Car buyers warned of rising sales of unsafe write-offs

Buyers are being warned of the dangers of buying a Category B insurance write-off which has been dangerously repaired and returned to UK roads. According to vehicle valuation expert HPI there are a rising number of such vehicles for sale as a shortage of quality used cars continues to  for sale rising. These are vehicles that have been recommended by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to be crushed or broken down for spare parts or scrap and as such HPI urges consumers to protect themselves against the threat of buying a potential death trap.

"The Government’s Scrappage scheme gave the UK new car market a fantastic boost, but the continuing lack of good quality second hand cars for sale, means unscrupulous sellers are using a variety of ways of conning used car buyers out of their money," says Nicola Johnson, Consumer Services Manager at HPI. "Criminals have been capitalising on this shortage by disguising Category B write-offs as a good buy.  An HPI Check will give a used car buyer the complete picture of a vehicle’s history, including revealing if the car has been an insurance write off and if so, which category.   This offers protection from paying good money for a vehicle that is not fit for purpose and a possible safety risk."

All vehicles that are written off are put in to one of five categories, depending on the level of its condition. The categories include cars that can be repaired and returned to the road, or ones that are recommended to be totally scrapped and never allowed back on the road again.

It is not illegal to repair and return ‘written off for salvage’ vehicles back to the road, however all classifications excluding Category D must pass a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). Insurers notify the DVLA of all cars ‘written off’ within salvage categories A, B, C and D. This notification will set a ‘VIC marker’ against the DVLA vehicle record for Category A, B and C write-off. While a VIC marker remains set, DVLA won’t issue a registration certificate V5C, or vehicle license reminder V11.  VOSA carries out the VIC which is designed to confirm the car’s identity, not its road worthiness.  This helps to ensure that the genuine car is returned to the road in a bid to reduce the problem of ringing – when stolen cars are given the identity of a written-off vehicle.  The VIC marker will only be removed when the car passes a VIC test by VOSA.

However stresses Nicola Johnson from HPI, the VIC test should not be mistaken as a safety test.  "Anyone looking to buy a car that has passed a VIC should seek to have it independently checked by Autolign or Thatcham to ensure that it is in fact road worthy.

"One in twenty five vehicles checked by HPI are recorded as insurance write-offs and we currently hold 650,000 write-offs on the HPI database, which confirms the scale of the risk to buyers. However, a check against HPI’s registers will tell you if the car has ever been written off, giving you the information you need before parting with your cash.

"It’s easy to be taken in by shiny paintwork and a low price, but it could be hiding a multitude of faults that haven’t been fixed. Unscrupulous vendors will sell a write-off to make a quick profit but if the vehicle is not properly repaired any price is too high."

Buyers can also protect themselves by buying through a reputable retail outlet.

Author: Faye Sunderland, October 5th, 2010
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