Your Car Got Rear-Ended? Here's How to Get Cash for It

Getting rear-ended and/or rear-ending someone is high-up on the list of “completely avoidable things that just ruin your day.”

Even worse is when your car gets totaled because of said rear-ending; that opens a whole new can of worms for you. When it rains it pours, right?

What Should You Do Immediately After A Rear-End Collision?

First and foremost, let’s dive into the things you should do directly after the accident:

• Call the Police
• Take pictures of the accident scene
• Take pictures of your injuries
• Get the information of everyone involved
• Get immediate medical attention
• Report it to your insurance, if you have insurance

Once you’ve taken these crucial steps, it’s time to get the feedback from your insurance company as to the state of your vehicle. If they tell you it’s “totaled” then they’ve concluded that the cost to repair your car

Insurance companies set their standards of when a vehicle is deemed total individually, but the general rule of thumb is when the repair costs fall between 50 to 100 percent of the vehicle’s total value. When it’s time to determine the value of your vehicle, your insurance company will be using its “Actual Cash Value."

Finding Your Actual Cash Value

The ACV is calculated by subtracting the depreciation costs of the car from the replacement value after the vehicle’s purchase. That equation would looks like this: RV - DC = ACV

In the instance of a totaled vehicle, if the cost to return the car to its pre-damage or pre-loss state exceeds the car’s value, then it’s a total loss. Additionally, the insurance company will weigh other factors to calculate the ACV of your totaled car. These factors include:

• The vehicle’s age
• The vehicle’s mileage
• The vehicle’s features
• The vehicle’s pre-loss condition

Also taken into account by your insurance company is your car’s “salvage value.” This is the value of your car’s parts as scrap metal, which includes its engine, transmission, and catalytic converter.

Knowing your ACV is important because you may feel that the figure the insurance company gives you is lower than what your car is actually worth. In that instance, you can negotiate with your insurance company. It’s important to know exactly how they are defining the ACV and by what criteria.

You should also take it upon yourself to browse online tools that help you define the value of cars. Search these tools for similarities between your currently totaled vehicle and the ACV of others. This will give you the knowledge to negotiate and knowledge is power!v

To Sell or To Keep? That Is the Question

You are more than entitled to keep your car after your insurance company deems it a total loss. At that point, the insurance company will pay you the cash value of the car.

However, they will subtract the deductible and whatever amount your car could have been scrapped for. Now that you have your car, you can make moves to repair it.

Repairing a total loss vehicle varies in the amount of effort needed to complete it. Is your vehicle deemed a loss by percentage? Is it completely wrecked?

Ultimately, the decision is up to you whether or not you want to embark on that endeavor. Understand, however, that it will require time and (most importantly) money to get your roadster back up and running.

WeBuyTotaledCars: When Keeping Your Car Is Out Of The Question

WeBuyTotaledCars makes it a point to do exactly what our name says. We utilize our online platform to make selling a totaled vehicle as easy as A-B-C, 1-2-3.

Once you visit our website, one of our Associate Buyers will provide you with a quote for your vehicle within 90 seconds.

Should you accept the quote, we’ll connect you with one of our Service Providers within your area — anywhere in the contiguous United States.

Our Service Providers can schedule a pick up within 24-48 hours; the towing and transferring of titles for your vehicle is on us, completely free of charge!

At the time of pick up, the driver does a quick inspection before handing you a check in the total amount agreed upon at the time you were quoted.

Contact us and let us take care of your totaled car today!