If it was a Motability car, then they would know it’s previous status.
An HPI check ‘should’ show if it as a Category N or S, but the extent of any damage will not be identified.
The seller, by law, should have stated if it has been an ‘insurance write off’.
As an example, here is a repairable Category S car with “light off side frontal damage”.
I think that I would like to know its previous history.