Figures from an extensive survey reveal that 1 in 10 cars imported into Ireland from the UK may have been crashed or written off.

These startling figures come from the first comprehensive analysis of its kind, car history experts Motorcheck.ie examined a 10,000-strong sample of the cars imported into Ireland from the UK in 2012, and found that over 950 of these were previously categorised as Category A,B, C or D write-offs. Some had even been crashed multiple times.


In the case of the lower categories (C & D), especially on older cars, it
is possible for a write-off to occur when a car has suffered relatively
minor and easily repaired damage.

The real problem comes with the Category A or B write-offs. These are much more serious. In the case of Category A the law in the UK states that such cars must be scrapped and no components sold on and re-used in other cars. Parts from Category B write-offs can be re-used but only under strictly
controlled circumstances. In both cases a certificate of destruction must
be issued. Clearly, however, there are a large number of unscrupulous
sellers breaking the law and offloading dangerously repaired wrecks onto
unsuspecting new customers.

Given the fact that Motorcheck’s sample was so large, it can be said with
some confidence that the sample can be extrapolated, and that as many as 3,500 to 4,000 of the cars imported from the UK last year (assuming an annual
average import level of 40,000) have previously been written off.

While it’s true that many of those vehicles may have been safely and
legally repaired and put back on the road, it’s still extremely worrying
that there is now a large number of cars in daily use out there that are
simply not safe enough to be driven. Irish buyers should be aware of this
danger when buying an imported car, and other road users are equally at
risk.

Commenting on the findings Motorcheck.ie Co-Founder Shane Teskey said “It
is extremely important that buyers check for any outstanding write-off
classification before they buy a car. That’s not to say that a category C
or D write off cannot represent good value for money, provided it has been
repaired correctly, but it is only by checking it first that you can make
the informed decision and consider any potential ‘walk away defects’ before
you buy the car”.

Considering the scientific robustness of the sample, it could reasonably be
extended out to all cars imported from the UK currently running on Irish
roads. Out of the current 2.4-million cars on Irish roads, approximately
500,000 are imported from the UK, which means that as many as 45,000 cars
on our roads today may have been previously written off.