How do I read my CCC ONE total-loss valuation report?

1The header and your vehicle

Page 1, the Report Summary, identifies the claim: your vehicle, the loss date, the report and claim reference numbers, the adjuster and the odometer reading [1]. CCC values the car using what your insurer told it: the zip code where the car is garaged (normally kept), the VIN (vehicle identification number), the mileage, the equipment and the condition [1]. Check those inputs first.

2Options and equipment

The Vehicle Equipment pages show the equipment your insurer reported to CCC [1]. "Standard" means equipment that came with the car's base configuration. "Additional" means equipment that is not standard but was noted on your car [1]. Some reports also show Vehicle Allowances, which CCC says are "displayed for illustrative purposes only" [6][7].

On each detailed comparable, an Options line adds or subtracts dollars for differences in equipment. CCC says those amounts are "based upon market research" [1]. If something is missing, tell your adjuster. CCC lists changes to options, mileage, condition or zip code among the requests an insurer can make after a report is issued [5].

3Mileage

Page 1 compares your car's mileage with an average, in words like "Loss vehicle has 45% fewer than average mileage of 43,900" [1]. Each detailed comparable then carries a Mileage line for the difference between its miles and yours. These amounts are also "based upon market research" [1], and CCC does not publish how it calculates them.

The mileage line can be bigger than the condition deduction. In the reports we reviewed, it ran from $23 to $3,408 on a single comparable [1][7]. On some of them, one comparable's mileage line was more than twice its condition deduction [6][7].

So check the mileage on both sides. The report itself asks you to "confirm the reported mileage" [1], and mileage is one of the inputs an insurer can have changed after the report is issued [5]. Then compare each comparable's miles with yours. California's rule, for example, defines a comparable as having "options and mileage similar to the insured vehicle" [12].

Can you dispute the dollar amount itself? We found no court decision or regulator ruling on how CCC sets its mileage figures, so we cannot say whether that argument works. The inputs are what you can check.

4Condition: the line people argue about

There are two condition adjustments, and they push in opposite directions [4].

On every CCC report we reviewed, the same dollar amount came off every comparable [1][6][7][8]. On the detailed comparable pages, it sits on each comparable's Condition line. The report's footnote says the deduction "sets that comparable vehicle to Private Owner condition, which the loss vehicle is also compared to" [1]. A federal appeals court explained why: used cars for sale at dealerships "are usually in pretty good condition", so CCC adjusts for the gap between dealer cars and the average privately owned car [2][4].

Across six examples we reviewed (four reports and two court opinions), the deduction ran from $449 to $1,325 per comparable [1][8][4][9][6][7]. Because it comes off every comparable, your car's starting value drops by about the same amount [4]. The baseline is the level of wear the report treats as standard. It goes by different names, such as "Private Owner", "Normal Wear" or "Good", because CCC lets each insurer configure it [1][7][8][5]. CCC does not publish how it calculates the deduction.

Your car's own condition is rated separately. The Vehicle Condition pages rate parts such as the seats, paint, engine and tires against the same baseline, with notes from the insurer's appraiser [1]. Each rating's "Value Impact" adds into the Condition Adjustment on page 1, and tires are rated by measured tread depth [1].

Put simply, the report marks every comparable down to a standard used-car baseline. It then adds value back for any parts of your car that were rated better than that baseline [2][4].

Whether the deduction is fair is contested. In a Florida case, a federal appeals court held that it did not violate Florida's total-loss statute. One judge dissented, noting that "mysteriously enough" each comparable was "precisely $1064 more valuable" than a car with normal wear [9]. Washington's insurance commissioner has called it "unfair and deceptive" to reduce a payment because of a comparable's condition without documentation to support it [3]. From October 18, 2026, Washington's amended rule lets a claimant ask for "supporting photographs and documentation" when the insurer, using a computerized source, cut the payment because of a comparable's condition [3].

5Comparables: which cars, how far, how recent

CCC's search starts from the zip code where your car is garaged. It picks comparable vehicles in the area that are similar "based on relevant factors" [1]. Each comparable shows its source (such as "Inspected Inventory" or "Autotrader"), an Updated Date, its VIN, the dealer's contact details and a distance that "is based upon a straight line" [1]. In the reports we reviewed, comparables were 0 to 183 miles away, some in another state [1][6]. CCC says comparables "are not intended to be replacement vehicles" and "may no longer be available for sale" [1]. A comparable with a different trim or engine gets a Make/Model/Trim adjustment [6][7]. Some reports also list comparables "in summary format", which CCC says "are adjusted the same as those on the previous page" [7]. If a comparable on your report shows a price but no Options, Mileage or Condition lines, ask for its adjustments (see "Ask for the full report").

