Total Loss Calculator

Total Loss Calculator comparing a repair estimate with your state threshold and the repair-plus-salvage test, then showing the payout, the loan balance left, and a keep-car amount.

Total Loss Calculator by State Threshold

The Total Loss Calculator checks a repair estimate against your state’s total-loss rule and against the cost test insurers run themselves. It then estimates the payout if the car is totaled, what is left after the loan, and what you would receive if you kept the car. Drivers use it between the adjuster’s first call and the settlement offer.

Enter your state, the car’s value before the crash (its actual cash value, or ACV), the repair estimate, the salvage value, your deductible and any loan balance. The second panel adds the sales tax and title fees many insurers include in a payout, and whether you carry gap coverage. All amounts are in US dollars.

Two Ways States Decide a Car Is Totaled

Most states set a percentage threshold. The Zebra gives the example of a 70% state, where a $10,000 car is totaled once repairs top $7,000. The calculator divides the estimate by the ACV to get the damage ratio.

$$\text{Damage ratio} = \frac{\text{Repair estimate}}{\text{ACV}} \times 100$$

Other states use the total loss formula, which adds the salvage value to the repair cost. If the two together reach the car’s value, the insurer would lose money repairing it rather than selling the wreck.

$$\text{Repair} + \text{Salvage} \geq \text{ACV}$$

The default car shows how far apart the rules are. A $15,000 car with a $9,500 estimate has a 63.3% damage ratio, and with $3,500 of salvage the formula line sits at $11,500. The state table in the results puts it past the salvage line in only 1 of 51, counting DC. That one is Oklahoma, where the line is $9,000.

What the Texas Rule Actually Counts

Texas sets its line in Transportation Code 501.091. A car becomes a salvage vehicle when the cost of repairs exceeds its actual cash value immediately before the damage. The statute leaves out the materials and labor for repainting, and it leaves out sales tax on the repairs.

That matters when your estimate is close. A shop total that includes refinishing and tax can look over the line while the amount Texas counts is under it, and an estimate exactly equal to the value does not qualify. The same section also leaves hail damage out of its definition of damage.

Several Texas law firm pages describe the rule as repair plus salvage. The statute text compares repair cost alone with ACV, and that is how the calculator applies Texas. Insurers can still total a car earlier on cost grounds, which is what the second result card tests.

Oklahoma’s 60% Line and Its Age Limit

Oklahoma has the lowest threshold in the calculator’s table. Its administrative code defines a salvage vehicle as one whose repairs for safe highway use exceed 60% of its fair market value. The rule only covers vehicles ten model years old and newer.

That limit may not last. Oklahoma’s Senate Bill 1920 of 2026 proposed raising the figure to 70%, so check the current rule before relying on 60%. Under the rule as written, a $15,000 car inside the age limit becomes salvage once safe-repair costs pass $9,000.

What a Total-Loss Payout Looks Like

If the car is totaled, the insurer pays its value plus any tax and fees it owes, minus your deductible. When a loan is open, the lender is paid first and you receive what is left.

$$\text{Payout} = \text{ACV} + \text{Tax} + \text{Fees} – \text{Deductible}$$

For the default Texas car, $15,000 plus $938 of sales tax and $84 in fees, less the $1,000 deductible, comes to about $15,022. After the $8,000 loan payoff, about $7,022 comes to you. If you keep the car, the salvage value comes off too, leaving about $11,522.

That payout usually goes toward a replacement car. The out-the-door price calculator shows what the next car will cost once tax and fees are added. If you plan to finance part of it, the 20/4/10 Rule Calculator checks the loan against your income.

Total Loss Questions Drivers Ask

How does the insurance company value a totaled car?

Insurers value it from recent sales of comparable cars in your area, not from a price guide. On Reddit’s r/Insurance, one member put it bluntly, saying no one bases ACV on Kelley Blue Book and that owners should ask for the valuation report, often from CCC, that lists the comparables used.

First offers can move a long way. Repairer Driven News reported a 2018 Hyundai Elantra in New York offered at $10,600 and settled at $15,000. A higher ACV raises the payout and also pushes the salvage line up in the calculator.

Does insurance pay sales tax on a totaled car?

It depends on the state and the policy. In Texas, the Todd Law Group says insurers must include the 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax and registration and title fees. On a $20,000 car, the tax alone adds $1,250 to the settlement.

If your insurer pays only the car’s value, set the calculator to ACV only. The payout card then shows the lower figure, so you can see what the missing tax and fees are worth.

Can I keep my car if it is totaled?

Often you can, but you have to ask before the settlement is final. CarInsurance.com explains that the insurer deducts the salvage value from the payout and issues a salvage title. Some states prohibit keeping it, and insurers can refuse on safety grounds.

A kept car cannot be driven until it is repaired and passes a state inspection for a rebuilt title. CarInsurance.com adds that most insurers will then offer only liability coverage on a salvage-titled car. The last result card shows the keep-car payout and whether it covers the repair bill.

What if I owe more than the car is worth?

The insurer pays the car’s value, not the loan. The Todd Law Group gives the example of a $25,000 loan on a car worth $20,000, which leaves a $5,000 gap the bank still expects you to pay.

Gap insurance covers that difference. When the loan is larger than the payout and gap coverage is off, the calculator shows the balance you would still owe and flags it as the main risk in the claim.