Damaged van? That's our day job.
Cat S, Cat N, accident-damaged, flood, fire, prang in a car park. The salvage network we work with priced thousands of these last year. Enter your reg.
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Part of the Car.co.uk group
Car.co.uk reviews. #1 on Trustpilot by TrustScore among major national UK online car-buying services. As of 13th March 2026.
Quote to cash in 24 hours.
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01Instant price
Enter your reg and postcode. We'll have an offer back to you in seconds, no back-and-forth.
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02Choose your slot
Pick a collection date and time that suits you. We work around your schedule, not ours.
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03We collect free
Our driver comes to you. Free collection across the UK, no hidden charges.
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04Paid on the day
Cash lands in your account before the truck leaves. Same-day bank transfer, guaranteed.
What our customers say
“Great quote, over £100 more than other competitors. Simple online process, van collected soon after, money straight in the bank. Recovery driver very helpful with my non runner van that wasn't in the easiest position to take away. Highly recommend.”
Matthew Rollins
“From start to finish the transaction was impeccable. The best price I could find for my vehicle and money in my bank before it left my street.”
Dave
“Hassle free, book a day, show them your ID on collection, money in the bank straight away. Don't have to drop your van off and walk home, these guys collect from where you want. Simple.”
Bryan Wilkes
“Does exactly what it says on the tin. No haggling over price, no stress, just a straightforward hassle free process. All done in 10 mins. Excellent service.”
Robert Marshall
“Instant quote, higher than competitors and collected the van next day with payment received even before the van drove off. After being robbed off by competitors I was very impressed.”
Richard Parry
“Came back immediately with a very good offer. Van was collected and money was in my bank account within 2 hours. Amazing. Brilliant. Excellent service.”
Loretta
All reviews from Car.co.uk on Trustpilot — the same service that powers Vansold.
Be honest in the form
The number one mistake people make selling a damaged van: hide the damage, then have the buyer knock £600 off on the doorstep. We don't work that way, but we do check the HPI. So if you tell us the category honestly upfront, the offer on screen is the offer in your bank.
Categories we price
- Cat S, structural damage, repairable, must be re-registered.
- Cat N, non-structural damage, repairable.
- Cat C / D (older categories, pre-2017), also fine.
- Unrecorded damage, pranged but never claimed on insurance.
- Mechanical fault, head gasket, turbo, gearbox, ECU.
Cat S vs Cat N, what the difference means for price
Cat N (non-structural) is the less severe of the two current write-off categories. The damage is cosmetic or mechanical but hasn't compromised the structural integrity of the vehicle. Repaired Cat N vans can be driven and re-sold without re-registration, though the marker stays on the history permanently.
Cat S (structural) means chassis, sill, A/B/C pillar, or floor-pan damage. The van must be re-inspected and re-registered with DVLA before it can legally be driven on the road. This reduces the pool of buyers and affects price accordingly, but salvage buyers breaking for parts don't care about the registration status, so the impact is smaller than most people assume.
Flood and fire damage
Flood damage affects electrics and interior, but often leaves the drivetrain intact. A van that's been underwater to axle depth for a few hours can still have a fully usable engine, gearbox, and body. Offer depends on what's recoverable, tell us the water depth and duration in the notes.
Fire damage is more variable. A localised engine fire with an intact cab and load area is very different from a total burnout. Even a severely fire-damaged van has scrap value, but if significant components are destroyed, the offer will reflect it.
If the insurance company is already involved
If your insurer has written the van off but you've retained salvage rights, you can sell to us directly. You'll have a salvage retention receipt from your insurer, bring that to the collection. We deal with this regularly and know the paperwork involved.
If you're still negotiating with the insurer, get our offer first. It's useful market evidence of what the van is actually worth in damaged condition, which can be higher than the insurer's salvage valuation.
Damaged vans, common questions
Will you buy a Cat S, Cat N, or Cat C/D van?
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Yes, all four categories. Be honest in the form (we check the HPI anyway). Insurance write-offs are normal for our buyer side; the price reflects the category.
What about flood damage or fire damage?
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We buy both. Flood-damaged vans tend to score better than fire-damaged in our network, there's still recoverable mechanical and body value.
Do you collect non-running damaged vans?
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Yes. Our recovery partners handle non-runners as standard. No need for you to organise transport.
Will the damage category show on the HPI check?
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Cat S and Cat N are recorded on the insurance database and will show on an HPI. Cat N is non-structural, so it can be repaired and re-sold without re-registration, but the marker stays on the history. We price with this already factored in.
What if the van has been repaired after an accident but never declared?
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Undeclared repairs are more common than people think. If the van hasn't been through insurance and isn't on the database, we'll price it as accident-damaged on visual inspection. Be upfront about it, a disclosed repair history is worth more than an undisclosed one.
I've had an offer from the insurance company's salvage agent. Should I accept?
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Not necessarily. Insurance salvage valuations are often conservative. Get our offer as a comparison, if we come in higher, you have a stronger negotiating position or a better alternative.