Step 1: Get the full valuation report in writing
If you only received a summary letter, request the complete underlying report — the one showing comparable vehicles and adjustments (see Reading Your Total-Loss Valuation Report). You can't dispute specifics you haven't seen.
Step 2: Check the facts, not just the number
Verify your vehicle's description (trim, mileage, options), then check each comparable for year, mileage, trim, distance, and listing status against the categories in Common Valuation Report Errors. Run everything through the Total-Loss Offer Audit calculator so the statistics and comp-quality review are documented, not just a gut feeling.
Step 3: Gather your own comparables
Find at least two, ideally three or more, real listings following the comp-finding guide, with URLs, dates checked, prices, mileage, and trim recorded.
Step 4: Write a specific, factual request
A factual correction request names the exact fact you believe is wrong (a comp's trim, a missing option, a mileage figure) and the evidence supporting the correction — not a general complaint that the number "feels low." The Claim Letter Builder has templates for both a factual correction request and a comparable-vehicle reconsideration request.
What a specific dispute point looks like: "Comparable #2 in your report is listed as SE trim; the actual listing at [URL], checked [date], is for an SEL trim with navigation and leather, which are not present on the base SE. Please re-run this comparable with the correct trim, or substitute a genuine SE-trim comparable."
Step 5: Know when the appraisal clause applies
Many auto policies include an appraisal clause: each side picks an independent appraiser, and if those two disagree, a neutral umpire resolves the difference — with the umpire's decision (or agreement between any two of the three) typically binding. This process exists specifically for value disputes, but its exact availability and wording depends on your policy — read yours, or ask your insurer directly whether it applies to your claim type.
What this guide cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your specific dispute will succeed, what your state's process is if the insurer refuses to budge, or whether your policy's appraisal clause applies to your situation — those all require reading your own policy and, if needed, talking to your state insurance department or a licensed attorney.