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Mandatory Vehicle Branding Program in Ontario
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Location: Ministry Home > Drivers and Vehicles > Vehicle Licensing > Mandatory Vehicle Branding > Branding Program In Ontario
Mandatory Vehicle Branding Program In Ontario
Effective Protection for Used-Vehicle Consumers
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What is the Mandatory Vehicle Branding Program?
How does Mandatory Vehicle Branding Help Me as a Consumer?
The Four Vehicle Brands
Stolen Vehicle Designation
Branded Vehicle Permit
Did You Know?
Tips for Used Vehicle Shoppers
What is the Mandatory Vehicle Branding Program?
Ontario's mandatory vehicle branding program:
l Promotes consumer protection for used vehicles;
l Discourages vehicle registration fraud and theft; and
l Enhances road user safety.
The mandatory vehicle branding program became effective March 31, 2003 and makes the province's roads safer.
Branding is the process of assigning "brand" types that indicate whether a vehicle has been severely damaged in
the past. The brand is then recorded in the Ministry of Transportation's Vehicle Registration System.
Brand types are:
l "Irreparable"
l "Salvage"
l "Rebuilt"
l "None"
Insurance companies, auto recyclers, salvagers, auctioneers, dealers and individual vehicle owners must assign a
brand type to vehicles that have been damaged to the point of total loss and meet this branding criteria. These
vehicles must be reported to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
Mandatory branding is also part of Ontario's ongoing efforts to prevent vehicle theft and registration fraud. It
builds on the success of the province's voluntary branding program (operating since 1998) and similar programs in
Canada and the U.S.
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How does Mandatory Vehicle Branding Help Me as a Consumer?
In the past, some written-off vehicles found their way back onto the road; some were safely rebuilt, while others
were not and were sold to unsuspecting consumers.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/branding/mandatory.htm
4/21/2008
Mandatory Vehicle Branding Program in Ontario
Page 2 of 4
The mandatory branding program helps to protect the consumer by providing important information about possible
past damage to a vehicle.
As a consumer, you will have better information to help you determine if a vehicle you are about to buy is:
l Irreparable and for parts only;
l Salvage and can't be plated; or
l Rebuilt to MTO structural standards.
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The Four Vehicle Brands
Irreparable
l Vehicle has been written-off as a total loss.
l Can only be used for parts or scrap.
l Cannot be driven again in Ontario.
Salvage
l Vehicle has been written-off as a total loss.
l Can be repaired or used for parts or scrap.
l If repaired, vehicle must pass a structural inspection test and be inspected by an authorized technician.
l If vehicle passes test it will be re-branded as "Rebuilt".
Rebuilt
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Vehicle was written-off, branded as "Salvage" and was repaired.
To qualify as "Rebuilt", owners must have photographs, documents and receipts of vehicle damage.
Vehicle must have had a Structural Inspection Certificate from an authorized technician at a Ministry of
Transportation branding criteria. These vehicles must be reported licensed Motor Vehicle Inspection
Station.
"Rebuilt" or "None" are the only acceptable brands for a consumer buying a used vehicle for on-road use.
None
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Vehicle has not been given one of the other three brands.
Vehicle may have had a damage-related brand applied outside Ontario, or
Vehicle may have been damaged or rebuilt before March 31, 2003, or
Degree of damage does not meet branding criteria, or
Vehicle may never have been in a collision.
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Stolen Vehicle Designation
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Vehicle has been declared stolen by the police.
No vehicle transaction can be completed as long as this designation is in place.
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Branded Vehicle Permit
Check Vehicle Permit for Branding Information
Vehicle Brand Identified
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/branding/mandatory.htm
4/21/2008
Mandatory Vehicle Branding Program in Ontario
Page 3 of 4
Look for the Brand
The vehicle's brand will appear on Ontario's Vehicle Registration System database, on vehicle permits, in
vehicle histories and in the Used Vehicle Information Packages (UVIPs) available from the Ministry of
Transportation or the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services.
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Did You Know?
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Every year, insurance companies write off about 90,000 vehicles as total losses in Ontario because of
severe damage or theft.
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Since 1991, the rate of vehicle thefts across Canada has increased by 10 per cent.
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Stolen vehicles are often re-registered under the serial numbers of identical vehicles that have been writtenoff. The stolen vehicles can then be sold to unsuspecting buyers. Branding helps to identify these written
off vehicles and serial numbers, which will deter most thieves from doing this.
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Automobile theft costs Ontario drivers more than $216 million a year in additional insurance costs.
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Tips for Used Vehicle Shoppers
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Used vehicles that have brands of "Rebuilt" or "None" are allowed to be driven on the road. Used vehicles
with the brand of "Salvage" cannot be legally driven. Salvage vehicles are required to pass a structural
inspection test before receiving the brand of rebuilt.
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Stop by your local Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office and pick up a brochure called Buying and
Selling a Used Vehicle in Ontario. (See also: Buying and Selling a Used Vehicle.)
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As a consumer, you should be aware that private sellers are required to provide used car buyers with a
Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP), which contains the vehicle's registration history in Ontario,
and discloses any liens currently registered on the vehicle.
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If you wish to obtain a UVIP on your own, you may do so at a Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office
or through the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/branding/mandatory.htm
4/21/2008
Mandatory Vehicle Branding Program in Ontario
Page 4 of 4
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Motor vehicle dealers should tell you important facts about a vehicle and are required to guarantee that
vehicles they sell are free of liens, roadworthy and are not stolen.
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Check the vehicle's permit and/or UVIP carefully for the vehicle's brand type. It appears in the upper left
hand corner of the permit as well as in the UVIP.
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Unless you're buying the vehicle for parts or scrap metal, you should NEVER buy a vehicle with a brand of
"Irreparable" on vehicle documents.
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Finally, you may wish to ask the seller if you can take the vehicle for an inspection by an authorized
mechanic you know and trust.
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NOTE: Some vehicles are exempt from branding under the new program: trailers, traction engines, farm tractors,
road-building machines, bicycles, motor-assisted bicycles, motorized snow vehicles, streetcars and motor vehicles
with a model year of 1980 or earlier. For motorcycles, only the "Irreparable" brand will apply.
For more details:
l Frequently Asked Questions; or
l call MTO INFO at 416-235-4686 or toll free at 1-800-268-4686.
TTY: 1-866-471-8929 or 905-704-2426
Enquiries can also be made to the Toronto Call Centre at 416-246-7166 or 1-800-387-7736 or for French Enquiries
call 1-800-461-4803.
See also:
l Highway Traffic Act: Ontario Regulation 376/02 - Classification of Vehicles as Irreparable, Salvage and
Rebuilt
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Last Modified: September 24, 2007
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/branding/mandatory.htm
4/21/2008