However, the idea of defining a car as totaled (or not) only matters if you have comprehensive coverage. If you only have liability coverage, and you total your vehicle, you’d better have a lot of money saved up, because not one cent of the damage to your own car is going to be covered. This is true whether you get into an accident, a tree falls on top of your car, a hailstorm pummels your car, or your car is stolen. But if you have collision and comprehensive coverage, you’re probably wondering whether or not you’re going to have to give up your totaled vehicle forever or just for as long as it takes to make repairs. (If you’re wondering whether you have to actually make the repairs once the insurance company has paid for them, the answer is complicated). Many times, you would be amazed what a body shop can fix. Other times, with severe damage, you are much better off not repairing the vehicle and taking the total loss settlement from your insurer, as long as you’re covered by your insurance policy. In this article, you’ll learn more about what goes into determining whether a vehicle is a total loss and whether or not you can keep a totaled car.
A Totaled Car Is Determined by State Requirements
Different states have different definitions of a total loss vehicle. Some states consider a car totaled by using the guidelines that if a vehicle’s damage exceeds 80% of the actual cash value, it’s headed for the junkyard. Claims adjusters use specialized computer software to determine the cost of the damage versus the actual cash value. So, whether your car is totaled depends on your individual insurance company’s methods of calculating total loss, as well as your state’s laws.
Is the Car Automatically Totaled If My Airbag Deploys?
It is often said that a deployed airbag means a vehicle is totaled, which is not always true. The reason so many people believe this is because a high percentage of vehicles are totaled after the airbag deploys for a couple of reasons. Lots of people carry comprehensive coverage on aging vehicles, which have highly depreciated. Airbags are very expensive, upwards of $1,000. So, when an older-model vehicle has a deployed airbag, plus the body damage that caused the airbag to deploy in the first place, it often won’t be worth repairing—meaning that the car is totaled. Newer vehicles, depending on their value, could possibly be repaired. A new Hyundai Accent with a deployed airbag could fairly easily become a totaled car, whereas a new Cadillac Escalade might still be worth fixing.
Can I Keep a Totaled Car?
It is possible to buy back your vehicle with a salvage title once it is deemed a total loss, though that is not usually a great idea, for a variety of reasons. Insurance companies pay actual cash value for a totaled car, minus the deductible. You have the option to pay the insurance company a small fee plus the salvage value of the vehicle in some states. Once you buy the vehicle back, it is yours to do with as you please. You will need to check with your insurance company to see whether any restrictions apply to insuring a vehicle with a salvage title. Knowing whether or not your vehicle is totaled is the first step in the claims process. If you are still unsure whether or not your car is totaled, file your claim and ask your claims adjuster for more information. It is times like these in which you’ll learn a lot about the quality of the customer service provided by your insurance company.
