Auto Insurance Forum

My car was a total loss after an accident that was not my fault. I received a settlement check and used it for a down payment on my new vehicle. Can I submit a claim for sales tax and registration fees, or any other fees involved in buying a new vehicle after mine was totaled?

Paul, Mississippi

Some states mandate that insurers must reimburse you for sales tax, title fees, and registration fees for a new vehicle after your car is totaled. However, Mississippi is not one of those states.

According to John Wales of the Mississippi Department of Insurance, the other driver's insurance company has fulfilled its obligation to put you back to where you were before the loss by compensating you for the market value of your wrecked vehicle. Wales says it's not common practice in Mississippi for insurers to pay sales tax and registration fees for new vehicles. You can certainly try to make this claim — "they might pay it out of the goodness of their hearts," Wales says — but the insurer has already fulfilled its legal obligations.

For more, see Recouping expenses after your car is totaled.

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Disclaimer: We are journalists, not financial planners or insurance brokers. Nothing we say should be interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any insurance product, or to provide other financial or legal advice.