SB227TabledTransportation
establish a minimum damage threshold for a motor vehicle total loss declaration.
Insurance companies in South Dakota can no longer declare a vehicle a total loss unless repair costs equal or exceed 75% of what the vehicle was worth before the damage occurred. The bill defines "actual cash value" by considering the vehicle's year, make, model, mileage, condition, and accident history within a 200-mile radius of the owner's home. Vehicle owners can still request that insurers declare their vehicle a total loss even if repairs cost less than 75%, but insurers cannot make that decision unilaterally.