Comparable Sales (Comp Sales)
Recent sales of similar vehicles used to establish actual cash value.
Definition
Comparable sales — often shortened to 'comp sales' or 'comps' — are the retail listings and verified sales of vehicles closest in year, make, model, trim, mileage, equipment, options, and condition to the loss vehicle, drawn from the local market. Every mainstream ACV report (CCC ONE, Mitchell WorkCenter, Audatex Autosource) builds its valuation on a comp set.
Why it matters in a total-loss claim
The comp set is the single largest driver of the ACV number on an insurer's offer. A weak, stale, or out-of-market comp set is the most common documented reason total-loss offers come in below fair market value. Owners disputing an offer typically win the largest adjustments by presenting a corrected comp set — not by arguing condition adjustments.
Example
An insurer's report values a 2019 Honda Accord EX-L at $18,400 using six comps: four are LX trim (missing leather, sunroof, and blind-spot monitoring), one has 42,000 more miles than the loss vehicle, and one is listed at a dealership 190 miles away in a lower-cost market. A corrected comp set of five EX-L listings within 40 miles, all within a 10,000-mile band of the loss vehicle, supports an ACV between $20,900 and $21,600.
Common confusion
Comparable sales are not the same as 'guidebook' values (Kelley Blue Book, NADA, Edmunds). Guidebook values are national estimates and are generally not accepted as the sole basis for an ACV offer in a formal appraisal. Comps are the actual, dated market evidence adjusters and umpires evaluate.
Source
NAIC Auto Insurance Study — Total Loss Claim Handling
Related terms
- Salvage Title — Title brand applied to a vehicle declared a total loss by an insurer.
- Rebuilt Title — Title brand for a previously salvaged vehicle that passed state inspection and returned to road use.