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Car history experts Cartell.ie has confirmed that 10.75 per cent of all cars being imported into Ireland from the UK are write-offs. The research, carried out on behalf of RTE's 'Primetime' showed that, of 29,089 cars imported here from the UK over a six-month period in 2015, just over one in ten was a previous write off. When that sample was concentrated on cars imported but not yet taxed, the rate jumped to 12 per cent.
The percentages get worse when age of vehicle is taken into account. Cars of between six and seven years old had an 18 per cent chance of being a previous write-off, while that increased to 20 per cent for a seven to eight-year-old car. The rate increases further to 21 per cent for an eight to nine-year-old car.
In fact, according to Cartell.ie: "a consumer stands more than a one-in-five chance of importing a written-off seven to 12-year-old vehicle."
Even more worryingly, Cartell.ie found that the numbers of Category B write-offs coming in was still high. Category B cars cannot be put back on the road because of significant damage, but some of the parts can legally be re-used. Frighteningly, of 26 Category B write-offs imported into Ireland in the period surveyed, 16 had been re-registered for use.
Thankfully, no Category A vehicle, one which has been so badly damaged even its parts cannot be re-used, was imported in the period checked.