decided not to repair it. Any fire damage would have to be fairly minimal for a car to be classified as a category F vehicle, as a serious fire would result in a category A or B write-off.

The car you’re looking at has then been sold to an independent company who has repaired the damage. When fixed, the car can be officially re-registered as ‘damaged repaired’.

When looking at a ‘damaged repaired’ vehicle, try and make sure that the work has been carried out to the correct standard. If you don’t feel confident checking a car yourself, consider getting an independent company or specialist to check it out. You should also expect the price of the car to reflect its past.