New website reveals whether used cars have been written-off

The South African Insurance Association (SAIA) has launched its VIN-look-up website, which allows the public to receive a brief description of a vehicle using its VIN to ensure it has not been previously written off.

How it works

Data is sourced from the industry’s Vehicle Salvage Database and serves as a means of gaining a better understanding of the status and history of a vehicle.

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Three boxes will need to be filled with the following information; name, ID number, and vehicle VIN (vehicle identification number).

Take note

“Of the 14-million registered vehicles in South Africa, less than a third is insured (i.e. less than five million). Therefore, the industry’s Vehicle Salvage Database (VSD) will likely have less than 3% of vehicles that are written off, and most of these are vehicles that can either be rebuilt, or can only be used for spare parts, or should be demolished,” SAIA CEO Viviene Pearson said.

It must be noted that the information provided by the SAIA’s website relates to the information provided by insurance companies and what they have classified the vehicles as.

The SAIA has stated that its website is not a complete log of all vehicles in South Africa, and if the public wants a broader one, then they should contact the Department of Transports NaTIS system.

Article first appeared on carmag.co.za.

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