The diminished value calculator that uses real market data.

Most online calculators run the same "17c" depreciation formula insurers use to lowball claims. Ours is different: a two-minute chat with our AI, which analyzes what your exact car sells for with — and without — an accident on its history.

Calculate My Diminished Value
Free — no card required About 2 minutes Runs as a guided chat
Peyton, PayoutJet AI claims advisor
"The insurer's calculator is designed to produce a small number. Mine is designed to find out what your car actually lost."
Peyton, AI claims advisor: online
What adjusters offer

The insurer's "17c" formula

  • Caps your loss at 10% of the car's value — no matter what
  • Multiplies it down twice more, for damage and mileage
  • Zeroes out completely at 100,000+ miles
  • Never looks at a single real listing
2022 Camry · moderate damage · 35k miles
10% base cap$2,400
× 0.50 damage modifier$1,200
× 0.80 mileage → "your loss"$960
Free · 2 minutes

PayoutJet's calculator

  • Analyzes real listings of your exact vehicle in your market
  • Compares clean-history vs. accident-history prices
  • Factors damage severity, structural flags, and local demand
  • Adds your loss-of-use claim — money most drivers never collect
Same car, measured by the market
Clean-history comps$24,100
Accident-history comps$21,300
Documented loss$2,800
Run the Real Calculation — Free

How the calculator works — it's a chat, not a form

1

Tell the chat about your car

VIN or make/model/year, mileage, what got hit, and whether repairs are done (in progress is fine). About two minutes.

2

The AI runs your market

It pulls comparable vehicles — clean history vs. accident history — and factors damage severity and your state's rules.

3

Get your number, free

An estimated recovery range for diminished value — plus loss of use for the days your car sat in the shop.

Start the Calculator Chat
Phoebe, PayoutJet AI claims advisor
"Two identical accidents can produce very different numbers. These four things decide yours."
Phoebe, AI claims advisor: online
01

Vehicle value & age

Diminished value scales with what the car is worth. A late-model SUV loses far more absolute value to an accident record than an older commuter — vehicles under ~6 years old lose the most.

02

Damage severity

Structural or frame damage is the single biggest driver — many dealers will only take a frame-flagged car at wholesale. Panel damage diminishes less, but rarely zero.

03

What the history report shows

Buyers negotiate off Carfax, not off what actually happened. An airbag deployment or "structural damage" flag amplifies the loss; a minor unreported scrape may barely register.

04

Your local market

The same car carries different discounts in different regions — supply, demand, and vehicle class all matter. That's why a real calculation has to use comps from your market, not a national average.

What documented claims typically recover

Ranges commonly seen for well-documented third-party claims. Your number depends on the four factors above — that's what the calculator measures.

$750 – $2,000
Minor panel damage
Cosmetic/panel repairs on a mid-value vehicle, no structural flags. Loss of use often adds several hundred more.
$1,500 – $4,500
Moderate damage
Panel plus some structural involvement on a newer vehicle — the most common claim profile.
$4,000 – $10,000+
Structural damage, newer or premium vehicle
Frame/unibody flags on late-model, luxury, or high-demand vehicles. The 17c formula understates these the most.

Illustrative ranges, not guarantees — settlements depend on your vehicle, documentation, and negotiation. The free calculator gives you a range specific to your car.

See My Range — Free

Calculator questions, answered

Yes — the calculator chat and your estimate are free, no card required. You only pay if you later choose to generate the full insurer-ready claim package, which is a one-time fee backed by a refund guarantee.

A real diminished value calculation depends on details a three-field form can't capture — what was damaged, whether it was structural, your state's rules, how long the car was in the shop. The chat collects exactly what matters for your situation and skips what doesn't, then the AI runs your market. Same effort as a form, much better number.

No. Calculate now with the repair estimate or a description of the damage, and finalize the numbers when repairs are done. Filing deadlines run from the accident date, so earlier is better — check your state in our state-by-state guides.

Don't just phone it in to the adjuster — an unsupported number invites a formula lowball. Send a written demand with market evidence behind it (our demand letter template shows the structure), or have PayoutJet generate the full evidence package for you.