Tool
Total loss
What will I get for a total loss of my car?
The assessor gave you two figures: the value and the repair. See what they leave you.
- In a total loss you get the current market value of the car on the day of the accident, less the deductible of your own damage cover.
- If you keep the vehicle, the value of the wreck also comes off.
- For a car of €9,100 with a deductible of €500 and a wreck of €1,100, the payout is €7,500.
Calculate
How the value of the car is worked out
It is the sum you would need today for the same car: the same make, year, engine, mileage and condition. The loss adjuster starts from the adverts and takes off a discount, because the price of an advert is not a sale price.
How we work it out
The calculation follows the order of the deductions: from the current market value come the deductible, when your own damage cover pays, and the value of the wreck, when you keep it. Below the threshold the cover pays the repair, less the same deductible.
The amounts are yours: the value and the repair come from the assessment. If you disagree with the value, ask for the listings the assessor used. Should I claim the damage or pay it myself?
Sources
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Frequently asked questions
What people usually ask
01 When is a car written off?
When the repair reaches the threshold that the general terms of your policy set, a share of the value. Find it in the terms or ask your insurer. A car that burned or flooded is written off by the nature of the damage.
02 Do I get the value I declared in the policy?
No. What counts is the current market value on the day of the accident, as the assessor works it out from listings, mileage, condition and equipment.
03 If another driver was at fault, do I have a deductible?
No. When you claim from the insurer of the driver at fault, there is no deductible. The deductible belongs to your own damage cover.
04 Is it worth keeping the wreck?
Only if you find a scrapyard that pays more than the insurer takes off. Otherwise you hand it over and get the full value less the deductible.
05 What if the car has a loan or a lease?
The insurance pays the value of the car, while the bank or the leasing company wants the balance of the contract. In the first years the balance is often higher, and only a value guarantee (GAP) bought at the start covers the difference.