When searching for a used car, you may have seen a number of cheaper cars advertised as ‘Cat N’, ‘Cat S’, ‘Cat C’ or ‘Cat D’, but what do they actually mean?
Category SCDN cars are write-off vehicles with damage to structural or non-structural elements of the car. Ultimately, it is down to the insurance company to decide whether it would cost more to repair than to replace.
Taking 17 manufacturers, the experts at Confused.com found out how many connected cars are up for sale in the category SCDN on Autotrader.
The experts’ research found that Volkswagen has the highest number of connected cars in the category with 50% of their write-offs being connected cars.
Volvo followed in second with 30% of their damaged cars being connected.
Whereas on the other end of the scale, cars fitted with Mazda Connect smart services and Jeep’s Mopar connectivity have no damaged cars listed for sale currently.
This low number of damaged cars show that connected vehicles are helping the world drive safer, with an average of 12% of connected cars sitting in cat SCDN.
Therefore, this shows you don’t have to have the most up to date and flashy connected car to benefit from the additional safety. Even simple smart systems such as navigation help drivers drive safer, as the days of paper maps or ambiguous directions are no longer.
For those looking to upgrade to a connected car, Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, explains how connected features can impact your insurance premium
“Cars have changed massively over the last 20 years. Simple radios or CD players have been replaced by entertainment hubs connected to our smartphones.
“These changes have driven up the value of cars, and in turn, driven up the cost of insuring them too. Car insurance now covers not only the vehicle but the gadgets that come built into them also.
“Insurers will always ask if you’ve made any changes or modifications to your car, and these aren’t just cosmetic changes. If you’ve installed things like expensive audio systems it could increase the chance of your car being stolen or broken into, so it’s important to disclose these when gathering quotes.
“If you’re finding the cost of your insurance is high, either due to modifications made or built-in tech, making sure you have safe storage such as a garage or locked storage area could help reassure insurers.
“However, it’s not always the case that having tech in the car could increase your car insurance costs. Safety and security devices, such as dashcams, could help to lower your risk of crashes and your car being stolen. Insurers should take these features into account when calculating your premium.
“Some insurers give big discounts for certain tech like a dashcam. Discounts range from 10-30% with some insurance companies, so it’s always good to let them know if you have one.”
However, if you have a connected car and you’re looking to sell it, it’s important to ensure your data is erased before it goes to its new owner. Without removing your linked information, you could be leaving your phone contacts, addresses and personal information up for grabs.
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