Classic Car Salvage Retention

If you want to retain you vehicle should the worst happen, our salvage retention policies mean that you can.

One of the most important features of insurance policies is the option to retain your vehicle should the worst happen.

Salvage retention is offered within our car insurance cover (although it’s dependent on policy) at no additional cost. With salvage retention insurance you can buy back your car should it be deemed uneconomical to repair.*

* Subject to policy selection

How does salvage retention from Goodwood Classic Solutions work?

Salvage retention allows a vehicle owner to retain their car after it has sustained damage from an accident. This typically occurs once a vehicle has been written-off by an insurer. If the owner chooses to take the car back, the value of the salvage of the car is deducted from the insurance pay out. 

Different categories of insurance write-offs mean different things for salvage retention. There are four distinct write-off categories, and a salvage retention policy allows you to retain any Category S, N and the usable parts from Category B. We explain each category below.

The different categories of insurance write-off

Prior to 1st October 2017, write off categories were A, B,C,D, with A being the most severe and requiring full scrap, and D being smaller repairs that may not be initially economical.

Now the categories, as set by the ABI Salvage Code, are as follows:

Category A:

This describes a complete write– off and the vehicle must be crushed. A category A car will never appear on the road again.

Category B:

The body of the car should be crushed, but parts of the car can be salvageable. Reclaimed parts can be used in other cars, but the car itself will never appear on the road again.

Category S (formerly C):

The car has suffered structural damage that requires professional repair, but it may appear on the road again in it’s original form. It won’t be able to be put back on the road until repairs are complete.

Category N (formerly D):

Vehicles in category N haven’t sustained structural damage but instead the damage may be cosmetic or electrical. It will need repairs to make it as new, but some Category N’s can be driven, although this is not common.