WOVR is the Written-Off Vehicle Register, and this guide covers what it means in Queensland, the difference between a repairable and a statutory write-off, how to run a WOVI check, and how to sell a written-off car.
What Does WOVR Mean in QLD?
WOVR stands for the Written-Off Vehicle Register. It is a national database that records vehicles an insurer or licensed assessor has written off, usually after a crash, flood, fire, hail, or a theft where the car was later recovered. A write-off happens when the cost to repair the car comes in higher than the car is worth. In Queensland the register is administered by Transport and Main Roads (TMR), and once a car is listed the record stays with it for life. The register itself was set up as a national theft-reduction measure. By recording written-off identities, it makes vehicle rebirthing, where a stolen car is passed off using the identity of a written-off one, far harder to get away with.
Being on the register is not the same as being unsafe or worthless. Plenty of written-off cars are back on the road and driving fine. What the WOVR does is flag the car's history so a future buyer knows exactly what they are looking at before money changes hands. That flag never comes off, which is the part most sellers do not expect.
Repairable vs Statutory Write-Off: What's the Difference?
The category decides everything about what you can do with the car. A repairable write-off can legally return to the road after it passes inspection. A statutory write-off cannot go back on the road at all and is limited to parts or scrap. Both types stay on the WOVR permanently.
| Repairable write-off | Statutory write-off | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | Damaged enough to be written off, but can be repaired and re-registered | Too damaged to be repaired to a safe, registrable standard |
| Back on the road? | Yes, once it passes a WOVI inspection and gets a safety certificate | No, it can never be re-registered |
| How you can sell it | Sold to drive again (with disclosure) or sold for parts | Parts or scrap only |
| Stays on the WOVR | Yes, for the life of the car | Yes, for the life of the car |
If you are not sure which category your car fell into, the assessment letter from your insurer will say, and a PPSR search confirms it. Getting this right matters, because trying to sell a statutory write-off as a car someone can drive is against the law.
What Is a WOVI Check?
A WOVI check is when you look up whether a car is on the Written-Off Vehicle Register, and if it is, which category it was recorded under. People often say "WOVI check" and "WOVR check" to mean the same thing: confirming a car's write-off history before they buy or sell it. It is a records search, not a physical inspection of the car.
You run the check against the car's VIN through a PPSR search, which costs $2. The result tells you if the car is listed, whether it is a repairable or statutory write-off, and whether it has already passed the physical inspection needed to go back on the road. That $2 report also flags money owing on the car and theft records, so it does more than confirm write-off status. For the full breakdown of what a PPSR and VIN history report shows and how to read one, see our guide on the QLD VIN and PPSR check.
How Do You Do a WOVI Check in QLD?
You do a WOVI check by running a $2 PPSR search against the car's VIN. It takes a couple of minutes and the result comes back on the spot. Here is the order it runs in.
- Find the VIN. It is stamped on the windscreen at the base, on the driver's side door jamb, and printed on the registration papers.
- Go to the PPSR website and enter the VIN to order a report for $2.
- Read the result. It shows whether the car is on the register, the write-off category, whether it has passed its inspection, and any re-registration history.
- Cross-check it against the insurer's assessment letter if you have one, so the category and cause line up.
It is the same check a careful buyer will run on your car, so it pays to know exactly what it says before you list. If it shows a repairable write-off, the sale is legal with disclosure. If it shows statutory, the car can only go for parts.
What Is a WOVI Inspection and What Does It Cost?
