How to spot written-off and salvage cars on Marketplace

What does “written off” mean in each country?

A car is written off when repairing it would cost more than it is worth, or when it is too badly damaged to be safe. Every country names the result differently, and the name tells you whether the car can legally go back on the road.

Country	Can go back on the road (after repair and inspection)	Can never go back on the road
Australia	Repairable write-off (in some states); Victoria also records inspected write-offs	Statutory write-off
United States	Salvage vehicles can be rebuilt and re-titled; brand names vary by state	Junk (names vary by state)
United Kingdom	Category S (structural damage) and Category N (non-structural)	Category A and Category B
Canada: Ontario	Salvage, once rebuilt and passed as “Rebuilt”	Irreparable
Canada: British Columbia	Salvage, once repaired and passed as “Rebuilt”	Non-repairable

A write-off that can go back on the road is not automatically a bad buy. It is a car you should pay less for, inspect harder, insure carefully and expect to resell for less.

Listing words that point to a write-off

Sellers do not always lead with it. When they mention it, it is often in the description rather than the title, and sometimes softened. These are the words worth looking for in any car listing you read:

• Australia: “repairable write-off”, “RWO”, “statutory write-off”, “stat write-off”, “on the WOVR” or “WOVR”, “passed WOVI” (Queensland’s written-off vehicle inspection), “inspected write-off” (Victoria).
• United States and Canada: “salvage title”, “rebuilt title”, “branded title”, “reconstructed”, “flood car”, “insurance total”.
• United Kingdom: “Cat S”, “Cat N”, “Cat C” or “Cat D” (the names used before October 2017), “insurance write-off”.
• Anywhere: “hail damaged”, “light hail”, “flood”, “water damage”, “cosmetic damage only”, “project car”, “sold as is”, “no registration”, “unregistered”, “needs work”, “insurance paid out”, “cheap because”.

Watch the softeners. “Light hail, cosmetic only, drives perfect” may well be true, but it is also exactly what a seller of a hail write-off would write. It tells you to check the register, not to relax.

Photo clues to look for

Photos can hide damage, but they also give it away. None of these proves a write-off; each is a reason to ask and to check.

• Paint and panels: a slightly different shade on one door or guard, uneven gaps between panels, overspray on rubber seals, badges or plastic trim.
• Hail: rows of small dimples on the roof, bonnet and boot lid. They show best in photos taken at an angle to the light.
• Water: a tide line or silt under the seats or in the boot, rust on seat rails and bolts, fogged lights, a carpet much newer than the rest of the car.
• Airbags and dash: a warning light on the dash in the photos, a missing or mismatched airbag cover, a steering wheel that looks newer than the car.
• Where it was photographed: an auction yard, a tow yard or a wrecker’s lot, lot numbers on the windscreen, or no number plates.
• What is missing: photos from one side only, no photos of the underside or engine bay, or only close-ups.

Official history checks by country

A listing and photos only tell you what the seller shows you. The official checks tell you what insurers and registries recorded. Details and fees are as published at the time of writing (September 2026).

Australia: PPSR and state registers

Start with the PPSR. The Personal Property Securities Register is run by the Australian Government. A search costs $2.00 online or $7.00 through the assisted phone service. You search by the VIN or chassis number, not the number plate. The result tells you if a security interest (possible money owing) is recorded against the car, and usually includes its written-off and stolen status, which comes from state and territory road agencies through the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS). The PPSR recommends searching on the day you buy or the day before.

If the result shows a write-off, the PPSR’s written-off codes page explains the three parts of the code: the incident type (for example H for hail, I for impact, W for water), where the damage was, and how severe it was. For more detail, ask the seller or contact your state’s road agency.

Then know your state’s rules. Write-off registers are run state by state, and they differ:

State	What the register covers	Can a repairable write-off be registered again?
New South Wales	Light vehicles up to 15 years old (light trucks of any age), recorded on the Written-Off Light Vehicles Register	Only in very limited circumstances. Free written-off check by phone (13 22 13) or at a service centre with the plate
Victoria	Light vehicles and motorcycles under 15 years old; three types: repairable, inspected and statutory write-offs	Yes, after repair to the maker’s standards, a VIV certificate and a roadworthy certificate. An inspected write-off is one that has already been repaired and re-registered
Queensland	Notifiable vehicles 16 years old or younger when written off	Yes, after a safety certificate inspection and a written-off vehicle inspection (WOVI)
Tasmania	Written-off status shows on the online Rego Check	Check with Transport Tasmania

Two things follow from those age limits. A statutory write-off cannot be registered anywhere in Australia, whichever state wrote it off. But an older car that an insurer calls a write-off may never be recorded at all: Queensland says that when a car is not a notifiable vehicle, the event is not recorded in the PPSR. A clean PPSR search on a 20-year-old car does not mean it has never been badly damaged.

