My new 2025 Subaru Crosstrek has been totaled and considered a loss. I was offered a settlement for ACV with my insurance but was told to file with the at-fault 3rd party if I’m seeking a higher amount.
In all reality, is it really possible to get a higher settlement amount through the 3rd party? I ignorantly assumed that insurances mostly used the same appraisal system…
I’m on limited time with my own rental and don’t want to screw myself with incurring storage fees since it just got transferred from the tow yard to CoPart and out of pocket rental as well…
Is it possible to get a higher ACV appraisal through 3rd party?
byu/queendraconis inInsurance
Posted by queendraconis
5 Comments
How much of a delta is there between what they are offering and near identical replacements by you
I’d say 90% of insurance companies use CCC1 for their total loss evaluations. Carriers can tailor CCC a little bit but the meat and potatoes of the evaluation are going to be the same. The advantage to going 3rd party is there is no deductible, but if they’ve already accepted liability and don’t have a limits issue then you should get your deductible back anyway.
You shouldn’t owe any storage fees when it’s at copart. Anything you do from here will obviously delay the claim. It would at least be delayed by a week, but very very likely much longer.
If you are out of pocket on rental, you likely won’t have that much to gain by trying to get a higher settlement.
All the major insurers are using similar approach to valuation process, but the numbers will always be slightly different. It’s possible you could increase the settlement, but it could also go down.
When time is money, it’s usually just better to accept the current settlement you were offered and move on towards getting a new car.
It is possible the at-fault carrier will come back with a higher amount; it is also possible they will come back with a lower amount. You are correct that generally speaking most carriers use the same basic criteria to determine ACV, but there are variables, like what comparable vehicles they are using for reference, and the value will *likely* be in the same ballpark regardless.
Today is a Friday; assuming you are able to get the handling switched over to the other carrier today, it will probably end up on someone’s workplan to evaluate Monday, and if you are lucky, they will have a total loss offer by next Wednesday. If you’re on a clear title, all the paperwork processing goes *extremely* fast, and you can do an EFT, you *might* have a payment hitting your account a week after that.
Is it worth it to try? That’s up to you.
You’re not going to see a significant difference in ACV valuations between the two insurance companies. You are only owed ACV, which is based upon actual sold prices, not the listed price. You can make sure they have your correct vehicle information. Make sure the mileage, trim, and options are correct. You
You can find your own comparable vehicles and submit them to the insurance company for review.
If you are using your insurance company, you can invoke your appraisal clause. This is where you hire your own appraiser and your insurance company hires an appraiser to compare valuations.
But remember, either of these options will add extra time you will be needing a rental. You will have to decide if it is actually worth the expense to argue over what may actually be a fair valuation or (as most are) or if this is a rare instance of actually being lowballed.