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Is my vehicle a total loss? The first offer is not the final word.

What happens when a carrier decides whether to total your vehicle, what your policy gives you, and how to push back when the number is wrong. Five steps, in order.

Check My Vehicle's Value Talk to Us
  1. 01Get it assessed
  2. 02Know your policy
  3. 03The offer isn't final
  4. 04Appraisal clause
  5. 05Check the value

01 · Get it assessed

Get the vehicle to a shop before anyone calls it.

A vehicle is "totaled" when the carrier decides repairs cost too much compared with what it was worth before the accident. That decision is only as good as the repair estimate behind it, so the estimate has to be right first.

  1. Move it out of the tow yard

    Storage fees add up every day, and carriers often stop paying them after a point. Have it towed to a shop you choose, and take your personal items and plates.

  2. Ask for a teardown, not a photo estimate

    A desk estimate from photos can miss damage or overstate it. A shop that takes the vehicle apart finds the real repair cost, which decides whether it's a total at all.

  3. Ask which threshold they're using

    Many states total a vehicle once repairs pass a set share of its value. Missouri uses 80%. Others compare repair cost plus salvage value with the vehicle's value.

  4. Don't sign anything yet

    No title, no power of attorney, no release, and no salvage paperwork until you agree with the number. Asking questions doesn't put your claim at risk.

02 · Your policy & your rights

Read the policy before you read the offer.

Your policy is a contract, and it decides what the carrier owes you. Ask for the complete policy, not just the declarations page, and keep every letter and email in one place.

Find these in your policy

  • Which coverage applies. Collision, comprehensive, or the other driver's liability coverage if they caused it.
  • Your deductible. It comes off a payout from your own policy. It doesn't apply to a claim against the at-fault driver.
  • Rental or loss of use. The daily limit, and when it ends. Many policies stop rental a few days after the offer.
  • Gap or loan payoff coverage. If you owe more than the vehicle is worth, this can cover the difference.
  • The appraisal provision. Usually in the physical-damage section, under "Appraisal." More on it below.

Your rights, in most states

  • You choose the repair shop. The carrier can recommend one. It generally can't require it.
  • You can see how they got the number. Ask for the full valuation report, including every comparable vehicle and adjustment.
  • You're owed pre-accident value. That means your vehicle's real trim, options, mileage and condition before the loss.
  • Taxes and fees may be owed too. Depending on your state and policy, sales tax, title and registration fees can be added on top.
  • You can usually keep the vehicle. The carrier pays the value minus what it would have sold the salvage for.

Rules vary by state and by policy. Send us your policy and we'll tell you exactly what applies to your claim.

03 · The offer isn't final

The first offer is a starting position.

Most total-loss offers come from a valuation report built by a third-party vendor. It picks comparable vehicles, adjusts them for mileage and condition, and lands on a number. Every one of those choices can be wrong, and you're allowed to challenge each one.

  1. Get the valuation report in writing.
  2. Check every comparable: same trim, options and mileage, sold near you.
  3. Send your own comparables, plus receipts for tires, brakes or recent work.
  4. Reply in writing with the number you can support.
Valuation review Illustrative
  • Base vehicle value$31,400
  • Comps 190 mi away · WRONG MARKET+$1,350
  • Valued as XLT · vehicle is Lariat+$2,600
  • Condition deduction · UNSUPPORTED+$900
  • Mileage adjustment−$450
  • New tires, 3 months old · NOT CREDITED+$480

Found on review+$5,330

04 · The appraisal clause

Most policyholders have the right to an appraisal.

When you and the carrier can't agree on what the vehicle was worth, most auto policies include an appraisal clause. It takes the number out of the adjuster's hands and puts it in front of independent appraisers. It's the strongest tool most owners never hear about.

  1. You invoke it in writing

    Send the carrier written notice that you're demanding appraisal under your policy. Check the clause for any deadline.

  2. Each side picks an appraiser

    You choose an independent appraiser. The carrier chooses its own. Each side pays its own appraiser.

  3. The appraisers work it out

    Both appraisers value the vehicle and try to agree on a documented number. Many disputes end here.

  4. An umpire settles the rest

    If they can't agree, a neutral umpire decides. Agreement by any two of the three sets the amount. Umpire costs are usually split.

Good to know: appraisal decides the amount of the loss, not whether the claim is covered. The wording, deadlines and cost split vary by policy, so read yours or send it to us.

Help Me Invoke Appraisal

05 · Check the value

Get a rough idea of what it's worth.

Enter your VIN, mileage and ZIP code. We decode the VIN and estimate a pre-accident value from the vehicle's age, trim, mileage, condition and region. Add the carrier's offer to see how far apart you are.

On your registration, insurance card, or the driver-side dash at the windshield.

No VIN handy? Enter year, make and model

How it works

  1. We decode your VIN with the federal NHTSA database to get the year, make, model, body and drivetrain.
  2. We start from that model's typical new price, depreciate it for age, then adjust for mileage, trim, condition and your region.
  3. You get a rough value and a range. Add the carrier's offer and we show the difference.

Nothing you enter here is sent to us unless you choose to send it.

06 · Talk to us

Facing a total loss?
Let's look at it together.

Whether the carrier hasn't decided yet or you already have an offer you don't agree with, send us what you have. We'll review the valuation, check your policy for the appraisal clause, and tell you where you stand. The first review is free.

Visit 325 SE Brizendine Rd, Blue Springs, MO 64014
By appointment only

Helpful to have: the carrier's valuation report, your policy, the repair estimate, and photos of the damage.

We respond within one business day. Your information is never sold or shared with your carrier without your say-so.