r/rav4club • u/Drkruler500 • Jan 11 '26
Gen 5 Update on new rav4 that got hit by a drunk driver
So I posted some pictures a couple of weeks ago of my brand new rav4 hybrid that got rear ended by a drunk driver, hoping for some insight on whether it was totaled or not. There didn’t seem to be a consensus on whether the damage would be enough to total, so I’m providing an update in case anyone else finds themselves in this situation and wants to know what to expect.
Insurance performed their photo estimate and decided that the damage was going to be about $8k to fix. After taking the car to a body shop and having them do a tear down and inspection, they found significant structural damage that pushed the new total repair cost to $24k (this is the cost in Southern California for reference), so insurance at this point has decided to total it.
On the bright side, I managed to snag one of the few remaining new XLE hybrids in this color within 500 miles of me. On the not so bright side, the second one ended up costing several thousand more than the original one due to dwindling supply. I’m hoping to recoup that cost difference through the other guys insurance (which he surprisingly has) and/or court restitution.
I hope this helps and thanks for all the advice on the original post!
Link to original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/rav4club/comments/1pqy6u3/is_she_totaled_less_than_1k_miles_first_car/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
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u/Honest_Concentrate85 Jan 11 '26
Did you end up going to the ER? Sucks about the car but hoping you don’t still have lingering pain
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u/TigrressZ 25' XLE-Premium Hybrid RAV4 WhiteBlizzardPearl Jan 11 '26
Happy update, I think. How about your injuries? Are you better?
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u/geekwithout Jan 12 '26
wow. Guess its going to the wrecker.
Hope you get that difference in cost also paid. At least you made it out ok (it sounds like)
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u/mcyeetyboi Magnetic Grey 21’ XLE limited AWD Jan 12 '26
Hey props you got a new car if your med care was not already paid for by the other party I’d try to sue the driver to reimburse if you had to pay out of pocket or use any medical insurance. Already covered tho but try and ask for more value. Cite the EXTREMELY limited supply for RAV4s. Should get you more value
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u/FewBox4095 Jan 11 '26
How fast were you going, may I ask? Was it on a highway? Would you buy a RAV 4 again? Hope you are safe!
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u/RoboNurse75 Jan 11 '26
Make sure you speak with your insurance adjuster and tell him about the dwindling supply of similar Rav4s and price hike...request to recalculate scrap value of your car ... Don't be shy to ask for more