How much does an auto appraisal cost?
$350 for an insurance or prior-to-loss appraisal. $500 for a pre-purchase inspection. Flat, published, and the same figure whoever you are.
Which is an unusual thing to find on a page like this. Most of this industry answers the question with "call for a quote," and you can check that yourself in five minutes.
| Service | Price | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance / total loss appraisal | $350 | Your insurer has totaled the vehicle and the offer is too low |
| Prior to loss appraisal | $350 | Establishing a documented value before anything happens — agreed value, stated value, a modified or restored car with no book value |
| Pre-purchase inspection | $500 | You're buying a car and want somebody to look at it first |
| Classic, custom, and collector vehicles | $350 or $500 | Priced by which of the above is being done — see below |
Classic and collector cars aren't a separate price
They're the same three services on a more interesting car.
Say there's a 1969 Camaro. Totaled, and the carrier's number is wrong — that's a total loss appraisal, $350. Thinking about buying it — a pre-purchase inspection, $500. You own it and need a documented value for an agreed-value policy — a prior to loss appraisal, $350.
The vehicle doesn't set the price. The work does. Not sure which you need? Say what's going on when you call. More on classic, custom, and collector vehicles.
What's included
In a $350 appraisal — inspection of the vehicle, research into comparable sales in a market that applies, and a written valuation report giving the value and how it was reached. Written by a licensed Michigan vehicle dealer who looked at the car.
In a $500 inspection — an in-person inspection covering body and paint, structure and underbody, mechanical condition, interior and electrical, and originality and documentation, plus a full set of photographs and a written report.
What isn't charged
No percentage of your settlement. Some operators work on contingency — a fee plus a share of any increase, commonly around a third. On a claim that moves by $8,000, that's roughly $2,600.
No hourly rate. The price is the price before the work starts.
No fee for the phone call. If there isn't a case worth making, Harold will say so, and that costs nothing.
Travel. Not folded silently into the price — if your location changes anything, Harold says so on the call, before you book.
What $350 has been worth on real claims
Documented outcomes, published with the owners' consent — the insurer's opening offer, and what the claim settled at.
| Vehicle | Insurer offered | Settled at |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 Toyota Tundra | $880 | $3,300 |
| 2014 Volkswagen Passat | $3,975 | $12,400 |
| 2013 Audi Q5 | $2,300 | $8,860 |
| 1990 BMW 325i | $10,800 | $20,286 |
Every one cost the owner $350. That isn't a promise about your claim — an appraisal is evidence, not a guaranteed result — but it's a real answer to "is this worth $350." The documented outcomes are here.
Why the inspection costs more
It's a different job. An appraisal answers one question and much of the work is research. An inspection is a physical examination of every system on a car nobody has taken apart for you, documented photograph by photograph, usually with a seller waiting.
Local shops inspect ordinary used cars for around $175, and for a $9,000 commuter that's the right tool. The $500 inspection is for collector vehicles, custom builds, restorations, and cars bought remotely — where what's at risk dwarfs the difference in fee.
Ready to start
Say what happened and what the vehicle is. Harold will tell you which service fits, and it'll be one of the two numbers on this page.
Questions people ask
- How much does an auto appraisal cost in Michigan?
- At Harry’s Appraisals in Grand Rapids, $350 flat for an insurance, total loss, prior-to-loss, or agreed-value appraisal, and $500 for a pre-purchase inspection. Published prices are uncommon in this industry — most appraisers quote by phone — so figures elsewhere tend to be ranges.
- How much does a classic car appraisal cost?
- The same as any other appraisal: $350. A classic or collector vehicle isn’t priced differently from a modern one. The price follows the service, so an appraisal is $350 and a pre-purchase inspection is $500 regardless of the car.
- Do you take a percentage of my insurance settlement?
- No. The fee is $350 flat for the appraisal itself and doesn’t change with what the claim settles for. Some firms in this field work on contingency and take a share of any increase, commonly about a third — a different arrangement entirely.
- What do I get for the money?
- A written valuation report: what the vehicle was worth, how that figure was reached, and the comparable sales and condition evidence supporting it, with photographs. It’s a document meant to be handed to an adjuster or an underwriter, not a verbal estimate.
- Is there a charge if my claim isn’t worth disputing?
- No. Describing the situation over the phone costs nothing, and if there isn’t a case worth making, Harold will say so rather than take the job.