What’s a Salvage or Rebuilt Title, and Does It Affect What You’ll Pay?
If you’ve checked your vehicle’s history and seen “Salvage” or “Rebuilt” instead of “Normal,” here’s what those actually mean in BC — and the short answer on how they affect us buying your car: they don’t.
Normal
This means ICBC has never declared the vehicle a total loss. It’s the cleanest status, and the one most cars carry. It doesn’t guarantee the car was never in an accident — just that any past damage was never severe enough for an insurer to write it off.
Salvage
A vehicle gets branded Salvage when an insurer declares it a total loss — usually from a serious collision, flood, fire, or theft recovery where it was never recovered in driveable condition. A Salvage vehicle legally cannot be registered, driven, or insured for road use until it’s repaired and re-inspected. This status exists specifically because a car in this condition is really only good for parts or full scrap — which is exactly the kind of vehicle we take every day.
Rebuilt
If a Salvage vehicle is professionally repaired to ICBC’s safety standard and passes inspection, it gets reclassified as Rebuilt. This status is permanent — it stays on the vehicle’s record forever, even after repair. Rebuilt vehicles can be legally driven and insured, but they typically sell for noticeably less than an equivalent Normal-status car, and any future total-loss payout from ICBC is usually reduced as well.
Does any of this change what we pay?
No. Our offer is based on the vehicle’s weight, condition, and recoverable parts — not its title branding. A Salvage or Rebuilt status doesn’t lower your quote, since we’re not evaluating the car as a road-legal, resellable vehicle the way a private buyer or dealership would. If anything, a Salvage-branded car that’s already been written off is one of the most straightforward pickups we do.
The one status that does matter
Title branding doesn’t affect our offer — but an active lien does. If you’re not sure whether your car has one, see our guide on liens and scrapping a car.
Ready for a number regardless of your car’s status? Use our price estimator for a same-day estimate.
How This Affects Reselling vs. Scrapping
A salvage or rebuilt title makes a real difference if you’re trying to sell privately — many buyers are wary of branded titles, financing can be harder to get, and resale value typically takes a noticeable hit compared to a clean title on the same model. None of that applies when scrapping. We price based on the vehicle’s weight and condition, not its title status, so a branded title that might cost you thousands in a private sale doesn’t reduce your scrap offer at all.