Free tool
Total loss offer checker
Enter the insurer's offer and the comparable vehicles from the valuation report, add your own listings, and see a fair-value range, the problems in the report, and a counter-offer letter you can send.
When a car is totaled, the insurer generally pays its actual cash value: roughly what it would have sold for right before the crash. The number usually comes from a valuation report that lists a few comparable vehicles, adjusts them for mileage, options and condition, and lands on one figure. If the comparables are wrong, the figure is wrong. You will need the report itself, so ask the adjuster for a full copy before you start.
Everything you type stays in this browser tab. Nothing is sent to us or saved. The example numbers are hypothetical; replace them with yours.
Fair-value range from your numbers
$16,600 to $17,175
Gap to the offer (midpoint)
$2,688
The offer is $2,400 to $2,975 below your range
Medians after mileage adjustment
Report comps (2): $16,000
Your comps (2): $16,575
How the range was built
Each comparable's price is adjusted by (its miles − your 68,000 miles) × $0.10. The low end is the lower of the two medians; the high end is the higher median. Both add $600 of documented upgrades. With only one set of comparables, the low and high ends start from the same median.
| Source | Asking | Miles | Adjusted | Used? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | $15,900 | 61,000 | $15,200 | Yes |
| Report | $14,800 | 79,000 | $15,900 | Left out |
| Report | $16,400 | 72,000 | $16,800 | Yes |
| Yours | $16,900 | 66,000 | $16,700 | Yes |
| Yours | $16,200 | 70,500 | $16,450 | Yes |
Valuation report checklist
- Check: 1 of the report's comparables is more than 100 miles away. Ask why closer vehicles were not used.
- Check: 1 report comparable has a different trim or option package. A lower trim pulls the value down.
- OK: The report lists 3 comparables.
- OK: Report comparables are within 25% of your mileage.
- Check: Condition deduction of $900 (6.3% of the offer) is not clearly explained. Ask for the inspection notes and photos behind it.
- Check: Check whether the report reduces each comparable's asking price with a list-price or negotiation discount, and ask how it was calculated.
- Check: The offer may not include sales tax, title or registration fees. Ask whether your state or your policy requires them, and get the answer in writing.
- OK: The report mix includes dealer listings.
- OK: Every upgrade or repair you listed has a receipt.
Counter-offer letter
Built from your entries. Edit it before you send it. It is generated in your browser.
[Your name] [Date] [Insurance company] Re: Total loss valuation, claim number [claim number] Vehicle: [year, make, model, trim, VIN] Dear Claims Adjuster: I have reviewed your total loss offer of $14,200 for the vehicle above. I do not accept it, because I believe it is below the vehicle's actual cash value right before the loss. Concerns with the valuation report: 1. 1 of the comparables in your report is more than 100 miles from me. Please explain why closer comparable vehicles were not used. 2. 1 of the comparables in your report is a different trim or option package than my vehicle. Please replace it with vehicles that match my trim and options, or explain the adjustment you made. 3. The $900 condition deduction is not explained. Please send the inspection notes and photos behind it. 4. Please confirm whether your report reduces the asking prices of the comparable vehicles with a list-price or negotiation discount, and if so, how it was calculated. 5. Please confirm in writing whether the offer includes sales tax, title and registration fees, and if not, why not. Comparable vehicles I found for sale near me: 1. Asking $16,900, 66,000 miles, 18 miles away, dealer, same trim and options 2. Asking $16,200, 70,500 miles, 27 miles away, dealer, same trim and options Upgrades and recent repairs that the valuation does not reflect: - Four new tires (installed 3 months before the crash): $600 (receipt enclosed) Based on these comparables, adjusted for mileage at $0.10 per mile, I calculate the vehicle's value at between $16,600 and $17,175. I ask that you revise the offer to $17,200, plus any sales tax, title and registration fees that apply under my state's rules or my policy. Please also send me: 1. The complete valuation report, including the source and listing date of every comparable vehicle. 2. The inspection notes and photos supporting any condition adjustment. 3. An explanation of any discount applied to comparable asking prices. 4. A written explanation of how the final figure was calculated. If we cannot agree on the actual cash value, please send me a copy of the appraisal provision in my policy. I may invoke it to resolve the disagreement over value. Please respond in writing. Copies of my listings and receipts are enclosed. Sincerely, [Your name]
By Serdar Arslan, editor · Last reviewed · How we research
How the checker works
Every comparable is adjusted to your car's mileage. A comparable with more miles than yours gets money added; one with fewer miles gets money taken away, at the dollar-per-mile rate you set. The tool then takes the median of the insurer's comparables and the median of yours. The lower median is the bottom of the range and the higher one is the top. A median is used instead of an average so one odd listing does not swing the result.
