The repairable write-off trap: The used cars you should never buy

The used car market might have a dark secret. Though repairable write-offs are often cheaper, they also come with a huge set of risks.

There’s nothing quite like seeing one of your favourite cars listed for sale on various online markets at an extremely low price. In haste, you start reading the details: Low kilometres, check; Not too old, check.

Your heart starts to race thinking about finally adding your dream car to your garage, only to find the dreaded ‘repairable write-off’ notification at the bottom of the listing. Depending on the damage of a vehicle post-accident, the car can be categorised into one of two write-off categories.

The first is a repairable write-off (RWO), which is when the cost to repair the damaged vehicle exceeds the insured market value of the vehicle. These ca