Auto Insurance Partial Loss

Auto Insurance Partial Loss Indemnity

A claim counts as partial loss for Brazilian auto insurers as long as the repair cost stays under 75 % of the FIPE table market value: repair < 0.75 × FIPE. Cross that line and the policy switches to perda total, paying out the full insured amount with salvage deducted. For a partial loss the math is payout = repair_estimate − deductible. That deductible (franquia) tends to sit at 5 % of the insured value, though you may have signed up for a reduced (50 %) or enhanced (150 %) franchise, which moves your premium accordingly.

Expect the insurer to ask for a quote from an accredited workshop (oficina credenciada), plus a digital pre-inspection done through the carrier’s mobile app. Parts come in two grades: genuínas (OEM, supplied by the dealer) and paralelas (third-party, roughly 30 % cheaper). Which grade you get is spelled out in the contract. SUSEP Circular 256/2004 is what standardises these definitions and your right to pick the workshop.

Applications

Handy when a driver is weighing a repair quote against the policy threshold, when a broker needs to walk a client through the net payout, or when a consumer-defense lawyer leans on the CDC (Code of Consumer Defence) because an insurer paid too little. The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) has more than once forced carriers to honour FIPE-based values where the policy didn’t spell out a clear reference table.

FAQ

Can I choose a non-accredited workshop? You can. SUSEP guarantees free choice. The catch is that the insurer only reimburses what the accredited quote would have cost, so any gap comes out of your own pocket.

Does the deductible apply to glass repair? When the glass coverage rider is active, most policies fall back to a franquia reduzida for windshields, often around 20 % of the standard franchise.

What if repair cost crosses 75 % mid-repair? At that point the insurer can flip the claim to total loss, pay the FIPE value minus the franchise, and keep the salvage. That holds even if the workshop has already begun pulling the car apart.