A Written-Off Vehicle Inspection (WOVI) is the physical check a repairable write-off has to pass before it can be re-registered. It is not the same as the $2 records search. In Queensland the inspection is run by Queensland Inspection Services, the provider contracted by the state government, and it costs $484.45 for a passenger vehicle or light truck under 4,500kg GVM. You book it at least 72 hours ahead through wovi.com.au.
| Check | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WOVI inspection (vehicle under 4,500kg GVM) | $484.45 | Physical inspection. Book at least 72 hours ahead via wovi.com.au |
| PPSR write-off check | $2 | Records search. Shows write-off status, category, and history |
The inspection confirms the car's identity and checks that the parts used in the repair match legitimate records, so it is really an anti-theft and identity check. One thing it does not do is judge how well the car was repaired. It does not assess structural integrity or the quality of the repair work, so passing it is not a promise the car is sound. That is a separate question, and it is why a repairable write-off is worth getting independently inspected before you buy one. Fees and booking rules can change, so confirm the current WOVI cost on the QLD TMR website before you rely on it.
Can You Sell a WOVR Car in QLD?
Yes, you can sell a repairable write-off in Queensland, and the rules change depending on whether the car is registered, unregistered, or a statutory write-off. In every case where the car can be sold, you must tell the buyer it is a written-off vehicle before the sale. That disclosure is not optional, and hiding it can leave you exposed if the buyer finds out later.
Registered Repairable Write-Off
If the repairable write-off is repaired, has passed its WOVI, and is registered, you sell it much like any other private car. You disclose the write-off status, which is a legal requirement under Queensland consumer law, and failing to disclose it can expose you to legal action even after the sale. The buyer will want a current safety certificate as part of the deal, and ownership transfers the normal way. You can read how the safety certificate works on our QLD roadworthy certificate guide, and how the ownership side works on our guide to transferring car registration in Queensland. Keep the insurer's assessment letter and any repair receipts on hand so the buyer can see the history in writing.
Unregistered Repairable Write-Off
Many written-off cars are sold before they are repaired, while still unregistered. You can sell it in that state, but you disclose the write-off status and the buyer takes on the WOVI inspection, the safety certificate, and the re-registration themselves. Expect a bigger discount here, because the buyer is carrying the cost and the risk of getting it back on the road. See selling an unregistered car in QLD for how that path works.
Statutory Write-Off
A statutory write-off cannot be sold to drive. It is classed as too damaged to be repaired to a registrable standard, so it can only be sold for parts or scrap. Wreckers and parts buyers are the usual market. Trying to pass a statutory write-off off as a drivable car is illegal, so the honest and legal route is a parts or salvage sale.
Can You Insure a Repairable Write-Off?
You can register and drive a repaired repairable write-off, and compulsory third party (CTP) cover comes with the registration. The hard part is comprehensive cover. Most major insurers will not write a comprehensive policy on a car with a write-off history, even after it has been repaired and re-registered. Some will offer third party property, or fire and theft, and a handful of specialist insurers offer comprehensive at a higher premium.
This matters when you are buying or pricing one. Ring the insurer and ask before you commit, because a knock-back on comprehensive cover changes what the car is really worth to you. It also shrinks the buyer pool when you sell, since plenty of people walk away once they realise cover is harder to get. One thing you cannot skip when you do get cover: you have to tell the insurer about the write-off history. Leaving it out can void the policy entirely, which makes the cover worthless the moment you need to claim.
How Much Is a Written-Off Car Worth?
A repairable write-off is worth roughly two-thirds of the price of a similar car without a write-off history, so about a third less. The write-off flag never leaves the record, so that discount tends to follow the car through every future sale, not just the first one. How much less depends on the model, the cause of the write-off, whether it has already passed its WOVI, and how obvious the original damage was.
The insurance catch feeds straight into the price too. Because comprehensive cover is harder to arrange, the pool of buyers is smaller, and a smaller pool pushes the price down further. If you have got a written-off car parked up around Brisbane and the repair, inspection, and re-registration path is starting to feel like more trouble than it is worth, selling it as is to a licensed Brisbane car buyer is often the cleaner option.
Tips for Selling a Written-Off Car in QLD
Selling a written-off car privately comes down to being upfront and making the buyer's decision easy. A buyer who can see the whole story pays more than one who senses something is being hidden.
