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When is a vehicle declared a Total Loss and does this cover you if your vehicle is stolen?

The Financial Ombudsman states that they consider a vehicle to be a total loss (known as a "write-off") because either;

  • the insurer considers the vehicle uneconomical to repair, or
  • the vehicle has been stolen and is never found.

We consider a total loss or write off in the same way. If your vehicle is damaged for what ever reason (there are far too many to mention) and the cost of repairing your vehicle is above the percentage set by your insurance company (this could be anywhere from 50% upwards) it is not economically viable to repair your vehicle.

For example if your vehicle is worth £10,000 and the cost of repairing it is over £5,000 your own insurance company are likely to declare your vehicle a total loss.

£5,000 worth of damage may seem like a lot however it may not be as much as you think. Most modern cars have a whole host of safety features designed to help you avoid whatever obstacle is in your way and secondly to ensure that if there is any impact that you and your passengers walk away relatively unscathed. Some are even designed to completely crumple on what may appear minor impact to ensure that you remain safe. This added safety however means that an accident even at lower speeds may result in major repairs.

Did you know that just one single airbag could cost over £1,000? Remembering that some cars and vans now have a wide range such as driver, passenger, side, front, rear, curtain airbags, the cost of the airbags alone could mean that it is not viable.

Equally if your vehicle is stolen your insurance company may declare your vehicle a total loss after an initial period of grace.

For the purposes of your total loss insurance policy the main aspect is not how your vehicle was written off, who was driving or even whose fault it was. For your Total loss gap insurance policy to spring into action the single most important aspect is that no matter what the circumstances that your insurance company declares your vehicle a Total Loss they must be willing to offer you settlement.