The Australian car buying checklist covers the rest of the checks, from rego to roadworthy rules by state.

United States: NMVTIS and NICB VINCheck

The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) is a US Department of Justice programme. A report shows the car’s title information and brand history (brands such as “junk”, “salvage” and “flood”), the latest reported odometer reading, and any insurer total-loss or salvage determination. You buy a report through one of the approved providers listed on the NMVTIS site, and the provider sets the price. NMVTIS warns that brands differ from state to state and that, until every entity reports, a report can wrongly show no junk or salvage history.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s VINCheck is free. It checks a 17-character VIN against theft, salvage and flood records from participating insurers, and it is limited to five searches per IP address in 24 hours. NICB is clear that it is not a full history report.

United Kingdom: write-off categories and history checks

GOV.UK sets out four insurance write-off categories, which replaced the old Categories C and D in October 2017 according to the Association of British Insurers. Category A must be crushed entirely. Category B cannot be repaired; the body shell is crushed but parts can be salvaged. Category N (non-structural damage) and Category S (structural damage) can be used again once repaired to a roadworthy condition. When an owner keeps a Category S car, DVLA records the category in the log book (V5C).

Before you see a car, GOV.UK suggests checking that the details match DVLA’s records and checking the MOT history online. For write-off history and outstanding finance, its guide to buying repaired write-offs recommends a private vehicle history check. It also suggests getting an insurance quote before you buy, because a car that has been written off can cost more to insure and not every insurer will cover it.

Canada: branded titles by province

Canada brands damaged cars province by province. Three examples:

• Ontario. Ontario uses four brands: None, Rebuilt, Salvage and Irreparable. Only cars branded None or Rebuilt can be driven. The brand appears on the Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP), which a private seller is legally required to give the buyer. A UVIP costs $20 from ServiceOntario.
• British Columbia. ICBC offers a free online search of a vehicle’s status (normal, rebuilt, salvage, altered or non-repairable) using the VIN and model year. Its paid Vehicle Claims History report adds ICBC damage claims, though claims paid by other insurers are not included.
• Quebec. The SAAQ has its own process for severely damaged and rebuilt vehicles, including a technical appraisal and a mechanical inspection before the car can be registered again. It offers a paid service to see a used vehicle’s history and whether it has been rebuilt.

If you shop on Kijiji as well as Marketplace, our Kijiji alerts guide covers watching both.

Is a repairable write-off ever worth buying?

Sometimes. A properly repaired hail write-off with a clean mechanical report can be a sensible cheap car, especially if you plan to keep it. Go in with your eyes open:

• Pay a write-off price. Compare against cars with clean histories and expect a discount that reflects harder resale.
• Get an independent inspection by someone who knows accident repairs, not only a roadworthy or safety check.
• Get an insurance quote first, and tell your insurer about the history. GOV.UK warns an insurer can reject a claim for non-disclosure.
• Ask for the paperwork: repair invoices, the inspection certificate and, in Queensland, the WOVI result.

If a seller will not give you the VIN, walk away. There is rarely a good reason to hide it.

For the rest of a car hunt set-up, see car alerts on Facebook Marketplace. Dealers hide in “private” listings too; see how to filter out dealers. And if a write-off is priced far below similar cars and the seller wants a deposit before you see it, read our guide to Marketplace scams.

Sources

1. Do a used car or vehicle search and Understanding written-off codes, Personal Property Securities Register.
2. Owning or buying a written-off light vehicle and Re-registering a written-off light vehicle, NSW Government.
3. About written-off vehicles, Transport Victoria.
4. How the Written-off Vehicle Scheme works, Queensland Government.
5. Buying a vehicle, Transport Services Tasmania.
6. NMVTIS for consumers and Approved NMVTIS data providers, US Department of Justice.
7. VINCheck, National Insurance Crime Bureau.
8. Salvage code updated to help keep dangerous vehicles off the road, Association of British Insurers; Insurance write-offs, Check a used vehicle you’re buying and Buying repaired written off vehicles: a consumer guide, GOV.UK.
9. Mandatory vehicle branding program and Used vehicle information package, Government of Ontario.
10. ICBC vehicle status search and Vehicle Claims History FAQ, ICBC.
11. Severely damaged and rebuilt vehicle, SAAQ.