Insurers undervalue totaled cars. We fix it.
When a financed vehicle is written off, the insurance company decides what it was worth. That one figure sets what your member receives, what they still owe, and what the GAP waiver has to cover.
In one paragraph
When a financed vehicle is declared a total loss, the insurance company issues a settlement based on what it decides the vehicle was worth. Those figures are frequently low, and almost nobody has the capacity to challenge every one. SnapClaim reviews the insurer’s valuation on every file at no charge. Where the number should be higher, we act as the independent appraiser under the appraisal clause in the policy — formally disputing the figure and defending a corrected one. Most files resolve in three to fourteen days.
Actual settlements, before and after
| Vehicle | Insurer’s figure | Agreed value | Increase | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Lexus IS 250 | $11,359 | $13,200 | +$1,841 | +16% |
| 2020 Honda Civic Sport | $14,584 | $17,000 | +$2,416 | +17% |
| 2015 Honda Odyssey EX | $12,707 | $15,800 | +$3,093 | +24% |
| 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie | $27,238 | $31,700 | +$4,462 | +16% |
| 2023 Tesla Model Y Long Range | $25,923 | $31,500 | +$5,577 | +22% |
| 2024 Lexus GX Overtrail | $68,446 | $80,000 | +$11,554 | +17% |
Swipe to see the full table →
One valuation, two businesses
Whether a fairer settlement lands on your books or your partner’s comes down to one thing: whether the loan carried a GAP waiver.
GAP Administrator
or Program Manager
You pay the deficiency. Every dollar the insurer undervalues is a dollar your waiver has to cover — set by someone with no stake in your loss ratio.
- Model deficiency avoided across contracts in force
- Reduction in total waiver payout, per year
- Free review on every claim, refund guarantee on the rest
- Nothing added to the member's GAP price
Credit Union
or Auto Lender
Your member pays the deficiency. On most loans there is no waiver at all, so a low valuation leaves your borrower owing money on a vehicle they no longer have.
- Model additional recovery returned to members
- Deficiency exposure reduced across the portfolio
- Members positioned to finance a replacement with you
- Offer it as a member benefit, no data transfer
Both? Start with the administrator view if you carry the waiver obligation, the lender view if you hold the paper.
One number moves all four
The insurer’s valuation is the input to everything downstream.
Total loss
The financed vehicle is written off and the claim opens.
ACV is set
The insurer picks comparable vehicles and issues a figure.
Deficiency appears
Loan payoff minus ACV.
Somebody pays it
Covered by GAP, or owed by the borrower — at whatever the insurer decided.
Why the numbers come in low
None of this is bad faith. It is ordinary high-volume claims work — and it compounds in one direction.
- 01Comparable vehicles drawn from the lower end of the local market
- 02Comparables carrying their own accident or salvage history
- 03Condition rated at or below average by default, options missed on the build sheet
- 04Stacked deductions that never get a second read
How long it takes
The free review comes straight back. If the file proceeds, most resolve in three to fourteen days — the variable is how quickly the insurer appoints its own appraiser, not us.
Free review
Send the vehicle and the insurer’s valuation. We say whether the number will move.
Assignment accepted
If the review supports it we take the file. If not, we decline at no charge.
Appraisers engage
We value the vehicle and engage the insurer’s appraiser.
Resolved
The appraisers agree, or an umpire settles it. The revised figure pays into the loan.
Test it on claims you’ve already closed.
Send twenty-five settled total losses. We re-value each one and show what the deficiency would have been. Two weeks, no commitment, and nothing to lose on the files that follow.
SnapClaim provides independent vehicle valuation and appraisal services. We are not attorneys or public adjusters, and do not provide legal advice or negotiate settlements. All fees are flat. The claim shown above is illustrative. Timelines are typical, not guaranteed, and depend substantially on the insurance company. Results vary by vehicle, condition, market and policy terms.
