Written-Off UK Imports Prominent in Ireland
PRESS RELEASE
Follow-Up to RTÉ Prime Time Programme
Vehicle history expert CARTELL.IE reports today (11th May) on the actual numbers of written-off vehicles imported into Ireland from the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015. In a first-of-its-kind analysis – which follows-up on last night’s RTÉ Prime Time programme – Cartell reports that 10.75% of all UK imports registered in Ireland over a 6-month-period in 2015 were previously written off in the UK.
Cartell.ie examined 29,089 imports registered in Ireland in 2015 (taxed private or untaxed) and found that 10.75% of those examined were written-off in the UK. In the case of untaxed imports, vehicles which had been registered in Ireland in 2015 but were not yet taxed, that percentage shot up to 12.6%. In the case of taxed (private) imports the percentage was 10.4% written-off in the UK.
Graph 1: 2015 Imports by Age and Write-Off Rate (Source: Carstat Cartell.ie)
Cartell.ie 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 6 to 7-year-old vehicle 18.2% had been written-off in the UK. That percentage increased to 20.8% for a 7 to 8-year-old vehicle and 21.2% for an 8 to 9-year-old vehicle. In fact a consumer stands more than a one-in-five chance of importing a written-off 7 to 12-year-old vehicle.
Written-Off Category B
Cartell.ie 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. 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.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Chart 1: Imported “Taxed” (Private) Vehicles into Ireland from UK (Source: Carstat Cartell.ie)
| Age at time of import | Number of Cars | WO | %WO | Multiple WO | Multiple WO % |
| Less than 12 months | 953 | 36 | 3.8% | 0 | |
| 1 to 2 years | 1553 | 135 | 8.7% | 1 | 0.74% |
| 2 to 3 years | 2143 | 219 | 10.2% | 6 | 2.74% |
| 3 to 4 years | 6659 | 261 | 3.9% | 5 | 1.92% |
| 4 to 5 years | 4460 | 305 | 6.8% | 8 | 2.62% |
| 5 to 6 years | 2355 | 336 | 14.3% | 9 | 2.68% |
| 6 to 7 years | 2385 | 433 | 18.2% | 13 | 3.00% |
| 7 to 8 years | 1346 | 280 | 20.8% | 13 | 4.64% |
| 8 to 9 years | 761 | 161 | 21.2% | 12 | 7.45% |
| 9 to 10 years | 683 | 141 | 20.6% | 11 | 7.80% |
| 10 to 11 years | 618 | 125 | 20.2% | 8 | 6.40% |
| 11 to 12 years | 413 | 88 | 21.3% | 8 | 9.09% |
| 12 to 13 years | 212 | 39 | 18.4% | 3 | 7.69% |
| 13+ | 367 | 41 | 11.2% | 2 | 4.88% |
| 24908 | 2600 | 10.4% | 99 | 3.81% |
Chart 2: Write-off Categories of Imported “Taxed” (Private) Vehicles into Ireland from UK (Source: Carstat Cartell.ie)
| Cat A | Cat B | Cat B% | Cat C | % Cat C | Cat D | %Cat D | Other |
| 0 | 16 | 0.62% | 980 | 37.69% | 1545 | 59.42% | 59 |
Chart 3: Write-off Categories of Imported “untaxed” Vehicles into Ireland from UK (Source: Carstat Cartell.ie)
| Cat A | Cat B | Cat B% | Cat C | % Cat C | Cat D | %Cat D | Other |
| 0 | 10 | 1.89% | 220 | 41.67% | 288 | 54.55% | 10 |
For further information please contact John Byrne on 087 4199018 or at john at cartell.ie or check out www.cartell.ie for further information.