Guides
How a totaled car actually gets valued.
Written from the regulations rather than around them. Where a guide states what a state requires, that sentence is rendered from the rules ledger with its citation attached, so you can check it rather than take our word.
Comparable vehicles: what insurers may and may not use
What each state requires of the comparables an insurer averages to value your car: distance, age, mileage, and whether adjustments must be itemized.
Tax and feesSales tax, title and fees on a total loss
Which states make an insurer pay sales tax on a totaled car whether or not you buy a replacement, which pay only on replacement, and which have no rule at all.
ThresholdsWhen a car counts as a total loss
The repair-cost percentage or formula each state uses to call a vehicle a total loss, and why several of the numbers people quote are titling rules.
DeadlinesHow long your insurer has to respond
The statutory clocks for acknowledging a claim, deciding it and paying, with the day type each period is counted in, state by state.
RegulatorsFiling a complaint with your state insurance department
What a state insurance department complaint does, what to attach, and the real filing page for each state ClaimMath covers.
AdjustmentsCondition adjustments: what “Fair” has to be backed by
Why the condition deduction is the most commonly disputed line on a valuation report, and what each state requires an insurer to show before taking one.
Appraisal clauseInvoking the appraisal clause in your auto policy
What your policy's appraisal provision does, when it beats another letter, and the Pennsylvania licensing rule that changes the calculation there.
CounterofferHow to write a total-loss counteroffer
The structure of a counteroffer an adjuster can act on, which points are worth making, and why arguing every line makes a letter easier to dismiss.
ChecklistThe first 72 hours after a total-loss notice
A short checklist for the days right after an insurer calls your car a total loss — what to ask for in writing, what not to sign, and which clocks start now.
Owner-retained salvageKeeping your totaled car
Keeping the wreck means the insurer deducts its salvage value, and in some states changes the tax and fees you are owed. What to check first.
Gap and loansGap insurance, loan payoff and the total-loss check
Why the settlement goes to your lender, what gap coverage does and does not pay, and how to tell whether disputing the valuation is worth your time.
RentalRental coverage while your total loss is pending
Rental support narrows once an insurer calls your car a total loss, often to days, while its own decision clock runs longer. What to ask for.
Report anatomyHow CCC One values a totaled car, page by page
A walk through the CCC ONE Market Valuation Report using CCC's own section names: where the base value comes from and which lines to check.
Report anatomyReading a Mitchell WorkCenter total-loss report
Mitchell produces several total-loss reports, built differently. Which one you received decides what you can argue and where to look first.
Report anatomyAudatex Autosource valuation reports explained
Autosource adjusts a Typical Vehicle towards yours rather than the other way round, and grades condition by component. What that means for you.