Total loss threshold by state (2026), with the law behind each

Key findings

• 24 states and DC set a percentage total-loss threshold. 75% is most common (14 states and DC); the range runs from 65% in Nevada to 100% in Colorado, New Jersey, Texas and Utah. Rhode Island gives a range of 75% to 80%, and how the rule treats a car in between is unsettled.
• Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington use a total loss formula (repair cost plus salvage value against the car's value), and 20 states set no percentage for insurer-paid claims.
• In 17 of the 25 percentage jurisdictions, the figure is a salvage-title test, not a limit on when an insurer may total a car. Only New Hampshire, North Carolina and Rhode Island tie a percentage to the insurer's own decision.

What the threshold actually governs

Salvage title only (17 states)

A salvage-title test. It decides when the title is branded, not when the insurer may total the car, so a car can be totaled below it. Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

Title law definition (6 states and DC)

A definition in vehicle title or salvage law that decides when the title is branded. The sources we found do not say whether it also limits the insurer. DC, Louisiana, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

The insurer's decision (7 states)

A rule aimed at the insurer's own total-loss decision. Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Insurer decides (no percentage) (20 states)

No percentage or formula for insurer-paid claims. The total-loss decision is generally the insurer's under the policy. Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.

Why other threshold tables disagree

Recent changes

• Oklahoma, SB 1920 (2026): Oklahoma's salvage-title threshold rises from 60% to 70% of fair market value for losses on or after November 1, 2026. It applies when an insurer pays a less-than-total loss but repairs for safe highway operation exceed that share of the car's value, and it covers vehicles from the last 10 model years. The bill became law without the Governor's signature on May 13, 2026. Losses before November 1, 2026 fall under the 60% rule.

What this means for your claim

In 37 states, no state percentage limits when the insurer may total your car. Once it is totaled, the number that matters is the actual cash value in the insurer's report. Read the valuation report line by line, then dispute the parts that are wrong.