Upgrades and recent repairs are added only when you have a receipt. A condition deduction is subtracted from the low end only if the report explains it with specifics. If you say the offer leaves out sales tax and fees, you can add a rate and an amount, but enter them only after you have confirmed what your state or policy requires.
What the checklist looks for
- Distant comparables. Cars hundreds of miles away may reflect a different market. Washington, for example, lets insurers widen the search 25 miles at a time and go past 150 miles only with your permission. Other states have their own rules.
- Wrong trim or options. A base model used to value a higher trim pulls the number down.
- Unexplained condition deductions. Ask for the notes and photos behind any rating that lowered your value.
- Discounts on asking prices. Some reports reduce dealer asking prices to estimate a sale price. Ask how that figure was set.
- Missing tax and fees. Whether these are owed depends on your state and policy.
- A thin sample. Two or three comparables are easier to challenge than ten.
Worked example (hypothetical numbers)
The tool loads with an example. The insurer offers $14,200 for a car with 68,000 miles. The report lists three comparables. One is 210 miles away and a lower trim, so it is left out. The other two adjust to $15,200 and $16,800 at $0.10 per mile, a median of $16,000. Two dealer listings found by the owner adjust to $16,700 and $16,450, a median of $16,575. With $600 of new tires backed by a receipt, the range is $16,600 to $17,175. That is $2,400 to $2,975 above the offer. The $900 condition deduction is flagged because the report gave no reason for it.
The appraisal clause, in general terms
Many auto policies include an appraisal provision for disagreements about the amount of a loss. The usual structure: you and the insurer each hire an independent appraiser. If the two appraisers cannot agree, they pick an umpire, and a decision by any two of the three sets the amount. Under many policy forms each side pays its own appraiser and the two sides split the umpire's cost, but your policy wording controls, so read it.
Appraisal usually decides only the value, not whether the loss is covered. It applies to your own policy, not to a claim against the other driver's insurer. It tends to make sense when the gap is large compared with what you would pay an appraiser, and when you have solid comparables. For a gap of a few hundred dollars, the fee can eat the gain. The NAIC tells consumers to check their policy for an appraisal clause when they disagree about value.
Next steps
- Send the counter-offer letter, or use the longer total loss valuation dispute letter template.
- If you have a loan, see what you may still owe with the car loan and gap calculator.
- Read the full guide to total loss settlements and the appraisal clause, or the overview of property damage and total loss claims.
- For a claim against the other driver, see small claims court for car accidents.
Frequently asked questions
›How do I know if my total loss offer is too low?
Compare it with what similar cars (same year, model, trim and similar miles) are selling for near you. If the comparables in the insurer's report are far away, a lower trim, or cut by unexplained deductions, the offer may be low. This tool puts those checks in one place using numbers you enter.
›Can I ask for the valuation report?
Yes. The NAIC suggests asking the adjuster for a written explanation of a decision you disagree with, and Washington's insurance commissioner tells consumers to ask for the total loss valuation report because the insurer may not send it unless asked.
›Where does the $ per mile figure come from?
You choose it. Valuation reports usually show a mileage adjustment for each comparable, so the best source is your own report: divide the adjustment by the mileage difference. The default here is a placeholder, not a standard.
›Should the insurer pay sales tax and registration fees?
It depends on your state and your policy. Washington, for example, requires insurers to add required taxes and transfer fees to the actual cash value. Many other states have their own rules, so ask your insurer and your state insurance department.
›What if the insurer will not move?
If the claim is under your own policy, check it for an appraisal clause. You can also contact your state insurance department. If it is a claim against the other driver's insurer, the appraisal clause in their policy is not yours to use; small claims court is one option if the amount fits the limit.