More than one in 10 of all UK imports registered in Ireland during a six-month-period in 2015 were previously written off in the UK, according to vehicle history experts, Cartell.ie Cartell.ie examined 29,089 imports registered in Ireland in 2015 (taxed private and untaxed ) and found that 10.75 per cent of those examined were written off in the UK. In the case of untaxed imports, vehicles which have been registered in Ireland in 2015 but not yet taxed, that percentage shot up to 12.6 per cent. In the case of taxed (private ) imports, the percentage was 10.4 per cent.
It next examined the year of registration in the UK of each vehicle imported to examine which years were more likely to be written off prior to importation. Cartell found that in the case of an imported six- to seven-year-old vehicle, 18.2 per cent had been written off in the UK. That percentage increased to 20.8 per cent for a seven- to eight-year-old vehicle and 21.2 per cent for an eight- to nine-year-old vehicle. In fact a consumer stands more than a one-in-five chance of importing a written-off seven- to 12-year-old vehicle.
Cartell also found UK Category B written-off vehicles are still making their way into the Irish fleet. A vehicle written-off as Category B is designated as parts salvageable only and is not meant to be on the road. During the period of research, 26 vehicles were registered in Ireland after attribution of Category B status in the UK. Some 16 of those 26 had already been taxed in Ireland. No Category A vehicle was imported into Ireland in 2015 during the period considered by the study.
