Ontario rebuilt inspection: structural inspection and safety certificate

In Ontario, a vehicle branded Salvage can go back on the road only after it's repaired and passes a structural inspection. ServiceOntario then changes the brand to Rebuilt, and once it also has a safety standards certificate it can be plated and insured, subject to your insurer.

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

Only a Salvage vehicle can take this route, including one that was Rebuilt in another province, which arrives in Ontario as Salvage. An Irreparable one stays a parts vehicle in Ontario whatever you fix, and a Rebuilt Ontario vehicle has been through it already and keeps the brand. DNF also lists flood and fire damage for parts only and never groups those vehicles with Rebuilt ones.

The repair

It has to meet the standards of both inspections. The body structure comes first, then everything a safety inspection covers: brakes, steering, suspension, tires, lights, glass, seat belts and airbags. Structural repairs take the right equipment and skills, so get a written estimate from a qualified collision repair shop before you buy parts.

Keep receipts or bills of sale for every major part, new or used, the VIN of any vehicle that used parts came from, and photos of the damage and the repair. The inspection requires them: a Rebuilt Vehicle Parts Audit Form with the rebuilder's details and the donor VINs, the insurer's estimate or other damage documents, and photos of the damaged vehicle.

Two certificates

The structural inspection is done at a DriveON Vehicle Inspection Centre that does structural inspections, and a vehicle that passes gets a structural inspection certificate. Not every centre does them, so call ahead and ask the price, what the inspection covers and what to bring.

The vehicle also needs a safety standards certificate from a DriveON Vehicle Inspection Centre. It shows the vehicle met Ontario's safety inspection standard on the day it was checked, and it's valid for 36 days, so plan your visit to ServiceOntario around it.

Rebranding, and after

Take the structural inspection certificate and your ownership documents to ServiceOntario, which changes the brand from Salvage to Rebuilt. With the safety standards certificate and insurance, the vehicle can be plated.

Rebuilt is permanent. It stays on the Ontario record and appears in the Used Vehicle Information Package each time the vehicle is sold privately. Some buyers, lenders and insurers treat Rebuilt vehicles differently, so keep the certificates and receipts for the next owner.

Neither certificate tells you how the vehicle will hold up, and Ontario says the safety standards certificate isn't a warranty. If you're buying a Rebuilt vehicle, ask for the paperwork and get your own mechanic to look it over before you pay.

Browse rebuilt vehicles in Ontario and salvage vehicles in Ontario, or read the Ontario salvage rules guide for what each brand means.