List Price is "the sticker price of an inspected dealer vehicle and the advertised price for the advertised vehicle" [1]. Take Price applies only to inspected dealer cars. It is "the amount that the dealership will accept to sell the inspected vehicle, though a lower price may be obtainable through negotiation" [1]. In one Georgia report we reviewed, an inspected comparable was priced from a Take Price $743 below its List Price [8]. You may have read about a "typical negotiation" or "projected sold" adjustment [16]. Those lines appear on Audatex and Mitchell reports [10][11].

Recency is one of CCC's weighting factors, so check each Updated Date [1]. Some states set limits. California's rule, which also covers claims against the other driver's insurer, requires comparables to have been on sale locally within 90 days of the final settlement offer, identified by VIN, stock number or plate where available [12].

6How the value is reached

The Valuation Summary on page 1 runs from the Base Vehicle Value, through the Condition Adjustment, to the Adjusted Vehicle Value [1]. In CCC's words, the Base Vehicle Value is "the weighted average of the adjusted values of the comparable vehicles", weighted by source (inspected or advertised), similarity, proximity and recency [1]. CCC does not publish the weights. One Georgia report we reviewed says "straight average" instead [8].

So the Base Vehicle Value need not equal the plain average of the comparables you can see. In CCC's own sample, the three adjusted comparables average about $19,772, but the Base Vehicle Value is $19,608 [1]. The Adjusted Vehicle Value then accounts for your car's condition and "certain other reported attributes, if any, such as refurbishments and after factory equipment" [1].

7Taxes and fees

Some reports add a Vehicular Tax line that "reflects applicable state, county and municipal taxes" [1]. Two of the reports we reviewed had no tax line [6][8]. The summary warns that "the total may not represent the total of the settlement as other factors (e.g. license and fees) may need to be taken into account" [1]. If your insurer set up CCC's fee calculator, title, registration and other fees appear as a single line [5]. If not, the report may say these fees "are calculated separately" by the insurer [6].

If your own policy uses the standard ISO personal auto wording, a payment in money includes "the applicable sales tax" [13].

8The settlement figure

Below the tax line, some reports show "Value before Deductible", then the "Deductible", then the "Total" [6][7]. A deductible marked with an asterisk was "determined by" the insurer and "added here for convenience" [6].

The Total is not necessarily your offer. One federal appeals court described an insurer's offer as "usually but not always" based on the CCC report, and said the adjuster could also use other sources or offer more [2].

What to check

1. Header and mileage (1, 3): the VIN, year, model, trim, loss date and odometer reading are right.
2. Equipment (2): every option and package you had is listed.
3. Your car's condition (4): the ratings and notes match the car before the loss, including any recently replaced tires.
4. The comparable deduction (4): the dollar figure on each Condition line, and the baseline the report names.
5. The match (5): each comparable's year, trim and engine, any Make/Model/Trim adjustment, and whether it shows its adjustment lines at all.
6. Distance and date (5): the miles, the state and the Updated Date for each comparable.
7. Price basis (5): any comparable priced from a Take Price below its List Price.
8. The average (6): average the Adjusted Comparable Values yourself and compare the result with the Base Vehicle Value.
9. Tax and fees (7): whether there is a tax line, and a fee line or a "calculated separately" note.
10. Settlement (8): who added the deductible, and whether your offer matches the report's Total.

When the number looks wrong

Ask for the full report. Get every page, including any Additional Comparable Vehicles listed in summary form, and the adjustments behind any comparable that shows none [7]. Some states require the insurer to provide it. Washington requires "a true and accurate copy" of the valuation report on request [3]. Connecticut requires the insurer to give you its calculation and a copy of any non-public valuation report by the time it pays [14].

Write to the adjuster, with evidence. Include the right mileage, missing equipment, condition photos or receipts, and comparable cars you found. The report itself says that "CCC is one source of vehicle valuations, and there are other valuation sources available" [1]. Some states set standards. California, for example, requires adjustments to be "discernible, measurable, itemized, and specified", and says deductions "that cannot be supported shall not be used" [12]. In one case a federal appeals court reviewed, the owners emailed their own comparables and negotiated by phone. They received a revised offer that included a $1,200 "adjustment to settle" [4]. One case is not a pattern, and nobody can promise your number will move.

Check your own policy for an appraisal clause. If you are claiming on your own policy, it may let either side demand an appraisal when you disagree on the amount of loss. Under the standard ISO wording, each side picks an appraiser, the two appraisers pick an umpire, and a decision agreed by any two of the three is binding. Each side pays its own appraiser and half the shared appraisal and umpire costs [13]. Your policy's wording may differ, so read yours [13].

Use your state's route, where there is one. Georgia's rule for claims on your own personal auto policy lets you or the insurer send the Insurance Commissioner a written request to have a disputed amount arbitrated once the insurer has accepted liability; the two sides split the cost, and the result is "binding on both parties" [15]. The rule says the Commissioner "may" set up the panel that hears these requests, and in February 2025 the office was still accepting applications for arbitrators, so we could not confirm a panel is hearing cases [15]. In Connecticut, the insurer's notice must tell you that you can dispute the settlement through the Insurance Department's Consumer Affairs Division [14].