Glossary / General

cat S

8 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

'Cat S' is a label for cars that were damaged but have been fixed and can still be driven. It shows that the car had an accident but is now safe to use.

Technical Definition

'Cat S' refers to a category of insurance write-off in the UK, indicating that a vehicle has been damaged and repaired but is still roadworthy. It means the car was involved in an accident but has been restored to a safe condition.

Hear It Discussed

"It has cats on it. [661.1s] By the way, it's fully smog legal."
The Ugliest US Bumpers Ever Produced — Carmudgeon Ep. 245 w Jason Cammisa & Derek Tam-Scott The Carmudgeon Show 11:00

"They told me that they took the cats off it. But then they have this like center exit exhaust thing."
Our Race Recap w/ Tommy Kendall and Mateo Siderman The Smoking Tire 59:32

"…because we had my son in law had new cats put on… and so you'd suggest to just just because they were just put on, take them off and see if we have something plug."
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - May 9, 2026 - Hour 1 - Why Your Car Is Quietly Burning More Gas Ron Ananian The Car Doctor 20:15