Free tool
17c formula calculator
The 17c formula takes 10% of your vehicle's pre-accident value, multiplies it by a damage multiplier, then by a mileage multiplier. This runs it on your numbers and shows every step.
What the formula produces
Enter a value and an odometer reading to see the number.
The formula never looks at your car's market.
It ignores what comparable vehicles with an accident on record actually list for, what was replaced versus repaired, and any written offer you already hold. Our free estimate uses those, and shows you both numbers side by side.
Calculate My Value LossFree, about 2 minutes, no account.
The two multiplier tables
These are the tables the formula applies. They are published here in full because no other page publishes both, and because a number you cannot reproduce is a number you cannot argue with.
| Damage | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Severe structural damage | 1.00 |
| Major structural or panel damage | 0.75 |
| Moderate structural or panel damage | 0.50 |
| Minor structural or panel damage | 0.25 |
| No structural or panel damage | 0.00 |
| Miles on the car | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Under 20,000 | 1.00 |
| 20,000 – 40,000 | 0.80 |
| 40,000 – 60,000 | 0.60 |
| 60,000 – 80,000 | 0.40 |
| 80,000 – 100,000 | 0.20 |
| 100,000 and over | 0.00 |
What the formula cannot see
The three inputs are all it uses. It never looks at the listings a buyer would compare your car against, at what was replaced rather than repaired, at how visible the accident is on a history report, or at a written offer you already hold. Those are the things that move a real settlement, and they are what our own estimate is built from.
For the full background — where the formula came from, what a court actually held, and where it breaks — read the 17c formula explained, or our own method, which is published in the same detail.
Questions
Is this what my claim is actually worth?
No. This is the figure the insurer's formula produces, which is usually the starting offer rather than the loss. The formula looks at three inputs and ignores what comparable vehicles with an accident on record actually sell for, so it can return a number far below the market gap, and returns zero on any vehicle over 100,000 miles.
Where does the 17c formula come from?
It is named after paragraph 17(c) of the second injunction in Walker v. American National General Ins. Co. (Muscogee County Superior Court, No. SU-03-CV-2058), quoted in Amica Mut. Ins. Co. v. Sanders, 335 Ga. App. 245 (2015). It came out of Georgia first-party litigation. It is not a national standard and no regulator requires it.
Why does the calculator return zero for my car?
Two multipliers can zero the result outright. The mileage multiplier is 0.00 at 100,000 miles and over, and the damage multiplier is 0.00 when nothing structural or panel-related was repaired. In both cases the formula returns zero regardless of the other inputs.
Does anything get sent to you when I use this?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser. Nothing you type is submitted, stored or emailed, and no account is created.
See the number the formula cannot produce.
Our free estimate uses accident-history listings for your vehicle, not a fixed multiplier.
About 2 minutes · No email · No credit card
This is an estimate, not an appraisal or a promise of payment. It's based on the information you entered and general market data. Insurers may dispute or deny claims. Read the full disclaimer.