Hi I am sorry if this is in the wrong place but I didn't know where else to put it.

I passed my driving test last month and coincidentally came into a little over a thousand pounds

which I decided to use to buy a cheap run about.

I bought a wee corsa which I love, knowing it had had what was described to me as 'a small bump'

the repairs had al been done, although there were a few age related repairs needed which I knew about

was happy enough to do it with the price I paid for the car.

It turned out it needed a little more work than I thought

but I figured that wasn't a major problem as the extra work only totalled around a hundred pounds.

I had been getting a little worried that my documents hadn't arrived from DVLA

but everyone said that it can take a good few weeks s

o I went ahead and started the work on the car (not quite everything is done yet).

Today I get a letter from DVLA saying its been a previous write off and I need to get a VIC check done,

I am really not happy but I know I have no come back on the seller.

The car is in great working order and is 100% roadworthy with just two small outstanding repairs that I plan to do next week.

I called DVLA because quite frankly their letter didn't really explain anything and

was told that I would need to get this check done before I could tax the car.

However I have already taxed it as I bought it on 2nd oct so had to tax it there and then due to the new law.

I pointed this out to the lady on the phone and she said she didn't understand how I could tax it

and I pointed out that you no longer need a v5 to tax a car with the new law

(surely she should have known that)

The woman at DVLA told me I would be fine as long as I got it checked before the tax was due again,

but she really didn't seem to have a clue what she was talking about to be honest.

Do I need this check done urgently?

I know I need it done

but with the two repairs I have to do I wont really be able to afford it till at least next month

and I have to travel quite a bit to get it done.

More importantly do I have to tell my insurance company?

I have already had a fight with them over something else

and really don't want to deal with them just now

but obviously now that I know its been a write off

if I have to tell them then I will.

Should they not have known this?

I thought there was a database for insurance companies to check these things.

I fully intend to keep the car,

I am actually quite happy with it but I am worried about the insurance.

i had a car that was involved in an accident, our insurance wrote the car off,

however we purchased it back from the insurance,

they kept it insured as long as i did the vic check once the work was done .

..car remained insured vic check done at £43 car fully insured with a note on V5 saying it was a previous cat D write off....

so in answer to your question

as long as the Vic is done (only takes 30 mins)

this is to confirm that the car is sound and solid and not a cut and shut,

you should be ok with insurance but

i would just double check to be safe.we were.

8 months later car involved in another accident and written off again,

no problem with insurance payout.

(car beyond repair)

value slightly reduced due to previous accident.

It wasn't me that had the accident though

I insured it as if it had never been written off because that is what I genuinely believed at the time,

the guy I bought it from actually told me he hadn't claimed the insurance at all,

he had just paid to do the work himself because it was only a headlight and a tiny dent

which to be totally honest must have been repaired incredibly well

because there is no sign of a respray or anything at all, the car is in really good nick actually.

I have heard that not all insurance companies will insure a previous write off

and cant afford to lose what I have already paid to the insurance,

thankfully I haven't paid it in full yet which was my intention.

Also I have heard that some companies make you get a check from them

and charge you £150 for it,

I cant really afford that on top of the VIC and the two minor repairs I know it still needs.

On the other hand if the value of my car has decreased

could I potentially save money by insuring it for less,

assuming they will still insure it?

Oh and I also read online that the car shouldn't be on the road at all until its had its VIC check

but surely that cant be right if its insured and taxed with no problems doing either?

I have no where to put the car off the road,

and actually couldn't if I wanted to because DVLA wont give you the form you need if you have an outstanding VIC marker.

VIC check is normally only required on a cat C total loss. Cat D do not require VIC check.

The VIC check is not a roadworthyness check it is to check the identity of the car. It used to be common for unsavory characters to buy cat C write off cars cheap at auction then steal a matching car and swap the vin plates, glass and reg plates to the stolen car then the cat c car would be broken up for spares or burnt out and the stolen car sold on with the false identity. The fraudster made a profit by not paying for any repairs. Often this would be detected at mot time by a vigilent tester and the purchaser would lose the car and their money.

The Vic check was introduced to pick this up earlier to give the purchaser a chance of getting their money back.

I would not recommend purchasing a total loss that has been repaired unless you really know what you are looking at. Often they are bought cheap and given a quick cosmetic touch up leaving serious mechanical issues unresolved.

I didn't deliberately buy it as a write off, the guy clearly told me that it had been a minor bump and he hadn't even claimed the insurance, I know I should have done an hpi check and to be honest don't know why I didn't but theres nothing I can do now about that. I have had the car checked over by an mot tester mechanic although I haven't done the mot yet as I still have repairs to do and a good bit left on the current mot and he said everything was fine apart from the stuff I already knew about and the two extra things he found which are getting done next week. DVLA only told me it was an economical write off and if I wanted more info to call my insurance company but they don't know its been a write off because I didn't know until this evening. I am just worried what happens with my insurance, will they still insure me?

