A written-off car isn't always a deal-breaker — but you need to know. Here's exactly how to check, what the results mean, and what to do if a car comes back flagged.
Check Written-Off Status for $34 →In Australia, "written off" doesn't always mean the same thing. There are two distinct categories, and they have very different implications for buyers.
A statutory write-off (also called a total loss) is a vehicle so severely damaged — usually from a crash, flood or fire — that it is deemed unfit for road use permanently. By law, it cannot be re-registered in Australia.
A repairable write-off means the insurer deemed repair costs uneconomic relative to the car's value — but the vehicle is structurally capable of being repaired. It can be re-registered after inspection, but with important caveats.
The key point: a statutory write-off is a hard stop. A repairable write-off requires deeper investigation — the quality of repairs matters enormously, and you should always get a pre-purchase inspection from a qualified mechanic before proceeding.
Written-off vehicle records in Australia are held in a national Austroads database that aggregates data from all state and territory road authorities. Here's how to access it:
You need either the vehicle's registration plate or the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), found on the dashboard or driver's side door frame.
You can check via the government PPSR at ppsr.gov.au or via a full car history report ($34) which includes the written-off check plus market data and more.
The result will show "No record found" (clear), "Repairable write-off" or "Statutory write-off" along with the state and approximate date of the write-off event.
Clear = proceed (but check everything else too). Repairable = get a pre-purchase inspection. Statutory = walk away, it cannot legally be re-registered.
Do not proceed under any circumstances. A statutory write-off cannot be legally re-registered in Australia. If a seller is offering you a statutory write-off as a driveable car, this is either fraud or a serious misrepresentation. Walk away and do not hand over any money.
If the car shows as a repairable write-off, you have a decision to make. It's not automatically a deal-breaker — but you need more information:
Most cars you check will come back with no write-off record. That's a good sign — but it's not the full story. A car can be completely clean on paper and still be overpriced, have a suspicious odometer, have unresolved safety recalls, or have known mechanical faults that an informed buyer would negotiate around.
You can check written-off status through the PPSR at ppsr.gov.au or through a full car history report. Both access the national vehicle database which contains written-off records from all Australian states and territories. You'll need either the registration plate number or VIN to run the check.
A statutory write-off is a vehicle so severely damaged it can never be registered or driven on Australian roads again. A repairable write-off means the insurer declared repairs uneconomic, but the car can be repaired and re-registered after passing a structural inspection. The write-off flag remains on the vehicle's record permanently in both cases.
Yes, repairable write-offs can be bought and, after repairs and inspection, re-registered in most Australian states. However, you should be cautious: always get a pre-purchase inspection to verify repair quality, check re-registration records, and factor in the permanently reduced resale value when negotiating the price.
Australia's written-off and stolen vehicle records are managed by Austroads and aggregated from all state and territory road authorities into a national database. It contains written-off vehicle records, stolen vehicle records, and registration data. Both free PPSR checks and full car history reports access this same data.
In most Australian states, sellers are legally required to disclose if a vehicle has been written off. However, not all sellers comply, and private sales are harder to police than dealer sales. This is exactly why running an independent check before any purchase is so important — don't rely on a seller's word alone.
Yes. The full $34 report includes the written-off check through the national vehicle database, plus the official PPSR certificate, stolen check, registration check, recall check, and all the market intelligence data. You get everything in one instant report.
Written-off check, PPSR certificate, recall check, market value and known model issues. One report, $34.
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