
If your car is deemed a total loss by the insurance company but is still drivable, you have two main options: surrender the vehicle for the full settlement, or keep the vehicle by negotiating a "buyback" and receiving a payment for the vehicle's value minus its salvage value. Depending on state laws, keeping it results in a salvage title, requiring inspections and potentially affecting future insurance, resale value, and legal drivability until fully repaired and reinspected.


