Certificate of Destruction explained

A Certificate of Destruction (CoD) is the document issued when a vehicle is permanently scrapped at an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF). Once a CoD is issued, the DVLA records the vehicle as destroyed and it must never return to the road.

When is a CoD issued?

When an owner scraps an end-of-life vehicle at a licensed ATF.
For insurance Category A (scrap only — must be crushed entirely) and Category B (body shell crushed, some parts may be salvaged) write-offs.

Why it matters to a buyer

If a vehicle's record shows a Certificate of Destruction, it is not legal to drive, insure or re-register — no matter how good it looks. A car being sold that carries a CoD is a serious red flag: either the identity has been cloned onto a written-off shell, or someone is trying to put a destroyed vehicle back on the road.

A CoD on the record should end the conversation. Confirm the vehicle's status before buying, and report anything suspicious.

You can run the free official check any time at gov.uk/check-mot-history.