What Happens After Your Car is Totaled?

If you’ve been in an accident, your insurance company may want to move the vehicle to a safe place that doesn’t charge storage fees. This makes it easier for the adjuster to begin determining if the vehicle is, in fact, a total loss, as well as determining the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of the vehicle.

After a total loss has been confirmed, the ACV has been determined, and you’ve accepted the insurance company’s offer, your insurance company will want the following:

  • Signed paperwork (typically, a power of attorney allows the insurance company to prepare the title and/or an odometer statement)
  • Settlement/Release
  • The vehicle title
  • All keys to your vehicle
  • Your lienholder’s contact information

It can be difficult to part with a vehicle, especially one that you’ve driven every day. It’s important to work with your insurance company to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. Their goal is to get you back on the road again as soon as possible.

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SOURCES

  1. “Total Loss & Car Insurance.” DMV.org, www.dmv.org/insurance/total-loss.php.
  2. “When Is A Vehicle Considered Totaled? | MWL Blog Post.” Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer S.C., 30 June 2015, www.mwl-law.com/vehicle-considered-totaled/.