Written-off vehicles
A written-off vehicle falls into one of 2 categories:
- Statutory write-offs: statutory write-offs can’t be repaired, usually because of structural or extensive damage. You can’t re-register these vehicles anywhere in Australia. Any usable materials or parts can be sold for scrap or second-hand parts.
- Economic repairable write-offs: economic repairable write-offs can be fixed but your insurance provider has valued the repairs as costing more than the car’s market value. These kinds of write-offs can be re-registered if repaired to the correct standards.
Find out what to do if you want to repair and re-register an economic repairable write-off.
Written-off vehicle register
Once officially classified as a write-off, your car will be put on the national Written Off Vehicle Register (WOVR).
The WOVR prevents stolen vehicles and statutory write-offs from being sold or re-reregistered.
You can find out if a vehicle is on the WOVR by searching the Australian Government’s Personal Property Securities Register website.
Notifying Access Canberra of a write-off
Access Canberra (the Road Transport Authority) must be notified if a vehicle has been assessed as a total loss if it less than 15 years of old and is one of the following:
- currently or most recently registered in the ACT
- a motor vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) not greater than 4.5 tonnes
- a motorbike
- a caravan
- a trailer with a GVM not greater than 4.5 tonnes.
If the vehicle is registered interstate, you must notify that jurisdiction.
An 'authorised designated person' must provide information to Access Canberra about the written off vehicle within 7 days of making the decision to write off the vehicle.
An authorised designated person is typically the insurer who assesses the vehicle to be a total loss and writes off the vehicle.
They must complete a Written off vehicle notification form.
Access Canberra doesn’t accept unauthorised submissions.