New website launched in South Africa to check if a car was crashed and fixed before buying it

The South African Insurance Association (SAIA) has launched its new VIN-Lookup website that allows consumers to check if a used car was crashed and repaired before they buy it.

The website, VINLookup.co.za, will be rolled out in three phases, the first phase including vehicles that have been classified as Code 3 (rebuilt), 3A (spare parts only), and 4 (permanently demolished) by their respective insurers.

While the database only includes vehicles that were insured by members of the SAIA and is not a comprehensive list of all the cars on the road, it’s intended to give buyers added peace of mind when shopping the treacherous pre-owned market.

The second phase of VIN-Lookup will consider the inclusion of Code 2 (written-off) vehicles and is scheduled to be available by the end of 2023.

“The vehicle salvage database from which information is drawn for VIN-Lookup contains records that show how insurance companies have designated previously insured vehicles,” said Zakes Sondiyazi, SAIA Manager.

“The information provided through VIN-Lookup is considered complete at the time it was received, reflecting the status of the vehicle at the time it was in the possession of the information owner, the insurance company. The status returned is in no way a reflection of the quality of repair, nor roadworthiness of the vehicle.”

Measures taken by SAIA to ensure that the VIN-Lookup is robust included:

• Auditing and verifying the accuracy of the information that will be provided and defining how it will be uploaded going forward
• Securing an agreement among SAIA member companies in respect of how much historical data can be carried
• Developing a process for identifying possible errors and omissions, and revising the database accordingly
• Clarifying the legal status of information to be provided and the “own risk” disclaimer

“SAIA consulted widely with all relevant industry stakeholders in developing the VIN-Lookup,” said Sondiyazi.

“This included the Department of Transport as custodians of the National Road Traffic Act and which provides guidelines to determine the life cycle status of a motor vehicle as implemented on the NaTIS system. The South African Police Service (SAPS) was among other stakeholders consulted.”

VINLookup screenshot of a Code 4 vehicle

How it works

The VIN-Lookup service is completely free and requires users to complete three fields on the screen comprising their name, identity number, and vehicle identification number (VIN).

Currently, only if the vehicle has been categorised under Code 3, 3A, and 4 will the service provide a report on the extent of the damages it suffered, and under which legislation it was classified as written off.

“Of the 14 million registered vehicles in South Africa, less than a third is insured (i.e., less than 5 million),” said SAIA Chief Executive Officer, Viviene Pearson.

“Therefore, the industry’s Vehicle Salvage Database (VSD) will likely have less than 3% of vehicles that are written off, and most of these are vehicles that can either be rebuilt, or can only be used for spare parts, or should be demolished. This means that access to this small database against the population of registered vehicles in South Africa is not a silver bullet.”