- State the write-off status in the listing, not after the buyer turns up. Say whether it is repairable or statutory.
- Have the paperwork ready: the insurer's assessment letter, damage photos, repair receipts, and the WOVI pass if it has one. See what paperwork you need to sell a car.
- If the car is repaired and registered, get the safety certificate sorted first so the sale can go through cleanly.
- Price it realistically. Around a third off the clean-history price is the starting point, and buyers know it.
- For a quick sale, a licensed dealer that buys write-offs skips the private-buyer haggling. Our guide on how to sell a car in Queensland walks through the options.
We buy across South East Queensland, including Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and North Lakes. We're a licensed Brisbane car buyer rated 5 out of 5 across 100+ verified Google reviews, and written-off cars are a normal part of what we take on.
We're a licensed QLD dealer and we buy repairable write-offs. No WOVI to organise, no re-registration to chase. Free pickup across SE QLD and same-day bank transfer.
Get a price for your written-off carFrequently Asked Questions
Does a write-off stay on the WOVR forever?
Yes. Once a vehicle is recorded on the Written-Off Vehicle Register the flag stays with it for the life of the car. Repairing and re-registering a repairable write-off does not remove it, and a PPSR search will keep showing the write-off history to any future buyer.
Does hail or storm damage put a car on the WOVR?
It can. If an insurer decides the cost to repair storm or hail damage is more than the car is worth, they can write it off, and that write-off is recorded on the register the same as crash damage. Hail write-offs are often mechanically fine, which is why some sell as repairable write-offs at a discount.
Do I legally have to tell a buyer the car was written off?
Yes. Disclosing the write-off status before the sale is a legal requirement in Queensland, not a courtesy. The buyer can run their own $2 PPSR search and will see the flag anyway, so hiding it only risks the deal falling over and leaves you exposed if they come back later.
Is a repairable write-off safe to drive?
It can be, but the WOVR listing on its own does not tell you. A repairable write-off has to pass a WOVI inspection and get a safety certificate before it goes back on the road. The WOVI itself does not judge the quality of the repair, so an independent inspection before you buy is worth the money.
Will a written-off car still pass a normal roadworthy?
A repaired repairable write-off can pass a safety certificate inspection if the repairs meet the standard, and it needs one to be sold registered. The safety certificate confirms the car meets the state's minimum safety standard on the day. It does not remove the write-off flag or tell you how good the repair was.
Can a statutory write-off ever be re-registered?
No. A statutory write-off is classed as too damaged to be repaired to a registrable standard, so it cannot go back on the road in Queensland. It can only be sold or used for parts and scrap. Only repairable write-offs have a path back to registration, and only after passing a WOVI inspection.
Does the write-off discount apply every time the car is sold?
Usually, yes. Because the write-off flag never leaves the record, every future buyer sees it on a PPSR search, so the roughly one-third discount tends to follow the car through each resale rather than just the first sale. How much it bites depends on the model and how sought-after it is.
WOVR Summary: Quick Reference
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| WOVR | Written-Off Vehicle Register. The national database of written-off cars, administered in QLD by TMR. |
| Repairable write-off | Can return to the road after passing a WOVI inspection and getting a safety certificate. Stays on the register for life. |
| Statutory write-off | Too damaged to re-register. Can only be sold for parts or scrap. |
| WOVI check | A $2 PPSR records search that shows a car's write-off status and category. |
| WOVI inspection | A $484.45 physical identity and repair check a repairable write-off must pass before re-registration. Book 72 hours ahead via wovi.com.au. |
| Disclosure | You must tell the buyer the car is written off before the sale. |
Useful QLD Government Resources
- Written-off vehicles Queensland Government
- Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) Australian Government
Sell Any Car Fast is a licensed QLD motor dealer (DLN 4871214). This guide is general information, not legal advice. Write-off categories, inspection fees, and disclosure rules can change, so confirm the current process on the Queensland TMR website before you buy or sell.
