Bricked Meaning in Insurance: When a Device is as Useful as a Brick

When Insurers Declare a Car “Bricked”

Insurers make a “bricked” or total loss declaration when:

• The vehicle suffers severe structural or mechanical damage in an accident, fire, flood, etc. that makes repairs impractical and uneconomical
• The repair costs exceed a certain percentage of the car’s actual cash value, usually around 75 percent
• The car has been damaged beyond reasonable repair and would never be safe to drive again

Essentially, “bricked” signifies that the car is a total wreck – it’s damaged beyond salvage or repair and has no reuse value except selling it for parts or scrap metal. The term conveys the idea that the vehicle is essentially reduced to the value of its weight in bricks.

What Happens When Your Car is “Bricked”

When insurers write off a car as “bricked,” the policyholder goes through this process:

• The insurance company declares the car a total loss and pays out the actual cash value of the vehicle, minus deductibles.
• The insurer takes possession of the damaged vehicle and sells it for salvage value.
• The policyholder uses the payout to purchase a replacement vehicle.

So essentially, you lose your damaged car but receive compensation to buy another one. Note that actual cash value payouts are often less than replacement cost since they are based on depreciated value.

Other Insurance Terms for “Bricked” Vehicles

Insurance adjusters may also use these related terms for badly damaged, unusable cars that are total losses:

Totaled – Beyond reasonably economical repair

Wrecked – Severely damaged in a major accident

Destroyed – Suffered extreme damage such as from fire or flood

Written off – Deemed a total loss by the insurer

Disputing a “Bricked” Declaration

You can challenge an insurer if you disagree with their assessment that your car is “bricked.” Your reasons may include:

• You have evidence the vehicle can be repaired safely and economically
• You believe their written off value is too low
• They failed to account for valuable aftermarket parts and modifications

Provide documentation like repair shop estimates to back your position during negotiations. Hiring a public adjuster can also help get a higher settlement.

Key Takeaways

Remember these key points about bricked vehicles in insurance:

• “Bricked” means the insurer declares a car totaled due to extreme damage
• You lose the damaged car but get paid its depreciated value minus deductibles
• Other common terms include “totaled,” “wrecked,” and “written off”

You may be able to dispute an insurer’s bricked assessment for more compensation