How long does it usually take to settle a totalled car?

Look into the Kelly Blue Book Value for your car so you know how fair the insurance company offer is.

Mmhmm. I did do that. The accident wasn’t my fault, and I’d really like to get as much out of it as possible. I was glad when I realized my loan wasn’t upside down, but I need something to put towards a new car.

The response from @marinelife is the best guidance that can be given on this question. ‘Fault’ won’t matter, and neither will your expectations. The hard truth is that the insurance company will only give you their determination of the car’s value at the time of the collision. And that’s assuming that you’re covered for that type of loss. If all you had was liability insurance, then you wouldn’t get anything from your own coverage, and might have to sue the other driver (depending on the laws of your state) to recover damage done to you.

For as long as I’ve been able to – that is, whenever I’ve lived in a state where they offer coverage and I meet various qualifications they’ve established for policyholders – I’ve had Amica insurance, and the one time I had a ‘total’ (a one-car accident, totally my own fault) they settled fairly with me within a week or two of the claim. But that was over 30 years ago, so times and practices may have changed since then.

@CyanoticWasp Thanks. I’m wondering if I would have better luck speaking to the other guy’s insurance company. (He happens to have Amica, actually.) KBB and my insurance’s offer are comparable. Life is so unfair.

@Taciturnu

I doubt that the other guy’s insurance company would be any more generous, because both of their top priorities are their profits, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to speak to them.

If you take the at-fault party to small claims court, you might be able to get a little more than the KBB value.

Almost 20 years ago (February, 1991), I sued the driver of an oncoming car who made a sudden left turn in front of me.

IIRC, the KBB value of my car was only $650, but the damages were over $1,300.

My carrier (State Farm) offered me $650, so I sued the AFP for the $1,300+.

The judge ruled in my favor but said that she wouldn’t award me more than the value of my car.
However, she then asked me what I thought the value of my car was, so I told her that I thought it was $675, so she awarded me that plus my court costs.

Later on I metaphorically kicked myself for not asking for $700 instead. :-p