Written-off vehicles

The Department of Transport and Main Roads is working to reduce the number of stolen and written-off vehicles being fraudulently registered. We have set up three main safeguards to help consumers and businesses protect themselves against purchasing vehicles that have been written-off or stolen. These safeguards include:

• written-off vehicle register, which captures information to ensure written-off vehicles are recorded
• Personal Property Securities (PPS) Register, which provides those planning to buy a second-hand vehicle, a quick, easy and inexpensive way to obtain important information regarding a vehicles encumbrance status as well as its written-off or stolen status. These checks can be purchased from the PPS Register website at www.ppsr.gov.au.
• written-off vehicle inspections, which confirm the identity of repairable written-off vehicles before registration.

From 14 December 2012, changes are being made to the written-off vehicle scheme. The following information bulletins explain the changes:

• Changes to the management of written-off vehicles in Queensland – Bulletin 1, 2012 (PDF, 90 KB)
• Transition to the new Damage Assessment Criteria for the classification of statutory write-offs – Bulletin 2, 2012 (PDF, 89 KB)
• Valid Damage Type, Location and Severity Rules for Written-off Vehicle Systems in Queensland – Bulletin 3, 2012 (PDF, 230 KB)

The Office of Fair Trading's Car Smart guide contains a checklist for buying a used car, which will help you avoid purchasing a written-off vehicle that can't be registered.