Understanding written-off vehicle codes
What is a write-off?
A vehicle is considered a statutory write-off if it is declared as a total loss e.g. has severe structural or other damage or deterioration that prevents it from being driven safely on a road.
A vehicle is considered a repairable write-off if it has been assessed as being too costly to repair, but subject to state laws may be re-registered for road use if it has passed a vehicle safety and identity check.
Written-off Vehicle (WOV) codes explained
The written-off information can be broken down into three parts:
- incident type,
- damage location and
- damage severity.
The code will be displayed, and then decoded in the square brackets that follow.
Using the above example of H14B [Hail | Whole vehicle | Light panel]
- H = Incident Type
- 14 = Damage Location
- B = Damage Severity
Incident type
- D Dismantled - Legitimate removal of components for use as parts.
- F Fire - Damage caused by combustion.
- H Hail - Damage caused by hail stones.
- I Impact - Collision of some type with an object, for example another vehicle, tree or pole.
- M Malicious/Vandalism/Stripped - Intentional damage, for example broken door locks, glass window or windows, paint, scratched or stripped of all or a combination of interior and exterior body parts.
- W Water - Damage caused by water (fresh or salt) such as a storm, river or flood.
Damage location
- 01 Passenger front
- 02 Driver front
- 03 Driver side
- 04 Driver rear
- 05 Passenger rear
- 06 Passenger side
- 07 Engine
- 08 Roof
- 09 Interior
- 10 Front
- 11 Rear
- 12 Left rear
- 13 Right rear
- 14 Whole vehicle
- 15 Floor pan (passenger front)
- 16 Fire wall
- 17 Chassis/structural rails (passenger)
- 18 Floor pan (driver rear)
- 19 Floor pan (driver front)
- 20 Floor pan (passenger rear)
- 21 Chassis/structural rails (driver)
- 22 A pillar passenger
- 23 A pillar driver
- 24 B pillar passenger
- 25 B pillar driver
- 26 C pillar passenger
- 27 C pillar driver
- 28 D pillar passenger
- 29 D pillar driver
- 30 Engine block (cracked, fractured)
- 31 Transmission case
- 32 Differential case
- 33 Axle housing
- 34 Suspension (passenger front)
- 35 Suspension (driver front)
- 36 Suspension (passenger rear)
- 37 Suspension (driver rear)
- 38 Airbag front
- 39 Airbag side
- 40 Airbag curtain
- 41 Seat belt pre-tensioner
- 42 Battery Pack (NSW heavy vehicles only)
- 43 Tow Point (NSW heavy vehicles only)
- 44 Auxiliary Equipment (NSW heavy vehicles only)
- 45 Hydraulic or other Lifting Equipment (NSW heavy vehicles only)
- 46 Rollover Protective Structure (NSW heavy vehicles only)
Damage severity
- A Heavy panel
- B Light panel
- C Heavy structural
- D Light structural
- E Unrepairable
- F Major mechanical damage
- G Minor mechanical damage
- H Major stripping
- I Minor stripping
- J Major vandalism
- K Minor vandalism
- L Water (salt)
- M Water (fresh)
- N Burnt/blistered
- O Smoke and heat
- P Minor smoke