The short answer is: It depends.   To drive the car, it has to be in safe operating condition. If yours is not after the accident and you want to keep driving it, you will need to get it repaired or face possible tickets and fines if an officer pulls you over.   The insurance company may also require that you get the vehicle repaired if you want to keep the vehicle’s insurance coverage. If you are involved in another accident with an unsafe vehicle, it can cause your insurance to be invalidated.   If the insurer determines that your vehicle is “totaled,” they will pay you the fair market value and take possession of the car. You have the option to keep the vehicle, but as noted above, you will have to get a new title on it before you can drive it again. (And the new title will require repairs to be completed.) This option can also affect your payout from the insurance company.   If you are leasing the vehicle, the terms and conditions of the lease may require you to have it repaired. Similarly, if there is a lien on the vehicle, the terms of the loan may require that you get it repaired. At the very least, you will be responsible for paying that lien no matter what you decide.   If you own the vehicle outright, you have more flexibility. Your insurance company may give you the option to repair it, total it out, or buy it back. If you choose to buy it back, that means the insurance company gives you the car back, plus the cash value of the car, minus the auction price the company believes it would have received from a salvage yard.