What's the news?
With an ever-rising tide of imported cars coming in from the UK in recent months, it's become ever more important to be aware of a car's history and background. Now, as of Wednesday the 21st of June, the rules in the UK regarding written-off vehicles are changing, and new categories are being introduced.
The old Category A and Category B ratings are being retained and these are the two most dangerous types of written-off car. Category A cars should simply be crushed and never be repaired nor have any component re-used or recycled. Category B cars can have some carefully monitored parts re-used, but the rest of the car must be crushed.
It's Categories C and D that are now changing, replaced by Category S and Category N.
Category S stands for Structurally Repairable, which means that it is a vehicle which has sustained damage to the chassis or structure, and which could be repaired and put back on the road, but that the insurer or owner has decided to write-off.
Category N stands for Non-Structural Repairable, which means damage to the car's components or panels, and which the owner or insurer has decided to write-off.
The problem, according to vehicle history experts Cartell.ie, is that Ireland still doesn't have a proper written-off vehicles monitoring system, in spite of Transport Minister Shane Ross reportedly sitting on such legislation for a year now.
John Byrne Legal & Public Relations Manager with Cartell.ie says: "It's welcoming to see how seriously the ABI (Association of British Insurers) are taking the issue of write-offs which are deemed repairable and can return to the roads in the UK: they are moving the focus away from the Pre-Accident Value of the vehicle and looking instead at the damage caused: whether its structural or non-structural. In Ireland there are currently moves to regulate for the more serious write-off categories, Category A and Category B, which can never return to the roads, but we should be looking at these UK moves. Always do a car history check when importing a used car."
In May 2016, in the wake of an RTE Prime Time investigates programme, Cartell.ie released figures which showed that 10.75 per cent of all UK imports into Ireland in a six-month period in 2015 had been written-off in the UK prior to import and taxation of the vehicle in Ireland. Of those 1,545 vehicles (59.42 per cent) had been categorised as Category D in the UK and 980 as Category C (37.69 per cent).
At present a voluntary system of notification is in place but for years Cartell.ie says that it has called for regulation which will place the procedure on a statutory footing.
There's nothing wrong with buying a Category S or N car, as long as you are made aware of the fact of the write-off at the time of purchase, and that the price of the car reflects its status as a former write-off. Given the volumes of cars now being imported from the UK, it means that keeping an eye on the history of a potential purchase has never been more important.