Auction Intel data report · Q2 2026
Statutory vs repairable write-offs: how prices really compare
Here's the surprise: at Australian auction in Q2 2026 (April to June 2026), the median statutory write-off sold for $4,200 — more than the $2,525 median for a repairable one. But that's not because a parts-only car is the better buy. The catch is age: statutory write-offs reaching auction are a median 2023, versus 2016 for repairable — seven years newer. So the higher statutory price looks to be mostly an age effect — not evidence the write-off label adds value — though with only price, year, make and type in the data, we can't fully isolate the label's effect. Either way, a statutory write-off still can't be re-registered, ever.
$2,525
Repairable median (median 2016)
$4,200
Statutory median (median 2023)
~7 yrs
How much newer statutory cars are
Parts only
Statutory can never be re-registered
Repairable: ~8,400 sales, half between $1,100–$5,600. Statutory: 1,320 sales, half between $2,000–$6,900.
Why you can't compare them on price alone
The two pools are not like-for-like. Repairable write-offs are mostly older cars (median 2016); statutory ones are mostly near-new (median 2023). Because a newer car is worth more — even sold for parts — the statutory pool's higher price tag looks to be mostly the newer cars rather than the write-off label, though with only price, year, make and type we can't fully separate the two. The honest takeaway isn't "statutory is worth more"; it's that the two categories hold different kinds of car, so a headline price gap can't be read as a label effect.
By make — with the age of each pool shown
| Make | Repairable median | Rep. year | Statutory median | Stat. year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota | $4,750 | 2016 | $6,000 | 2024 |
| Mazda | $2,400 | 2016 | $2,100 | 2023 |
| Hyundai | $1,900 | 2016 | $4,000 | 2023 |
| Ford | $1,650 | 2015 | $5,275 | 2023 |
| Mitsubishi | $2,150 | 2016 | $4,125 | 2023 |
| Kia | $2,675 | 2018 | $2,925 | 2024 |
| Subaru | $1,950 | 2016 | $2,000 | 2023 |
| Volkswagen | $1,650 | 2016 | $3,750 | 2023 |
| MG | $2,200 | 2022 | $1,050 | 2023 |
| GWM | $6,500 | 2024 | $3,800 | 2024 |
| Isuzu | $8,250 | 2018 | $6,500 | 2024 |
Makes shown have a reasonable number of sales in both categories, though the smallest rows (Isuzu, MG, GWM) rest on fewer statutory sales and can swing on a handful of lots. Notice the statutory column is newer in almost every row. For some makes — MG, Isuzu, Mazda — statutory sells for less even though the cars are newer, which may be where the parts-only restriction starts to outweigh the newer age (though these make figures aren't matched on model, trim or damage, so we can't be sure).
What it means if you're buying
- Don't read the higher statutory price as "more car". It's a newer car you can only part out or export — never drive. Judge a statutory lot on its parts or export value, full stop.
- A repairable write-off is the only one with a road future (subject to your state's inspections), which is what you're really paying the difference for when you buy repairable.
- Late-model statutory stock is common. Plenty of near-new cars reach auction as statutory write-offs — great for parts, but a dead end if you hoped to register it.
Put it to work
Statutory write-offs
Live statutory stock + per-state pages.
Repairable write-offs
The ones you can repair and re-register.
Salvage for parts
Where statutory write-offs really earn their keep.
Check a listing
See the write-off type and comparable sales.
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: ~8,400 repairable and 1,320 statutory write-offs.
- The big caveat — the two pools differ sharply in age (median 2016 vs 2023), so the headline price gap is mostly an age effect. We deliberately do not isolate a "statutory vs repairable" price penalty, because the categories barely overlap in age, make and damage.
- Make table — grouped by make, not matched on model, trim or damage; shown where both categories had roughly 40+ sales.
- Cleaning & stat — limited to sold listings of $200 or more from the auction houses we track; we report the median (middle sale), not the average.
Last updated 23 June 2026. 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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