Aviva Canada Claims
Not every damaged vehicle gets repaired. If yours is heading toward a write-off, the valuation is the part worth your attention — and it is more open to discussion than most people assume.
This guide covers
- Focus
- Total loss decisions and reviewing a valuation
- Shop choice
- Yours, in Alberta
- Estimates
- Free and written
- You pay
- Your deductible
Aviva Canada
Total loss decisions and reviewing a valuation
A total loss is not a judgement about whether a vehicle could be repaired. It is an arithmetic decision: the insurer has assessed that the cost of repair, plus any salvage considerations, exceeds what the vehicle is worth. Once that threshold is crossed, the claim becomes a settlement rather than a repair.
What surprises people is that the vehicle's value is an estimate too, and you are entitled to see how it was reached. Comparable local listings, documented recent work, unusually low mileage and genuine options that were fitted are all legitimate grounds for a conversation about a figure that looks low.
Have this ready
- Your policy and claim number
- Photographs of the vehicle before the incident, if you have any
- Receipts for recent significant work — tyres, mechanical, bodywork
- Mileage and a list of factory options and trim level
- Comparable local listings for the same year, trim and mileage
The detail
Total loss decisions and reviewing a valuation
The repair assessment
We can provide our written assessment of what the repair actually involves, which is useful evidence when a total loss decision sits close to the line.
Reviewing the valuation
Ask for the comparables the valuation was built from. If they are the wrong trim, the wrong region or the wrong mileage band, that is worth raising.
Documented history
Recent tyres, a recent transmission, documented maintenance — keep the receipts and put them in front of the adjuster.
Salvage retention
You can sometimes keep the vehicle at a reduced settlement. Be clear about what that means in Alberta for registration, insurability and future resale before agreeing to it.
What we do on your claim
You should not be managing your own claim while also getting to work without a car.
Document
Photographs and a written scope of every damaged area before anything is touched.
Submit
An itemised estimate in the format adjusters work in, followed up rather than left in a queue.
Supplement
Hidden damage photographed and submitted the same day it is exposed, then chased to approval.
Hand back
Quality inspection, your full repair file, and a warranty you can hold us to.
Can I dispute a total loss valuation?
You can certainly discuss it. Ask how the figure was reached and what comparables were used. If those comparables are not genuinely comparable to your vehicle, say so, with listings to support it.
Can I keep the vehicle if it is written off?
Often yes, at a reduced settlement, but understand what a salvage title means in Alberta before you agree. It affects registration, whether it can be insured, and what it is worth if you later sell it.
If it is repairable, will you tell me honestly?
Yes, in both directions. We will tell you when a repair does not make economic sense just as readily as when it does — a repair that consumes the value of the vehicle serves nobody.
SAK Auto Group is an independent repair facility. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting as an agent of this insurer, and the names used here are for identification only. Your coverage is governed entirely by your own policy wording — confirm the specifics with your broker or adjuster.
Other guides
More on claims
- 01
Intact Insurance — Direct billing, estimates and supplements
How an Intact auto claim runs through our shop — estimate, authorisation, supplements and direct settlement.
- 02
Wawanesa Insurance — Hail and comprehensive claims
How hail and other comprehensive claims work, why they are treated differently from an at-fault collision, and what to do first.
- 03
TD Insurance — Glass claims and ADAS calibration
How glass claims work, why chip repair is often free, and why recalibration is not an optional extra.
- 04
The Co-operators — Commercial and fleet claims
How commercial vehicle claims differ from personal ones — more parties, more documentation, and downtime as the real cost.
Start your claim estimate
Send photos and your claim number. Written estimate back within one business day, and we deal with the adjuster.