Question of the week: How much less is a Cat S repaired car worth?

Craig Cheetham, contributor
Fri, 13 Sept 2024

Dear Honest John,

"I have a Category S car, it drives very well and all works as it should. How do you value a car of this type?"

- EC

Dear EC,

As a general rule, Category S cars are worth 20-25% less than non-categorised cars as the marker means it sustained structural damage.

There will be a variation in this depending on the make and model of the car - rare or desirable cars may be worth more because good condition non-damaged versions are harder to find, whereas damaged repaired versions of more common cars may be worth less because there are plenty of examples to choose from.

It will help you sell it if you can show proof of the repairs and maybe an engineer’s report to show that the car has been professionally repaired, but it is important to bear in mind that the market for damaged repaired vehicles is smaller, because some buyers will instinctively avoid a vehicle with a chequered history.

It is also crucial to be upfront with buyers when selling a car that has a category marker against it - failure to disclose this information is a criminal offence.

Ask HJ

Is it easy to sell a Cat S car?

Is it easy to sell a Cat S car?

It is not necessarily difficult to sell at category S car if it is priced appropriately and all the required repair work has been done to a sufficient standard. A large proportion of buyers will not consider a category S car, so when trying to sell it will always be to a smaller pool of buyers than one without a category marker.

Answered by David Ross

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