Free tool
Offer checker
Put the figure the insurer offered next to the figure their own formula produces, and see which of the two you are holding.
Most diminished value offers come out of one calculation: ten percent of the car's pre-accident value, cut by a damage multiplier and then by a mileage multiplier. Enter the offer and those three inputs, and this page shows where the offer sits against that formula.
It runs in your browser. The offer, the value and the mileage you type are not submitted, stored or emailed, and there is no account.
Offer against formula
Enter the pre-accident value and the odometer reading to see the formula figure. Add the offer to compare the two.
Neither number is what your car lost.
Both sides of this comparison come out of the same three inputs. What comparable cars with an accident on record actually sell for is a different measurement, and it is the one our estimate is built from.
Calculate My Value LossFree, about 2 minutes, no account. Or read how the formula works.
Four shapes an offer takes
The comparison sorts almost every offer into one of four positions, and each one tells you something different about how the number was produced.
| The offer | What that usually means |
|---|---|
| Lands on the formula figure | It was produced by the formula: three inputs, two multipliers, no look at your car's market. |
| Below the formula figure | It is under the ceiling the formula itself sets. Something else was applied on top of it, and the letter rarely says what. |
| Above the formula figure | It came from some other method. Which one matters, because the method is what makes a figure comparable with anything. |
| No figure, or a denial | There is nothing to compare yet. The denial reason is the thing to read: it is often a formula result rather than a legal position. |
The question that produces a usable answer
Ask, in writing, how the figure was calculated, and keep the reply. An adjuster who names a formula has handed you a checkable arithmetic exercise. One who names comparable vehicles has handed you a comparison you can test against listings for your own trim and mileage.
A figure with no stated method is the one worth writing about, because nothing about it can be checked — including by the person who sent it.
What this tool cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your car lost. Both sides of the comparison run on the same three inputs, and neither reads the repair file, the history report or what comparable cars actually sell for.
It also cannot tell you what to do about the offer. We do not give advice on claims, and no output here is a recommendation to accept, reject or respond in any particular way. For a court-ready opinion or legal advice, a licensed appraiser or an attorney in your state may be more appropriate than a self-help report.
Where a different number comes from
The measurement the formula skips is the market one: what the same year, trim and mileage sells for with a clean record against what it sells for carrying an accident. That gap is the loss, and it is what our estimate is built from.
Our method is published in full, including the coefficients and what it cannot know, so the figure it produces can be checked the same way you just checked theirs.
Questions
How do insurers calculate a diminished value offer?
Commonly with the 17c formula: ten percent of the pre-accident value, multiplied by a damage multiplier between 0.00 and 1.00, then by a mileage multiplier that reaches 0.00 at 100,000 miles. Some carriers use a variation, and some produce a figure without stating a method at all. Both multiplier tables are published on our 17c formula page.
What if the insurer will not say how the figure was calculated?
That is itself the answer to record. A figure with no stated method cannot be checked by anyone, including the person who sent it, and every state's insurance regulator takes complaints about claim handling. The regulator link for your state is in the state rules checker.
Is a low first diminished value offer normal?
A first figure produced by a formula is common, and the formula is built to produce a small number: it caps at ten percent of the car's value before any multiplier is applied, and two multipliers then cut it further. That is a property of the arithmetic, not a judgement about your car.
Does anything I type here reach you or the insurer?
No. The comparison happens in your browser. Nothing is submitted, stored or emailed, no account is created, and reloading the page clears everything.
Can you tell me whether to accept the offer?
No. We are software, not a law firm or a claims service, and we do not advise on claims or contact insurers.
Read next
- After a low offer — What the next letter has to answer.
- Reading their worksheet — Line by line, with the multipliers.
- How we measure the loss — The published method and its limits.
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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.