Our methodology
OfferGauge compares your insurer's settlement offer with available independent vehicle valuation evidence. This page explains how that works, what different sources represent, and what the comparison cannot tell you.
What we compare
When your vehicle is written off or declared a total loss, your insurer will make you a settlement offer. OfferGauge looks up independent valuation evidence for your specific vehicle — based on your registration, mileage, and stated date of loss — and shows you how your insurer's offer relates to that evidence.
We do not create, adjust, or estimate valuation figures ourselves. All figures come directly from independent third-party data sources. If a figure is not available for your vehicle or date of loss, we display the reason rather than substituting or guessing.
Types of valuation evidence
Different sources represent different things. We show each source independently and explain what it represents.
Industry valuation at date of loss
Some data providers supply valuation figures that are specific to a particular date, based on published trade guides or industry data for that period. Where available, this is the most directly relevant figure for an insurance write-off settlement, because it aims to reflect the vehicle's value on the date of the incident — not today.
Example: a licensed monthly industry guide figure for the month of the incident.
Current dealer-market estimate
Some data providers return an estimate of the vehicle's value in today's market, based on current dealer listings and recent sales data. This is useful as market context but is not the same as the vehicle's value at your date of loss. If prices have changed between the incident and today's lookup, the figures will differ.
Where a current estimate is shown, we clearly label it as current and display a note explaining that it does not represent a historical valuation.
Comparable vehicles on the market
A statistical range of asking prices from similar vehicles currently advertised by UK dealers. This shows where the market currently sits for this type of vehicle and can help put the insurer's offer into context — but again, this reflects current market conditions, not conditions at your date of loss.
How the comparison is calculated
Where valuation evidence is available, we calculate:
- The difference in pounds between the insurer's offer and the reference valuation
- The insurer's offer as a percentage of the reference valuation
- An outcome description based on where the offer sits relative to the evidence
The reference valuation used for comparison is selected in order of relevance: a historical date-of-loss figure is preferred where available; if not available, a current market estimate is used.
Outcome descriptions are based on configurable thresholds and use neutral language such as "broadly consistent" or "below available evidence." We do not describe differences as money you are owed or make legal judgements about the insurer's conduct.
What affects the figures
- Mileage — higher mileage generally reduces valuation figures
- Date of loss — used for historical valuations where available
- Location/postcode — regional market conditions can affect price estimates
- Vehicle condition — your stated pre-incident condition is recorded and passed to providers where relevant, though not all providers adjust for this
What this comparison does not tell you
- Whether your insurer is in breach of contract or any legal obligation
- The specific valuation category your insurer is required to use for your claim
- What settlement amount you are legally entitled to receive
- Whether your insurer will change their offer
- Whether any valuation source is authoritative for insurance purposes
Data providers
Vehicle valuation data is sourced from licensed third-party data providers. Details of the specific providers used will be disclosed in the full report. OfferGauge is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting as an agent of any vehicle data provider, insurer, or industry body.
Provider names will appear in the evidence section of your result once a licensed provider is commercially confirmed and integrated.