Loading…
We use privacy-friendly analytics to improve this site. Analytics load only if you accept.
Total loss
The order matters: check first, gather evidence, and understand your options before you accept.
General educational information, not legal or tax advice. Laws, deadlines and policy terms vary by state and by policy. Claimly Appraisals is not a law firm, an insurer or a public adjuster.
Once you accept or cash a settlement, or sign a release, your options narrow. In particular, the appraisal provision in a policy generally can no longer be used after the claim is settled.
Request the complete valuation report. Confirm that the VIN, trim, options and mileage are yours, and that the condition rating is fair. Then look at the comparable vehicles the report relied on.
Useful evidence includes listings for the same year, make, model and trim with similar mileage in your area, maintenance and service records, receipts for recent work, and photos taken before the loss.
If your own insurer is paying, the claim is first-party and your policy's terms apply, including any appraisal provision. If the other driver's insurer is paying, the claim is third-party: there is no appraisal clause, though you can still present evidence. An attorney can advise you on legal options in either case.
Where a policy has one, either side can demand appraisal in writing. Each side then names an independent appraiser. If the two appraisers do not agree on the amount of loss, an umpire decides the points of difference. The process is about the vehicle's value only.
Where the service is available in your state, our Total-Loss Offer Check reviews your insurer's figure first, and you are charged only if your case is accepted. If it is, an independent appraiser you appoint under your policy handles the valuation exchange. You send the appraisal request to your insurer yourself, using our template.
No. The appraisal clause is part of your own policy, so it applies only to a claim with your own insurer.
The appraisal provision generally cannot be used once a settlement is accepted or a release is signed. An attorney can tell you whether any option remains.
Typically each side pays its own appraiser and the two sides share the cost of an umpire if one is needed. Your policy sets the rule.
It varies with the insurer, the appraisers and whether an umpire is needed. Your policy may set deadlines for naming appraisers.
General educational information, not legal or tax advice. Laws, deadlines and policy terms vary by state and by policy. Claimly Appraisals is not a law firm, an insurer or a public adjuster.
Claimly Appraisals prepares an independent opinion of your vehicle's value. We do not represent you, do not contact your insurer, and do not negotiate your claim. Unless you separately purchase the Appointed Total Loss Appraiser service — an optional service with its own terms under which a certified independent appraiser serves as your appointed appraiser under your policy's appraisal clause — we do not participate in any appraisal proceeding on your behalf. This is not legal advice. The appraisal clause is a provision of your own insurance policy; read your policy and consult a licensed attorney for advice about your specific situation.
See how the process works and what you can check before you accept.