Salvage Value Calculator — What Is My Totaled Car Worth?

Salvage value is the worth of a vehicle in its damaged, unrepaired condition after it has been declared a total loss — essentially what the wrecked car would bring at a salvage auction to a dismantler, rebuilder, or exporter. It is a fraction of the car's clean actual cash value (ACV), typically ranging from about 8–10% for fire and flood damage up to around 50–55% for cosmetic hail damage. The insurer's adjuster sets the initial salvage value, usually by obtaining a bid from a salvage buyer or auction (such as Copart or IAA) or by applying a percentage of ACV. If you disagree with the figure — for example, if you want to keep the car and the insurer's salvage deduction seems too high — you can get competing bids from licensed salvage buyers and present them, because the salvage value directly reduces the payout you receive when you retain the vehicle.

The straightforward method is to start with the clean actual cash value — the retail value of your exact year, make, model, trim, and mileage the day before the loss, from a source like KBB or NADA — and then multiply it by a retention percentage that reflects the type and severity of the damage. Flood and fire damage retain the least (roughly 8–25% of ACV), structural collision damage sits in the middle (about 15–30%), and cosmetic hail damage retains the most (around 40–55%). The calculator on this page does exactly this: you enter the ACV and select the damage type, and it returns an as-is salvage value range. It also estimates the rebuilt-title resale value — what the car could sell for once professionally repaired and re-titled — so you can compare selling the car as-is against repairing and reselling it. Remember these are estimate ranges; a real salvage buyer's bid is the only firm number.

Because whoever buys a salvage vehicle inherits three costs that a clean-title buyer never faces: the cost to repair the damage, the permanent branded title, and the resale stigma that branded title creates. A salvage buyer only pays what they can realistically recover — either by dismantling the car and selling its usable parts, or by repairing it and reselling it as a rebuilt-title vehicle at a discount to a comparable clean-title car. Both of those recovery paths cap what they'll pay well below the clean retail value. On top of that, the branded title follows the VIN forever and shows up on every future history report, so even a beautifully repaired car carries a lasting discount. That is why a car worth $18,000 clean might have a salvage value of only $4,500–$7,000 and a rebuilt-title resale ceiling of around $12,000–$14,000.

They are related but not the same. When your car is totaled and you surrender it to the insurer, your payout is the actual cash value (ACV) minus your deductible — you are paid for the whole car and the insurer takes the wreck and sells it for its salvage value. If instead you choose to keep the totaled vehicle (an 'owner-retained salvage' arrangement, allowed in most states), the insurer pays you the ACV minus your deductible minus the salvage value, because you are keeping the wreck that they would otherwise have sold. So the salvage value is what gets subtracted when you retain the car. This is exactly why the salvage figure matters to you personally: an inflated salvage deduction shrinks your keep-the-car payout, so it is worth challenging with competing salvage bids if the insurer's number looks high.

It comes down to comparing the cost of a proper repair against the rebuilt-title resale value. If you can repair the car for less than it will be worth as a re-titled rebuilt vehicle — and you can pass your state's mandatory salvage/rebuilt inspection — then keeping and rebuilding can leave you ahead, especially if you plan to drive it yourself rather than resell. If the repair cost approaches or exceeds the rebuilt-title value, the car is worth more sold as-is for parts or to a professional rebuilder. The calculator shows both figures so you can make that comparison: the as-is salvage value (your floor if you sell now) and the rebuilt-title resale value (your ceiling if you repair). Factor in that a rebuilt title permanently reduces resale value and that some lenders and insurers treat rebuilt vehicles differently, and always confirm your state's re-inspection requirements before committing to a rebuild.

Yes, permanently. Once a vehicle is issued a salvage brand and later repaired, inspected, and re-titled as 'rebuilt' or 'reconstructed,' that branded title stays with the VIN for the life of the car and appears on every future title and VIN history report. Buyers and lenders see it, and it consistently suppresses resale value — a rebuilt-title car typically sells for roughly 20–40% less than an equivalent clean-title car, even when the repairs are flawless. Some banks won't finance rebuilt vehicles and some insurers limit coverage on them, which further shrinks the buyer pool and the price. That is why the rebuilt-title resale figure in the calculator is always below clean market value: the discount reflects the title brand and its lasting effect on demand, not just the original damage.

It gives a realistic estimate range, not a guaranteed offer. The calculator uses market-observed retention percentages by damage type applied to the clean actual cash value you enter, which is the same basic method adjusters use as a starting point. But the true salvage price of any specific vehicle depends on factors a calculator can't see: the exact extent of the damage, current parts demand for that model, your local salvage market, how many buyers are bidding, and the condition of undamaged components. Two cars with identical ACV and damage type can sell for meaningfully different amounts. Use the estimate to sanity-check an insurer's salvage deduction and to decide whether to pursue real bids — then get an actual quote from a licensed salvage buyer or a Copart/IAA-registered dealer for the firm number. Also confirm your ACV input is accurate, since every figure is a percentage of it.