Can car be CAT S with new MOT

DangerfieldM

Had a no fault accident and insurance company told me it was to be a total loss. Whilst they were determining the valuation I got quotes for repairs and an MOT done to see if there were any other possibly costly issues with my car.
Insurer has now determined that it is a CAT S, structural, but they are happy for me to keep driving the car. Surely the MOT over-rules the CAT S status especially if it is considered safe to drive. Of course we would be looking to repair anyway but can it really be a CAT S if it has a valid MOT in the damaged condition?

forgotmyname

No the MOT does not invalidate the CAT S insurance category.  A structoral item on the car has been damaged. 

Whether you repair it or not that is a fact.  MOT does not crash test your car and see how much it affects the
vehicles strength in a crash.  It maybe a minor dent in the sill which to repair properly maybe costly but it can
still pass an MOT if the area is not visibly weakened.  Whether it's weaker in a crash is a different matter.

fwor

DangerfieldM said:

Had a no fault accident and insurance company told me it was to be a total loss. Whilst they were determining the valuation I got quotes for repairs and an MOT done to see if there were any other possibly costly issues with my car.
Insurer has now determined that it is a CAT S, structural, but they are happy for me to keep driving the car. Surely the MOT over-rules the CAT S status especially if it is considered safe to drive. Of course we would be looking to repair anyway but can it really be a CAT S if it has a valid MOT in the damaged condition?

There's a fundamental difference between an insurance category marker and an MOT certificate. The Cat marker is a record of the car's insurance history, while the MOT is a certificate of the car's roadworthiness (in the view of the MOT tester) at the time the MOT was issued. The two are not related in any meaningful way.