Getting the call that your car is a write-off is a strange mix of relief and annoyance. The claim is moving, but the car you were driving last week is gone. Here’s what actually happens when ICBC declares a vehicle a total loss in BC, what you get paid, and the situations where a damaged car is still yours to sell.
Short answer: if ICBC settles your car as a total loss, it pays you based on the car’s value before the crash and normally keeps the vehicle. You usually can’t keep it or sell it yourself. If you were at fault without Collision coverage, or you never made a claim, the car is still yours and you can repair it, sell it or scrap it.
What “written off” means
A car is written off when repairing it doesn’t make financial sense. ICBC calls this a total loss. Instead of paying for repairs, it pays you an amount based on the vehicle’s value at the time of the incident, as its write-off page puts it.
It doesn’t take a huge crash. On an older car, a moderate front-end hit with deployed airbags can easily cost more to fix than the car is worth. On a newer car it takes more, but the same logic applies.
What happens, step by step
ICBC lays out the process in six stages. In plain terms:
- Report the claim. Online, or by phone at 604-520-8222 in the Lower Mainland.
- The damage is assessed. An estimator works out what the repair would cost.
- You get the repairability decision. Either it’s repaired, or it’s declared a total loss.
- You collect your belongings and plates. Do this properly. Check the glovebox, trunk, door pockets and under the seats, and take any parking passes, garage openers and child seats.
- You get paid. The amount is based on what the car was worth before the crash, less any deductible that applies.
- You transfer or cancel your insurance. If you’re replacing the car, your broker can move the coverage over.
Can you keep a written-off car?
Usually not. ICBC’s own procedures say it doesn’t allow owners to keep their total loss vehicles unless there are extenuating circumstances, and even then a manager has to approve it. See ICBC’s rules on owner retention of salvage.
So if you were planning to take the payout and then sell the wreck to a scrap buyer as well, that generally isn’t an option. Once ICBC settles the claim, the car belongs to ICBC.
What happens to the car afterwards
ICBC gives every total loss a designation that decides its future:
| Designation | What it means |
|---|---|
| Salvage | The car can be rebuilt. It’s sold on, and whoever repairs it has to go through inspections before it can be registered for the road again. |
| Non-repairable | The car can only be dismantled for parts or crushed. It can’t go back on the road. |
Flood damage is a special case. A vehicle that’s written off because of a flood is designated non-repairable, for parts or crushing only, according to ICBC’s salvage designation guidance.
When the damaged car is still yours
Plenty of crashed cars never become ICBC’s property. These are the common ones:
| Situation | Who owns the car |
|---|---|
| You were at fault and only had Basic insurance | You. Basic doesn’t pay for damage to your own car when you’re responsible, as ICBC explains here, so there’s no claim on the vehicle. |
| The repair is close to your deductible and you didn’t claim | You. |
| It’s old damage that was never fixed | You. |
| Your optional coverage is with a private insurer | Depends on the insurer. Ask your adjuster before you do anything with the car. |
| ICBC formally released the car back to you | You. |
In all of these, you have the same choices as with any car: fix it, sell it privately as-is, or sell it to a buyer who takes damaged cars.
Send us the year, make, model and a few photos of the damage. We’ll give you a firm price as-is, tow it free and pay you at pickup.
If the car is yours: repair, sell or scrap?
- Repair it if the quote is well under what the car will be worth afterwards and the rest of the car is solid.
- Sell it privately as-is if it’s a popular model and you have time for listings, questions and no-shows.
- Sell it to a damaged car buyer if you want one firm number and the car gone this week. That’s what our accident car removal service is for.
Our guide to whether a car is worth repairing, selling or scrapping walks through the numbers in more detail.
If you don’t agree with ICBC’s number
You can question the valuation. Gather listings for similar cars in similar condition and talk to your adjuster first. If that doesn’t settle it, ICBC has a formal disputes and appeals process.
Questions people ask
Can I buy my car back from ICBC after a write-off?
Generally no. ICBC only lets owners keep total loss vehicles in exceptional cases, with a manager’s approval.
What if I still owe money on the car?
Your lender has a claim on the car, so expect them to be part of the settlement. Talk to your adjuster and your lender early so nobody is surprised by who gets paid what.
Will you buy my car while the claim is still open?
We’d rather wait for the decision. If ICBC takes the car, it isn’t yours to sell. If ICBC doesn’t, or the car is released back to you, call us and we’ll price it.
Do I need to do anything about the plates?
Yes. Take them off when you collect your belongings. You can put them on your next vehicle or hand them in at an Autoplan broker. Our post on old licence plates in BC has the details.
This is general information based on ICBC’s published guidance, not legal or insurance advice. Your adjuster has the final word on any open claim.