What an insurer will pay out in a settlement besides actual cash value (ACV) for your totaled vehicle depends upon state laws and the terms of the at-fault party's Property Damage Liability policy.
State laws differ so while some require an insurer to pay out tax, title and transfer fees for your replacement vehicle for the totaled out one, other states do not. So you should ask the insurance company that your third party claim is with (since you were not at fault) if they will include in their settlement amount for your totaled car not only the vehicle's ACV, so that you can buy a vehicle comparable to the one declared a total loss, but also the amount needed to cover sales tax, title and registration (transfer) fees.
When a sales tax is paid out by an insurance provider then normally they will only pay the amount of taxes that would cover a replacement vehicle. This means insurers will usually only reimburse you for those costs on the total loss settlement for your original vehicle, not a newer vehicle. For example, if your totaled vehicle's ACV was $6000 but you replace this totaled vehicle with a newer vehicle (instead of a like vehicle) worth $20,000 then the insurance company would usually only pay you the sales tax on the $6000 amount, not the $20,000.
[Let CarInsurance.com help you find affordable auto insurance now.] The amounts an insurance company will pay out in a claim differ, what they will not pay out is the salvage value of the vehicle to you. You are getting the ACV of the vehicle and that typically is what is considered as making you "whole" by paying you what the car was worth in the condition it was in before the accident. The salvage value of the vehicle is the amount it is worth after being in the accident and is thus the amount the insurance company may get from a salvage yard or auction. They do not pay you out this amount since you were already paid for the vehicle. Salvage value is something the insurer gets to help offset the claim they have paid out for the vehicle.
If you want to keep and repair the vehicle yourself than you would have to pay salvage value to the insurance company since when they pay you out ACV for the vehicle you normally must sign the car over to them for them to dispose of it and get salvage value. If you want to keep it than usually you can have them take the salvage value out of your settlement amount. You then would have to pay on your own to have the vehicle repaired.
Once you repair the vehicle you would have to check with your state's Department of Motor Vehicles to see about how you change your now salvaged title car for a rebuilt title or whatever branded title in your state is given once a car is found to be roadworthy again after a total loss situation. You also would likely have to shop around for insurance since not all car insurance companies will insure a car with a salvage or rebuilt branded title. So if you keep the car and decide to fix it up your insurer may not continue coverage unless their underwriting rules allow them to insure a car with a branded (salvage or rebuilt) title.
Free Auto Insurance Quotes
In most states, we can insure a car with a branded through Progressive. All you have to do is enter your zip code above and get a quote. At the end of your quote, select Progressive and we will ask all the necessary questions to determine eligibility and get you a policy.
To get more information on how your insurance company is going to calculate the tax, title and transfer fee for your settlement speak to the insurance adjuster working your claim. You can also find out about your state's laws regarding the totaling out of a vehicle by contacting your state's insurance regulator. | 
