Total loss valuation worksheet for appraisers and adjusters

• Nearest matching clean-title comps with match %, options similarity %, and distance per comp
• Every comp price verified on the dealer page (doc and dealer fees excluded), with a full-page evidence snapshot
• Interactive selection plus an excluded-comps tab: the worksheet recalculates live and your changes save
• Settlement math: average of selected asks, mileage adjustment at an editable per-mile rate, ACV, title-brand markdown, additions/deductions, total pre-tax
• Title-brand markdown taken off the comp-derived ACV, 25% by default and editable, applied before your adjustments so documented receipts keep their full value
• Gap between the settlement total and the insurance carrier offer
• Branded Excel export and a locked read-only copy to hand the consumer

• Independent appraisers building a total loss file or arguing a settlement offer up.
• Insurance adjusters and public adjusters who want the comparables and the math on one page.
• Attorneys who need a valuation the other side can audit line by line.

What happens when your car is totaled but still drivable?

A car can be declared a total loss and still run. The insurer totals it when the repair estimate, sometimes plus the salvage value, reaches a set share of the car's actual cash value, and that threshold varies by state. You can usually take the settlement and hand the car over, or keep it for the settlement minus its salvage value under a salvage title. Either way the payout starts from ACV, which this worksheet builds from verified comparables.

Who gets the insurance check when a car is totaled?

The owner, unless the car is financed or leased. A lender or leasing company named on the policy is paid first, up to the balance owed, and the owner gets the rest; gap coverage, if you have it, pays a balance larger than the payout. The payout is actual cash value less any deductible on your own policy, so check it against this worksheet's verified comparables and its gap to the carrier's offer.

Can you negotiate the insurance payout for a totaled car?

Yes. The first offer is the carrier's estimate of actual cash value, and you can dispute it with evidence: comparable vehicles for sale near you with similar mileage and options, plus receipts for recent work. If you cannot agree, many policies include an appraisal clause that brings in independent appraisers. This worksheet puts verified comparables, the mileage adjustment, your itemized additions and deductions, and the gap to the carrier's offer on one page.

What is actual cash value (ACV)?

Actual cash value is what the vehicle was worth immediately before the loss: what it would cost to buy a comparable vehicle of the same year, make, model, trim, mileage and condition in your market. Most auto policies settle a total loss at ACV. This worksheet builds it from like-for-like comparables verified on the dealer page, adjusted for mileage, and shows the gap to the carrier's offer once you enter it.

How does it value a salvage, rebuilt, flood or lemon title?

The vehicle is valued from clean-title comparables, which is standard appraisal practice, and the title brand is then taken off the comparable-derived ACV as a percentage. The markdown defaults to 25% and is yours to set, on the run or on the page afterwards. It is applied before your additions and deductions, so documented receipts keep their full value.

What is the difference between the defensible and maximum comparable strategies?

Defensible takes the closest configuration and mileage matches. Maximum takes the highest mileage-adjusted comparables, which supports the strongest position against the carrier but invites a days-on-market challenge. Both draw from the same verified pool and you can hide the panel if you do not use it.

What happens when there are not enough good comparables?

Comparables under a 70% match are not selected automatically, and a comparable needs at least four real photos. If nothing qualifies inside your radius, the worksheet ships with the money lines marked not computed, offers a re-run at the next radius, and you are not charged.

Can I edit it during the negotiation?

Yes. Comparable picks, the per-mile rate, the title markdown, adjustments and the carrier offer are free edits on the hosted page, and the Excel and PDF follow. Generate a read-only copy whenever you need to freeze a version for the other side.

How is it priced?

$4.99 per worksheet. Re-running the same VIN within 30 days, say with a corrected odometer or a wider radius, costs $0.99 instead, up to three times. Connect the MarketCheck AI Desk to Claude or ChatGPT once and ask in plain English, or run it from this website. You pay per report from a credit balance, with no subscription.

Technical reference (inputs, outputs, the MCP tool name): Total Loss Valuation Worksheet documentation.