01
Request the full valuation report
It lists the comparable vehicles used. You cannot challenge a number until you see how it was built.
Insurance playbook · 8 tactics
8 Ways to Raise a Total Loss Offer
The first valuation is a starting point, and it is built from comparables you can challenge.
02
Check the comparables for trim and mileage
Reports routinely use a lower trim or a higher-mileage example. Each mismatch is an argument worth money.
03
Assemble your own local listings
Three to five current listings for the same year, trim, mileage and condition in your market is the evidence that moves adjusters.
04
Document recent work and options
New tyres, a recent timing belt, a factory option package. Receipts convert claims about condition into adjustments.
05
Confirm sales tax and fees are included
Many states require reimbursement of sales tax, title and registration on a total loss. Offers sometimes omit them.
06
Invoke the appraisal clause if talks stall
Most policies contain an independent appraisal process. Almost nobody uses it, and it exists for exactly this deadlock.
07
Decide about the salvage deliberately
Keeping it reduces the payout and brands the title permanently, which cuts future resale value substantially.
08
Check the payout against the loan before agreeing
If it falls short you still owe on a car you no longer have, and that is what gap insurance exists to cover.
Put it to work
Calculators for these tactics
Insurance
Total Loss Settlement Calculator
Whether your vehicle will be totalled, and what the settlement should actually be.
InsuranceDiminished Value Claim Calculator
What a repaired vehicle loses in resale value, and whether you can claim it.
Loans & CreditAuto Loan Calculator
Payment, total interest and the tax-deductible interest under the new 2026 rules.
InsuranceUninsured Motorist Gap Calculator
What happens when the at-fault driver carries minimum limits and your damages do not.
Estimates, not advice. Every figure here is produced from the inputs you enter and the formula printed on the page. Rules differ by state, carrier, lender and contract, so use these numbers to prepare for a conversation with a qualified professional rather than to replace one. See our full disclaimer.