{"id":176041,"date":"2025-07-17T20:40:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T03:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/?p=176041"},"modified":"2025-07-17T20:41:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T03:41:00","slug":"what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column176041_bb233c-03 inner-column-1 qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-5798a8  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-16f54e\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading176041_fbaf53-cc\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Common signs of a totaled car include critical damage to the front of the vehicle and body frame. Major fluid leaks are another red flag.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A totaled or &ldquo;total loss&rdquo; vehicle refers to a vehicle that&rsquo;s impractical to repair because of significant damage.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Driving a totaled car is not only incredibly dangerous but also illegal in some states.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Q: What Does a Totaled Car Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A: Common signs of a totaled car include critical damage to the front of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/auto-body-parts-and-mirrors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"vehicle and body frame\">vehicle and body frame<\/a>. Major fluid leaks are another red flag.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In some cases, a vehicle may appear fine, but it may still be considered a total loss due to significant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-to-do-if-your-car-gets-flooded\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"flood damage\">flood damage<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"totaled car\" class=\"wp-image-176042\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">If the estimated costs to repair a vehicle exceed a certain percentage of its value, it is declared &ldquo;totaled.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While it&rsquo;s difficult to determine whether a vehicle is totaled unless it&rsquo;s obvious the damage will be too costly to repair, a visual inspection can help you determine its status. If it has the following telltale signs, then it could be considered &ldquo;totaled.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Critical damage to the front of the vehicle, including a smoking or flaming engine, a damaged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/radiator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"radiator\">radiator<\/a>, busted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/headlight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"headlights\">headlights<\/a>, or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/bumper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"bumper\">bumper<\/a> that&rsquo;s completely caved in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/frame\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"body frame\">body frame<\/a> that&rsquo;s been broken or bent out of shape, complete with dents, caved-in roofs, and crushed doors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/fluid-leaks-101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Major fluid leaks\">Major fluid leaks<\/a>, including but not limited to oil, coolant, or transmission fluid&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/a-crash-course-on-dealing-with-flood-damaged-cars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"flood-damaged car\">flood-damaged car<\/a> will always have signs of corrosion or mildew showing that the water reached the cabin, submerging critical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/switches-relays-wiring-and-components\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"electrical wiring\">electrical wiring<\/a>, engine, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/fuel-systems-and-components\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"fuel system\">fuel system<\/a> components<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Much Damage Is Required for a Vehicle to Be Classified as Totaled?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A totaled car or &ldquo;total loss car&rdquo; refers to a vehicle that&rsquo;s impractical to repair because of significant damage. If the estimated costs to repair a vehicle exceed a certain percentage of its value, it is declared &ldquo;totaled.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, damage is relative. A damaged car won&rsquo;t always be a totaled car, but a totaled car will always be a damaged one. No matter how much damage a vehicle sustains, it cannot be considered a totaled car until it becomes cheaper for an insurance company to replace a car as opposed to just fixing it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"article-search-widget\">\n<div class=\"cp-search\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/w_auto,dpr_auto\/carparts\/blog\/wordpress_assets\/CP_LOGO_COLOUR_RGB_Blue\" alt=\"CarParts.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"56\">\n<\/div>\n<form id=\"cpsearchform\" name=\"cpsearchform\" action=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/search\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\" accept-charset=\"character_set\" aria-label=\"search CarParts.com\">\n    <input type=\"text\" class=\"keyword\" name=\"q\" placeholder=\"Search for parts on CarParts.com\" value=\"\" aria-label=\"Search CarParts.com\"><input type=\"submit\" class=\"btn-search\" value=\"Search\" aria-label=\"Search\">\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can You Drive a Totaled Car?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No, you cannot drive a totaled car. Not only would it be illegal in most states to do so, but it&rsquo;s also extremely unsafe. Instead, contact your insurance company for options. More often than not, you&rsquo;ll receive an insurance payout to compensate you for the damage.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Q: What Does a Totaled Car Look Like? A: Common signs of a totaled car include critical damage to the&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1651,"featured_media":176042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1034,52],"tags":[4540],"ppma_author":[2607],"class_list":{"0":"post-176041","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-auto-repair","8":"category-diy","9":"tag-frame","10":"entry"},"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Does a Totaled Car Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does a totaled car look like? Find out when a vehicle is considered impractical to repair and what you should do about it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What does a totaled car look like? Find out when a vehicle is considered impractical to repair and what you should do about it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-18T03:40:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-18T03:41:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarPartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"$id\":\"1651\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com Research Team\",\"jobTitle\":\"Expert Automotive Writer\",\"description\":\"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. Guided by CarParts.com&#039;s thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust.