A Mitchell total loss valuation lists comparable vehicles as individual cards, reduces their prices with a projected sold adjustment, applies mileage and equipment adjustments, and averages them into a market value. Here is what each part means — and a free check of your report.
Each comparable has its own card: listing price, mileage, distance, and adjustments — a projected sold adjustment, a mileage adjustment, equipment differences and, in newer versions, a vehicle configuration adjustment — ending in an adjusted value.
Mitchell reports rate your vehicle’s condition by level (for example “Fair” or “Good”). Some versions show a dollar amount per component; older versions show only the level. Ask for the documentation behind any rating below typical.
Upload the valuation report your insurer sent you. In about a minute you see which items may not add up — free. The full review report with a draft letter you edit and send yourself is $79.
Check my report →It is a valuation report produced with Mitchell’s WorkCenter Total Loss software (in some versions with J.D. Power data). It shows comparable vehicles as individual cards with their adjustments and a market value derived from them.
It is a reduction applied to comparable vehicles’ list prices to estimate what they would sell for. You can ask how the reduction was calculated for your market.
In the Mitchell reports we have examined, the market value matched the simple average of the comparables’ adjusted values. If yours does not reconcile, ask the insurer to explain the calculation.
FairTotalLoss is a self-help information tool. We are not a public adjuster, appraiser, or law firm; we do not represent you, contact your insurer, or negotiate your claim, and we do not advise on insurance coverage. Our reports describe what your valuation report shows and questions you may choose to ask; they are not an appraisal and not a substitute for advice from a licensed public adjuster or attorney. Fixed price, unrelated to any settlement outcome.