Ask an expert

Some time ago our car was involved in an accident and written off by the insurers. Our registration had about 11 months to run but we could not get a refund although I pursued it with the LTSA at the time.

That must have been a nice little earner for the authority governing registrations.

Do you have any comments on registration refunds for written off vehicles?

Shouldn't there be a transfer to our next vehicle on the road?

Diane

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 6 June 2010

When the car was deemed to be a write-off the insurance would have paid you out to an agreed value. This means the insurance company become the legal owners of the vehicle and take whatever measures they see appropriate regarding disposal. This could be a damaged vehicle auction for example where an auto dismantler purchases the vehicle for parts. In other cases the vehicle may be sold and repaired.

If the insurance company did dispose of the vehicle via an auto wrecker they would go through the de-registration process and claim back any outstanding registration fees as the current owner.

It's simply bad luck when you have only just paid the registration fees and the car is written-off. The same could be said for a recent expensive engine / transmission repair.

If a car is written-off and not insured, the owner can hand the number plates into a New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and request a refund of any outstanding fees.