Category S - Insurance Loss/Write Off
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2026 7:50 pm
We sadly had our Bongo (Margot) stolen last Dec. Thankfully the insurance has paid out and we are now looking for another one.
We have seen one we like but it has been classified as a Cat S - which means it's had structural damage that CAN be repaired but the insurer have decided they don't wish to do so.
The seller are a small outfit based near Dudley. They deal mainly in salvaged Bongos. They have been totally upfront about this Cat S - mentioned it in the advert and then sent photos of the damage and the repairs that they did (see attached). They have changed the colour of the 'skirt' from white to black at the same time.
We have done an 'AA Vehicle Check' on this Bongo which showed an alert regarding the Cat S and gave the date of the Cat S classification as July 2025 (it also raised a query regarding mileage which I shall detail in a separate post).
The seller has re-registered the vehicle with DVLA in Oct 2025 (which is required after a Cat S repair). It will be given a new (independent) MOT just before purchase.
The seller claims that insurers often choose to classify damaged Bongos a Cat S just because they are imports.
Has anyone been given similar advice or had experience with a Cat S Bongo?
Thanks
We have seen one we like but it has been classified as a Cat S - which means it's had structural damage that CAN be repaired but the insurer have decided they don't wish to do so.
The seller are a small outfit based near Dudley. They deal mainly in salvaged Bongos. They have been totally upfront about this Cat S - mentioned it in the advert and then sent photos of the damage and the repairs that they did (see attached). They have changed the colour of the 'skirt' from white to black at the same time.
We have done an 'AA Vehicle Check' on this Bongo which showed an alert regarding the Cat S and gave the date of the Cat S classification as July 2025 (it also raised a query regarding mileage which I shall detail in a separate post).
The seller has re-registered the vehicle with DVLA in Oct 2025 (which is required after a Cat S repair). It will be given a new (independent) MOT just before purchase.
The seller claims that insurers often choose to classify damaged Bongos a Cat S just because they are imports.
Has anyone been given similar advice or had experience with a Cat S Bongo?
Thanks