Guide
Written-off cars in Queensland: what owners need to know before selling
Published 29 October 2026 · 6 min read · Last reviewed 9 November 2026
The short answer
- A car is a write-off when the repair cost plus the salvage value of the wreck is more than the car is worth.
- It is labelled either a statutory write-off or a repairable write-off, and goes on the written-off vehicle register if it meets the criteria.
- Your insurer usually notifies TMR. If nobody has, you must notify TMR yourself before you sell or dispose of the car.
- Check with your insurer before cancelling rego. If no insurer is involved, a refund can be backdated to the day after the incident, as long as the car has not been used since.
Getting the call that your car has been written off is rough. One minute you have a car, the next you have a claim number and a pile of questions. What does written off actually mean? Can you keep it? Can you sell it? And what happens with the rego you just paid?
This guide walks through how write-offs work in Queensland, using the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) rules, so you know where you stand before you make any decisions.
What makes a car a write-off?
TMR says a vehicle is a write-off when the cost of repairing it, combined with the salvage value of the wreck, is more than its market value. In plain terms, fixing it does not make financial sense.
The damage can come from lots of things. TMR lists corrosion, accident, collision, demolition, dismantling, fire, flood, trespass or another event.
Statutory vs repairable write-offs
A written-off car is labelled one of two ways, and the label changes what can happen to it next.
Repairable write-off
The car is damaged enough to be written off, but it can be repaired and put back on the road. Before it can be registered again, it has to pass a written-off vehicle inspection.
Statutory write-off
This is the more serious of the two labels. If your car is a statutory write-off, check with TMR before you plan any repairs, because the path back onto the road is not the same as for a repairable write-off. Your insurer or assessor will tell you which label applies to your car.
The written-off vehicle register
According to TMR, a car goes on the written-off vehicle register when it:
- is less than 16 years old,
- is not conditionally registered, and
- has been declared a total economic loss.
Being on the register stays with the car. Even if you keep it, it remains listed. If you are ever buying a used car yourself, TMR suggests getting a PPSR certificate, which shows the vehicle's history, including whether it has been written off.
Who has to tell TMR?
In most cases your insurer does it. TMR also requires certain businesses to notify written-off vehicles, including insurers, self-insurers, loss adjusters, motor dealers, auctioneers and auto parts dismantlers.
But if there is no insurer involved, for example the car was not insured, and nobody else has notified TMR, you must notify TMR before you sell or dispose of the car. You do this with form F4069, lodged together with your registration cancellation.
What happens to the rego?
This is where people often lose money by moving too fast. TMR's advice depends on whether an insurer is involved:
- An insurer is involved: talk to them before you cancel anything. The insurer may take over the registration, and if that happens there may be no refund for you.
- No insurer is involved: you can cancel the rego and ask for the refund to be backdated to the day after the incident, using Section 7 of form F3517. This only applies if the car has not been used since.
For the full cancellation process, including plates and refunds, see our step-by-step on how to cancel rego in QLD.
Your options for a written-off car
Once the insurance side is sorted, what you do with the car depends on who owns it now and how it is labelled.
- The insurer pays out and takes the car. This is common. The car becomes theirs and you have nothing further to sell.
- You keep the car. If it is a repairable write-off, you would need to repair it and pass the written-off vehicle inspection before it can be registered again.
- You sell it to a wrecker. If the car is yours to sell, an auto parts dismantler can take it for parts and metal, whether it runs or not.
If you are weighing up whether a damaged car is worth anything, our guide to what your scrap car is worth explains what a yard looks at. And if it no longer starts after the incident, have a read of selling a car that doesn't run.
Before you call a wrecker
Have these ready and the conversation will be quick:
- Make, model and year.
- Whether it is a statutory or repairable write-off, if you know.
- What happened, such as a collision, hail or flood, and which parts are damaged.
- Whether the insurer has been in touch and who now owns the car.
- Whether the rego is current or already cancelled.
- Where the car is and how easy it is to reach with a tow truck.
Send those through our quote form or call 0451 160 233. You can read more about how pickups work on our car removals page and the how it works page.
Written-off car that is yours to sell? Tell us about it.
Get a QuoteCommon questions
Can I sell a written-off car in Queensland?
If the car is yours to sell, yes. If no insurer or other business has notified TMR that it is written off, you must notify TMR using form F4069 before you sell or dispose of it.
What is the difference between a statutory and repairable write-off?
A repairable write-off can be repaired and registered again after passing a written-off vehicle inspection. A statutory write-off is the more serious label, so check with TMR before planning any repairs.
Do I get a rego refund if my car is written off?
Check with your insurer first, as they may take over the registration and there may be no refund. If no insurer is involved, the refund can be backdated to the day after the incident using Section 7 of form F3517, provided the car has not been used since.