Diminished Value Calculator

Got in the Accident? Totaled Your Car? Consider Selling it to a Top Us Junk Car Buyer

Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3. Calculations
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How to Calculate Diminished Value

With no industry-wide way of calculating diminished value, insurance companies generally won’t provide the formula they use. But most insurers follow the 17C Diminished Value Claim Calculator. 

You can find an online free diminished value calculator on our website and simply use it to make all your calculations.ж

The name and equation come from an actual Georgia government car insurance case in which it was created by Dr. Stevenson. He came up with this solution to determine how much money you can receive when filing a claim based on your vehicle's depreciated cost post-accident damage. Below are the steps on how to use the diminished value calculator.

Step 1: Calculate vehicle value 

The 17C is an effective car accident diminished value calculator tool that can help you calculate the value of your car after any repairs are made. It calculates this by considering how much and what kind of damage has been done to it, as well as other factors like mileage and model year.

Step 2: Compute for 10% of the value in Step 1

Get the 10% of the vehicle market value you’ve calculated. This value will be the base loss of your vehicle. Meaning that monetary value is the maximum amount you can get with your diminished value claim.

For example, let’s say your vehicle’s value in step 1 is $30,000. 10% of $30,000 is $3,000.

$3,000 will be the money you should expect for your claim.

Step 3: Apply damage multiplier

The insurance company will take your car’s worth into account when giving you a payout. For example, if the damage to your car is minor, they’ll grant less of an amount as opposed to major damages, which would be more likely to grant greater amounts and payouts.

Insurers might use different numbers, but it’s common to use these damage multipliers once they diagnose your vehicle.

  • 25% for minor damages
  • 50% for moderate damages
  • 75% for major damages
  • 100% for severe structural and motor damage

For example, your car had some dent in the panels, but no structural or engine damage was done; this should net a 25% damage multiplier. Getting the value you computed in Step 2, which is $3,000. Applying the 25% multiplier, the computation is = 25% x $3,000.

This amounts to $750. This is the new Diminished Value.

Step 4: Apply the mileage multiplier

This is the last step to using the diminished value calculator. The estimation of your car's value is heavily dependent on the mileage. Your insurance company will have its own adjustment, but you can estimate this by multiplying what it says on your dashboard odometer. Below are the usual percentages used.

  • 20% for vehicles with 80,000 to 99,999 miles
  • 40% for vehicles with 60,000 to 79,999 miles
  • 60% for vehicles with 40,000 to 59,999 miles
  • 80% for vehicles with 20,000 to 29,999 miles

For vehicles with less than 20,000 miles, this multiplier might not be applied. Meanwhile, vehicles with over 100,000 miles might not even be allowed to apply for a Diminished Value Claim.

Following our example, the value from Step 3 is $750. Let’s say that car has run 70,000 miles.

The final diminished value will be $750 x 40%, which amounts to $300.

Important Types of Diminished Value

Who would have thought that a car's value drops dramatically after just one crash? But, it turns out the vehicle will never be as good as new because of all the damage done in accidents. Repairing cars with OEM parts can help lower this loss but not completely eliminate its diminished worth due to being involved in an accident.

The diminished value of a vehicle is not due to repairs with aftermarket parts but rather because it was involved in an accident. This lowers its perceived worth on future resale markets and means less money for the seller. Now that you know how to calculate the diminished value, below are the three main types of diminished value.

Immediate Diminished Value

This is the perceived value of a car right after it has been involved in an accident before any repairs are done to fix damages on its body, interior, or engine.

Inherent Diminished Value

It's important to know that even if your car was repaired, it will never be the same. If the accident is put in the record, that will factor in how much value can decrease from repairs, even if done by professionals.

Repair-Related Diminished Value

Repair-related diminished value is the lost value resulting from a bad repair job, like using cheap aftermarket parts and not matching paint color correctly.

If You Know Your Diminished Value and Ready to Get Rid Of Your Car, Sell Your Junk Car To Junkcarsus

If you just crunched the numbers on the auto diminished value calculator and the payout is not that big, consider selling your automobile to Junkcarsus. 

Don’t burden yourself with expensive maintenance and the hassle of running a junk car or truck.


Your vehicle was in an accident? No problem, we hand a cash payout for junk cars, and we include free towing service. We are one of the biggest and most trusted junk car buyers in the USA. Justcall us, and our courteous staff will answer all your questions.

FAQ block

Do you have a free diminished value calculator on your website?

Yes! We have an easy-to-use online and free diminished value calculator on our website. We also have easy-to-follow instructions on how to fill up the required values.

What’s the formula to calculate the diminished value of the car?

There’s a 4-step process in calculating the diminished value. The process and calculations are already encoded in the 17C Calculator, which you can also download on our website. Or simply use our ready-to-use calculator that requires inputting only three values to calculate the diminished value.

What are the types of diminished value?

There are 3 types of diminished value: Immediate Diminished Value, Inherent Diminished Value, and Repair-Related Diminished Value. All 3 will affect the resale value of your vehicle, especially if it’s involved in an accident.
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Examples of our junk car estimation

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Vehicle Minimum Paid Maximum Paid
Saturn Ion, 2007 375 1900
Chevrolet 2500, 1985 375 950
Kia Optima, 2006 425 2100
Ford - F-450, 1995 375 2300
Chevrolet Tahoe, 2005 875 3750
Toyota Camry, 2007 650 3100
Ford Focus ST, 2013 550 2700
Toyota Camry, 1999 350 1900
Chevrolet 1500, 1984 425 2350
Mazda Tribute, 2003 375 1375
Acura CL, 2005 375 975
Nissan Xterra, 2012 650 2300
Chevrolet Impala, 2000 475 2100
Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2001 850 3200
Nissan Versa, 2015 425 1900
Volkswagen Jetta, 2015 575 6500
Honda Accord, 2001 325 2100
Toyota Prius, 2013 425 3100
Pontiac Firebird, 1987 775 2350
Jeep Cherokee, 2002 475 3250
Jeep Liberty, 2004 575 2250
Ford Edge, 2011 650 2100
Ford - E350 Super Duty, 1987 450 1200
Ford Fusion, 2006 425 2599
Chrysler PT Cruiser, 2004 790 2100
GMC Yukon XL, 2005 425 3250
Chevrolet 3500, 1983 250 1950
Nissan Versa, 2011 325 1300
Mazda Mazda3, 2013 425 1900
Buick Century, 2000 375 1900
Ford Five Hundred, 2005 375 1900
Dodge Durango, 2001 775 7100
Dodge Nitro, 2010 400 2100
Jeep Commander, 2006 575 2475
Chrysler Sebring, 2007 650 1975
Ford Mustang, 1995 750 2300
Ford - E350, 1993 350 2300
Ford Focus, 2003 475 1900
Ford Ranger, 2008 525 2375
Subaru Outback, 2010 325 2300
Ford - F-150, 2002 950 5750
Chevrolet - Silverado 1500, 1990 525 2700
Hyundai Tiburon, 2006 325 1900
Jeep Compass, 2007 375 3250
Toyota Tercel, 1982 200 900
Chevrolet 1500, 1989 650 3100
Toyota RAV4, 2003 475 2300
Mercedes-Benz S (all), 1985 450 2900
Honda CR-V, 2006 425 2100
Nissan Altima, 2015 4500 12500

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