With the VIC it seems to depend on who you ask, some people say its fine to drive but the marker wont be removed until you have the test done which is fine I can live with that for a month its really not a problem, but other people are saying that the car is not legal without it but if that was the case how was I able to insure and tax it? My biggest worry really is the insurance, I don't want to find myself suddenly uninsured and having lost what I have already paid to them plus I would need to declare having had insurance cancelled on all future policies which is bound to cause problems. If I had known it was a write off I would have obviously declared this to the insurance people but I honestly didn't know till I got that letter when I got home today.

Just wanted to update this thread in case anyone in a similar situation is looking for advice. I called the insurance company when I got home today and told them I had just received this letter and I honestly didn't know it had been a write off. The guy said it was absolutely fine and made no difference at all to my insurance policy, I am still insured fully comp (I also read online that you cant get fully comp on a previous write off so thought I would mention that I have it) for the same price as before. All they asked was did I have an MOT, since I don't know if I can trust the guy about the date of the accident I told him I was unsure if the MOT was pre or post accident but the receipt for the repairs it needed for its MOT suggested it was before hand. He said it was no problem as long as the car has a valid MOT that is all they care about which it does. I still don't know if there is some sort of deadline I have to get the VIC done by or not because I didn't have time to call the DVLA again today but other than that the problem is pretty much solved.

Regarding the VIC check and 'taxing' the vehicle...

It used to be that you needed the log book (V5) to tax the vehicle, and of course, the DVLA wouldn't send you that if the vehicle had a "Cat C" marker, until after the VIC had been done. These days, with all the automated systems, the system automatically checks both the insurance and MOT databases before you can tax the vehicle.

So with that in mind, when you applied to tax the car, it had both valid insurance AND a valid MOT.

The MOT status does not change when a car is 'written off', contrary to popular belief. The MOT is valid until its expiry date regardless of the condition of the vehicle. You could cut the thing in half, but it would still have a valid MOT.

You'd fall down on the offence of "vehicle in a dangerous condition", if there were bits of the car hanging off, MOT or not.

The VIC DOES NOT check the condition of the vehicle, only the vehicle identity, although, if when checking the vehicle the tester feels that it is dangerous or in a dangerous condition, they can (or can call someone that can) prohibit it from being driven on the road (known as a PG9).

The only other issue that you might face, is being able to register the vehicle in your name. The DVLA won't issue a V5 until the VIC is done, so, unless the vehicle was already registered to you prior to being written off, you may fall foul of driving a vehicle that is registered to its previous owner. Could be a bit awkward if you're snapped on a $camera.

If the DVLA get their act together, you may find that you need to have a VIC done before you can tax it again, but apart from that, the only time you'd need to get a VIC is if you sell or transfer the vehicle, unless you sell or transfer it as a Cat C write off, which would obviously affect what you'd get for the vehicle.

Cat C repaired vehicles can still sell for good money, usually about 2/3 of what a non Cat C vehicle of the same type/condition would go for. But without the VIC and a V5, the value could be negligible.

According to the letter I have been made the registered keeper, but they wont send me the paperwork till I get the vic done which is fine by me to be honest because I can get it done in a few weeks hopefully. I found it a bit odd that the woman at dvla didnt seem to know how the new road tax system worked but either way everything is fine on my end so I am happy.

...All they asked was did I have an MOT...

...He said it was no problem as long as the car has a valid MOT that is all they care about...

A lack of MOT does not automatically invalidate an insurance policy, unless it is a specific clause of the policy that the vehicle must hold a valid MOT. You should check your policy.

But the vehicle MUST be in a roadworthy condition to be used on the road, or you would be committing an offence and more importantly, your insurance WILL be invalidated, as that is a standard clause in vehicle insurance policies.

I think the mot is their way of seeing if the car is roadworthy or not. I have read loads of posts saying they had to put their write off car through an extra mot after repair to satisfy the insurance company. Other people say their insurance company came out and checked the car themselves and it cost £150 to have it done so if my insurance are happy that the car has a valid mot and thats good enough for them then I am happy

My nan had a car and someone crashed into it. The car was a Cat C right off. They paid her the value of the car, then told her to keep the car. She spent like £200 on repairs and it was back up and running again. No VIC test has been done on it, but it has been taxed and insured by myself and now my girlfriend 4 years later. Did we miss something?

I honestly have no idea, I have had such conflicting information. The DVLA told me I would be unable to tax the car, but I had taxed it the day I got it due to the new law which really seemed to confuse the girl I spoke to, they wont send you a V5 or a tax reminder though I do know that. She told me I would need to get the check done before I taxed it again in six months because they wouldn't send me a reminder, I said 'can I not just remember myself and buy it as normal' she didn't have an answer for me. People were telling me it had to have the check done or it shouldn't be on the road so I called my insurance company for advice and they said the only problem if I didn't get it done would be no tax reminder and I might have an issue selling it without the V5. I have been driving the car for almost a month now and have passed loads of anpr camera cars and not been stopped so I am guessing its not something I am likely to get pulled over for or it would have happened by now. My father in laws car was recently written off economically too and his insurance told him he was fine to run around in the car as there was nothing needing fixed that affected the safety of the car (just a dent) but he already has the V5 because he owned the car when it was hit, whereas I bought mine at some point after its been written off without knowing. I had planned to call the DVLA again for some clarification today but I didn't get home in time, I will try to get them over the next few days and update this thread with an answer if I get one.