BC rebuilt inspection: from Salvage to Rebuilt with ICBC

In British Columbia, a Salvage vehicle can go back on the road only after it's repaired and passes a structural check and a mechanical inspection. ICBC then records it as Rebuilt, and it can be licensed and insured again, subject to your insurer.

These notes sum up ICBC's published rules as of October 2026. They aren't legal advice, so check with ICBC before you buy, repair or register a vehicle.

Is it a Salvage vehicle?

Look at the status first, because only a Salvage vehicle can be rebuilt. A Non-Repairable one can never be licensed or insured again in BC, however much you fix, and a Rebuilt one has done all this before and keeps its status. DNF lists flood and fire damage for parts only, and those vehicles aren't grouped with Rebuilt ones on the site.

Repairs, receipts and the inspection

Before the inspection, a trade-qualified autobody technician checks the repaired structure and signs a Structural Integrity Declaration Report, and the facility completes a Body Integrity Inspection Report. Only then does the mechanical inspection happen, against BC's vehicle inspection standards. Get a written estimate from a qualified shop for any structural work before you buy parts.

Take colour photos of the damaged vehicle before any repair, from the front, rear and each side, plus the damaged areas and the VIN. BC asks for them with your proof of ownership and the salvage ownership papers. Keep a receipt or bill of sale for every major part too, since the next buyer will ask.

The province designates the facilities that do these inspections, and only those with a salvage endorsement can inspect a rebuilt Salvage vehicle. Ask the facility the price, how long it takes and what to bring. If the vehicle fails, the inspector tells you what to fix.

Getting it recorded as Rebuilt

Once it passes, take the inspection report and your documents to an Autoplan broker. Registering it there records it as Rebuilt, and then it can be licensed and insured, subject to your insurer. It stays off the road until that's done.

Rebuilt stays on the ICBC record, and buyers see it in the claims history. ICBC's salvage designation criteria designate a previously rebuilt total-loss vehicle for dismantling purposes only. Some buyers and lenders treat Rebuilt vehicles differently. Keep the inspection report, the photos and the receipts for whoever buys it from you.

If you're the one buying, ask for that paperwork and check the claims history with ICBC. The provincial inspection was one check on one day, so pay an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection too.

Browse rebuilt vehicles in BC and salvage vehicles in BC, or read the BC salvage rules guide for what each ICBC status means.