It really is an insurer by insurer case. I've got no idea why these kinds of things always come up on forums... Some will give you the option to buy the car back after its been assessed others won't... There is this device about yay big, by yay big attached to your wall they generally come in beige, white. or black, they were invented by Alexander Bell, you might have seen one one time. Its called a Telephone, use it to ring your insurance company. If all else fails its in the white pages, look it up.