\",\"knowsAbout\":\"Auto Repair, Car Maintenance, Auto Parts, Car Reviews\",\"publishingPrinciples\":\"\\\/blog\\\/our-team\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/thecpteam\\\/\",\"sameAs\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/carpartscom, https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/CarPartscom, https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@CarPartscomOfficial\\\/, https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/carpartscom\\\/\"}],\"headline\":\"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-18T03:40:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-18T03:41:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":445,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"frame\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Auto Repair\",\"DIY\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-18T03:40:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-18T03:41:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"What does a totaled car look like? Find out when a vehicle is considered impractical to repair and what you should do about it.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"totaled car\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/cp-itg-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/cp-itg-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":398,\"caption\":\"CarParts.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/carpartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/carpartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/carpartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@CarPartscomOfficial\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9f8a8b00e1b9f62f86295617b525e1f0\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com Research Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/thecpteam.jpg485c93be26f8b27acc17cbe4a2313397\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/thecpteam.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/thecpteam.jpg\",\"caption\":\"CarParts.com Research Team\"},\"description\":\"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. Guided by CarParts.com's thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/thecpteam\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/carpartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/carpartscom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/CarPartscom\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@CarPartscomOfficial\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/thecpteam\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com","description":"What does a totaled car look like? Find out when a vehicle is considered impractical to repair and what you should do about it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com","og_description":"What does a totaled car look like? Find out when a vehicle is considered impractical to repair and what you should do about it.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/","og_site_name":"In The Garage with CarParts.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom","article_published_time":"2025-07-18T03:40:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-18T03:41:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"CarParts.com Research Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarPartscom","twitter_site":"@carpartscom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CarParts.com Research Team","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/"},"author":[{"@type":"Person","$id":"1651","name":"CarParts.com Research Team","jobTitle":"Expert Automotive Writer","description":"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. Guided by CarParts.com&#039;s thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust.","knowsAbout":"Auto Repair, Car Maintenance, Auto Parts, Car Reviews","publishingPrinciples":"\/blog\/our-team\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/thecpteam\/","sameAs":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom, https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarPartscom, https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CarPartscomOfficial\/, https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carpartscom\/"}],"headline":"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like?","datePublished":"2025-07-18T03:40:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-18T03:41:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/"},"wordCount":445,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg","keywords":["frame"],"articleSection":["Auto Repair","DIY"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/","name":"What Does a Totaled Car Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-18T03:40:57+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-18T03:41:00+00:00","description":"What does a totaled car look like? Find out when a vehicle is considered impractical to repair and what you should do about it.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-totaled-car-look-like\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-scaled-e1752720019221.jpg","width":900,"height":675,"caption":"totaled car"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/","name":"In The Garage with CarParts.com","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"CarParts.com","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/cp-itg-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/cp-itg-logo.png","width":2048,"height":398,"caption":"CarParts.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom","https:\/\/x.com\/carpartscom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carpartscom","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CarPartscomOfficial\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f8a8b00e1b9f62f86295617b525e1f0","name":"CarParts.com Research Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/thecpteam.jpg485c93be26f8b27acc17cbe4a2313397","url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/thecpteam.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/thecpteam.jpg","caption":"CarParts.com Research Team"},"description":"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. Guided by CarParts.com's thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/thecpteam\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carpartscom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarPartscom","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@CarPartscomOfficial\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/thecpteam\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/totaled-car-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"CarParts.com Research Team","author_link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/thecpteam\/"},"authors":[{"term_id":2607,"user_id":1651,"is_guest":0,"slug":"thecpteam","display_name":"CarParts.com Research Team","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/thecpteam.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/thecpteam.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176041"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=176041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}