What percentage makes an auto a total loss?

As a rule of thumb, if the repairs are up to approximately 60-65% of the actual cash value of the vehicle, it will most likely be totalled by the insurance company. The reasoning behind that is there are usually supplemental charges that were not included in the initial damage appraisal that could likely drive the price of the repairs up to or pass the actual cash value of the vehicle. No insurance company will pay more than the actual cash value of a vehicle.