Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage
Business and Financial Operations
Looks over damaged cars and other vehicles to judge the extent of structural, body, mechanical, electrical, or interior damage. From that inspection and from standard parts and labor manuals come a written estimate and the insurance forms. A frequent call is whether the vehicle is worth repairing or should be treated as a total loss, including what it might bring as salvage. When a shop disagrees on price, the work includes reviewing the figures together or bringing in another appraiser. A better fit for those who want hands-on vehicle inspection and the back-and-forth of agreeing on a repair price.
Typical education: Some College Courses
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$78'240
Median Wage Market Position
$78'240
What you might do
- Inspect wrecked cars for body and frame damage
- Estimate parts and labor from repair manuals
- Weigh repair cost against the car's value
- Agree on repair costs with the body shop
- Fill out claim forms with your estimates
- Set salvage value on totaled vehicles
Skills that matter
- Inspecting structural and body damage
- Estimating parts and labor costs
- Completing insurance repair-cost forms
- Settling repair prices with shops
- Weighing repair against total-loss value
- Scheduling a second appraisal when needed
AI & the future of this role
Photo-based damage estimates and parts-cost lookups may cover a growing share of routine appraisals. Disputed repairs, on-site inspection judgment, and shop negotiations still tend to need human involvement.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details