Auction Intel data report · Q2 2026
Repairable write-off auction prices by state
Across Australian salvage auctions in Q2 2026 (April to June 2026), the median repairable write-off sold for $2,500, from 8,401 sold listings — and the typical car was a 2016 model, around ten years old, not the scrap you might expect. Price climbs steeply with how recent the car is: a 2010-or-older write-off sold for a median of $1,000, a 2021-or-newer one for $7,050. Among the four biggest markets the median ran from about $2,000 in South Australia to $3,000 in Queensland, and Toyota was the most written-off make in every state.
$2,500
National median sold
2016
Typical model year
$2,000
Cheapest big market — South Australia
$3,000
Dearest big market — Queensland
Based on 8,401 sold listings · median half-spread $1,100–$5,600.
Median sold price by state
| State | Median sold | Typical range | Median year | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria (VIC) | $2,550 | $1,200–$6,000 | 2017 | 3,171 |
| Queensland (QLD) | $3,000 | $1,250–$6,225 | 2017 | 2,495 |
| Western Australia (WA) | $2,250 | $900–$5,050 | 2015 | 1,332 |
| South Australia (SA) | $2,000 | $1,000–$4,350 | 2015 | 862 |
| New South Wales (NSW) | $2,100 | $825–$5,500 | 2016 | 171 |
| Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | $2,125 | $962–$4,788 | 2016 | 158 |
| Tasmania (TAS) | $2,100 | $1,075–$4,200 | 2016 | 140 |
| Northern Territory (NT) | $4,650 | $1,675–$10,375 | 2018 | 72 |
Median = the middle sale; typical range = the middle 50% of sales (25th–75th percentile); median year = the middle model year. Toyota was the most common write-off in every state. NSW, ACT, TAS and NT are smaller samples, so treat their medians as indicative — the Northern Territory's higher figure sits on just 72 sales.
Why age matters more than the headline price
A median price means little without the vehicle's age — a cheap write-off is usually an older car, not a bargain. Across the same Q2 2026 sales, the median price more than triples from the oldest cars to the newest:
| Model year | Median sold | Sold |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 or older | $1,000 | 120 |
| 2011–2015 | $1,250 | 3,387 |
| 2016–2020 | $3,100 | 3,030 |
| 2021 or newer | $7,050 | 1,867 |
So a sub-$1,500 write-off is almost always a pre-2016 car (or one with heavy damage) — not a late-model car going cheap. Always check the year and the damage before you read anything into the price.
The makes that come up most
Toyota isn't just the most common repairable write-off — at a $4,750 median (typically 2016 models) it's also the most valuable mainstream make, nearly double the national figure at a similar age to its rivals — a sign of how well Toyotas hold value even as salvage. At the other end, Holden is the cheapest of the common makes (median $850, typically 2014 models): not because the cars are ancient, but because the brand's wind-down has pushed its resale and salvage values down.
Toyota
$4,750
median · typically 2016 · 1,312 sold
Mazda
$2,400
median · typically 2016 · 894 sold
Hyundai
$1,900
median · typically 2016 · 820 sold
Mitsubishi
$2,150
median · typically 2016 · 493 sold
Holden
$850
median · typically 2014 · 471 sold
Ford
$1,650
median · typically 2015 · 455 sold
What this means if you're buying
These are hammer medians — the winning bid, before buyer fees, transport, parts and repairs. To judge a specific car, line its price up against comparable sales of the same year and your repair cost:
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How we worked this out
- Source — Auction Intel's own database of sold listings from the Australian salvage auctions we track, covering April to June 2026. Pickles and IAAI account for essentially all repairable write-off sales in this period (Grays and Slattery list very few).
- Scope — vehicles recorded as repairable write-offs that actually sold; passed-in and unsold lots are excluded. Model years span 2007 to 2026.
- Age — we report the median model year alongside every price, because a price is meaningless without it; a low figure almost always means an older or more heavily damaged car.
- Cleaning — we excluded sales under $200 (data glitches and token sales) and a handful of "sold below the live bid" anomalies, and dropped one mislabelled location. States are shown where there were enough sales for a meaningful median.
- Stat — we report the median (the middle sale), not the average, so a few very cheap or very dear cars don't skew it.
Last updated 23 June 2026. Auction prices move with supply and demand — we refresh this report as more sales accrue. Figures are a guide to the market, not a valuation of any specific vehicle.
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