totaled

Totaled is a term most commonly used in the automotive and insurance industries to describe a vehicle that is so badly damaged that it is considered a total loss. In this context, "totaled" refers to the point at which the cost of repairing a vehicle exceeds its insured market value or a predetermined threshold set by the insurance company or state regulations. When a vehicle is totaled, the insurance provider typically pays the policyholder the actual cash value (ACV) of the vehicle, plus any applicable deductible, and the claimant may choose to reclaim a salvage title.

Insurance companies determine that a vehicle is totaled by evaluating the estimate for repairs, the vehicle’s pre‑accident market value, and any salvage value that might be recovered by selling the wreck for parts or scrap. Many states have specific formulas and percentage thresholds (for example, if the repair estimate is 70 % or more of the vehicle’s ACV, the vehicle may be declared a total loss). In practice, factors such as the age, mileage, brand, and condition of the vehicle influence the assessment. Some insurers also consider the cost of environmental compliance for hazardous materials removal, which can add to repair totals.

The claim process for a totaled vehicle includes an appraisal of the vehicle, a repair estimate, and an evaluation of market resale value. Once a claimant accepts the insurance settlement, the insurer often obtains a salvage title and has the right to sell the vehicle to a salvage yard. Owners of totaled vehicles may use the settlement to purchase a rebuilt or repaired car, but many prefer to retain their vehicle for further repairs, to destroy it, or to sell automobile parts.

In broader usage, the verb “total” can mean to overcome or defeat decisively (“total defeat”), and in accounting it may denote a sum of all items. However, the primary meaning in contemporary English aligns with the automotive and insurance definition described above.