Glossary
Auto Damage Appraiser Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential auto damage appraiser terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key auto damage appraiser vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in auto damage appraiser training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- ACV
- Actual cash value.
- Aftermarket parts
- Non-original parts.
- Blend
- Painting adjacent panels.
- Desk review
- Estimate from photos.
- Diminished value
- Lost value after repair.
- DRP
- Direct repair program shop.
- Estimate
- Calculated repair cost.
- Frame damage
- Structural damage.
- Labor rate
- Shop hourly rate.
- OEM parts
- Original manufacturer parts.
- PDR
- Paintless dent repair.
- R&I
- Remove and install.
- Salvage
- Value of a wrecked vehicle.
- Supplement
- Additional damage found later.
- Total loss
- Repair costs exceed value.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Auto Damage Appraiser practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Auto Damage Appraiser training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.