Vehicle Status Definitions in BC

Are you trying to determine the status of your vehicle in British Columbia. Has ICBC given your vehicle a status based on a recent accident or claim? Here we discuss the very types of vehicle statuses and what they mean to the value of your car, truck, SUV or van.

In British Columbia, and across all of Canada every vehicle is given a status to describe the general state of the vehicle and whether it qualifies to be licensed.

Why are vehicles given a “status”?

Vehicles are given a status so that they can be tracked, mostly for insurance and resale purposes. There are five types of status that can be given to a vehicle.

Please note: Vehicle status alone does not fully describe a vehicle’s mechanical condition or damage history.

The five vehicle status types in B.C.:

Altered status: This status is given to a vehicle that has been significantly modified after its manufacture. The vehicle must pass an ICBC inspection to gain this type of status. An example of this type of modification would be a vehicle with a suspension height altered by more than 10 cm. The altered status is also used to describe homemade vehicles to indicate that they have been inspected and are structurally sound.

Normal status: If a vehicle does not have a status of rebuilt, salvage, non-repairable or altered, it is considered to have a normal status. “Normal” is simply a term used for the purposes of vehicle registration. A normal status does not mean the vehicle has never been damaged or is in good mechanical condition. A new car has a normal status.

Rebuilt status: The rebuilt status is an upgrade from the salvage status. Once a salvage vehicle is repaired and passes its inspection it is given the rebuilt status.

Salvage status: This status is given to a vehicle that has been written off in an accidental loss, but has the potential to be repaired or reconstructed. The vehicle must be repaired and inspected before it can be licensed or reinsured.

Non-repairable: This status is given to a vehicle that has been written off or otherwise totally decommissioned, cannot be repaired due to structural or safety impairment, and can never be re-licensed or insured. A non-repairable vehicle may be used only for spare parts or scrap.