Total Loss vs Repair Cost Calculator

ANA›Life Services Authority›National Calculator Authority›Total Loss vs Repair Cost Calculator

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Total Loss vs Repair Cost Calculator

Compare your vehicle's repair cost against its Actual Cash Value (ACV) to determine if it qualifies as a total loss under standard insurance thresholds.

Actual Cash Value (ACV) of Vehicle ($)

Estimated Repair Cost ($)

Salvage Value ($)

Total Loss Threshold (%)

Common thresholds: 75% (most states), 80% (some states), 100% (total loss only if repair ≥ ACV)

Collision Deductible ($)

Calculate

function totCalc() { var acv = parseFloat(document.getElementById('tot-acv').value); var repair = parseFloat(document.getElementById('tot-repair').value); var salvage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('tot-salvage').value); var threshold = parseFloat(document.getElementById('tot-threshold').value); var deductible = parseFloat(document.getElementById('tot-deductible').value) || 0;

var resultDiv = document.getElementById('tot-result'); resultDiv.style.display = 'block';

// --- Validation --- if (isNaN(acv) || acv = acv) { resultDiv.className = 'calc-result calc-error'; resultDiv.innerHTML = '⚠ Salvage Value must be less than the Actual Cash Value.'; return; } if (isNaN(threshold) || threshold 100) { resultDiv.className = 'calc-result calc-error'; resultDiv.innerHTML = '⚠ Total Loss Threshold must be between 1% and 100%.'; return; } if (deductible = (Threshold% × ACV) var thresholdAmount = (threshold / 100) * acv; var isTotalLoss = repair >= thresholdAmount;

// 3. Net Payout if Total Loss // Total Loss Payout = ACV - Deductible var totalLossPayout = Math.max(0, acv - deductible);

// 4. Net Payout if Repaired // Repair Payout = Repair Cost - Deductible var repairPayout = Math.max(0, repair - deductible);

// 5. Owner's Out-of-Pocket if Repaired // Out-of-Pocket = Repair Cost - Repair Payout = min(Repair Cost, Deductible) var repairOutOfPocket = repair - repairPayout;

// 6. Owner's Net Position if Total Loss // Net Position = Total Loss Payout - (ACV - Salvage) // i.e., what owner receives vs. what they "lose" in vehicle value above salvage var ownerNetTotalLoss = totalLossPayout - (acv - salvage);

// 7. Diminished Value Estimate (rough rule-of-thumb: 10% of ACV after repair) var diminishedValue = 0.10 * acv;

// 8. True Cost to Repair (including diminished value) var trueCostRepair = repair + diminishedValue;

// 9. Savings from Total Loss vs Repair (from insurer perspective) // Insurer saves: Repair Cost - (ACV - Salvage) var insurerSavings = repair - (acv - salvage);

// --- Format helpers --- function fmt(n) { return '$' + n.toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}); } function fmtPct(n) { return n.toFixed(2) + '%'; }

var verdict = isTotalLoss
? '✖ TOTAL LOSS'
'✔ REPAIRABLE';
var verdictExplain = isTotalLoss
? 'Repair cost (' + fmt(repair) + ') equals or exceeds ' + fmtPct(threshold) + ' of ACV (' + fmt(thresholdAmount) + '), so the vehicle is declared a total loss.'
'Repair cost (' + fmt(repair) + ') is below the ' + fmtPct(threshold) + ' threshold (' + fmt(thresholdAmount) + '), so the vehicle is considered repairable.';
var insurerNote = insurerSavings > 0
? 'Insurer saves ' + fmt(insurerSavings) + ' by declaring total loss vs. paying repair.'
'Insurer saves ' + fmt(-insurerSavings) + ' by paying repair vs. declaring total loss.';

resultDiv.className = 'calc-result calc-success'; resultDiv.innerHTML = '### Result: ' + verdict + ' ' + '' + verdictExplain + '

' + '' + '' + 'Metric' + 'Value' + '' + '' + 'Actual Cash Value (ACV)' + fmt(acv) + '' + 'Repair Cost' + fmt(repair) + '' + 'Salvage Value' + fmt(salvage) + '' + 'Loss Ratio (TLR)' + fmtPct(tlr) + '' + 'Total Loss Threshold Amount' + fmt(thresholdAmount) + '' + 'Verdict' + verdict + '' + 'If Total Loss' + 'Insurance Payout (ACV − Deductible)' + fmt(totalLossPayout) + '' + 'Owner Retains Salvage' + fmt(salvage) + '' + 'Owner Total Recovery' + fmt(totalLossPayout + salvage) + '' + 'If Repaired' + 'Insurance Pays (Repair − Deductible)' + fmt(repairPayout) + '' + 'Owner Out-of-Pocket (Deductible)' + fmt(repairOutOfPocket) + '' + 'Estimated Diminished Value (10% of ACV)' + fmt(diminishedValue) + '' + 'True Cost to Repair (incl. Diminished Value)' + fmt(trueCostRepair) + '' + 'Insurer Perspective' + 'Net Cost if Total Loss (ACV − Salvage)' + fmt(acv - salvage) + '' + 'Net Cost if Repaired' + fmt(repair) + '' + '' + (insurerSavings > 0 ? 'Insurer Saves by Total Loss' : 'Insurer Saves by Repairing') + '' + fmt(Math.abs(insurerSavings)) + '' + '' + '' + '' + insurerNote + '

'; }

#### Formulas Used

1. Total Loss Ratio (TLR): TLR (%) = (Repair Cost ÷ ACV) × 100

2. Total Loss Threshold Test: Total Loss if: Repair Cost ≥ (Threshold% × ACV) The vehicle is declared a total loss when the repair cost meets or exceeds the threshold percentage of its ACV.

3. Total Loss Insurance Payout: Total Loss Payout = ACV − Deductible

4. Repair Insurance Payout: Repair Payout = Repair Cost − Deductible

5. Insurer Net Cost (Total Loss): Net Cost = ACV − Salvage Value The insurer pays ACV but recovers the salvage value by selling the wreck.

6. Diminished Value Estimate: Diminished Value ≈ 10% × ACV A rough industry rule-of-thumb; actual diminished value varies by damage severity, vehicle age, and market.

7. True Cost to Repair: True Cost = Repair Cost + Diminished Value

#### Assumptions & References

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References

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