Diminished value calculator: the insurer's 17c number
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The diminished value formula
A diminished value calculator built on 17c starts with 10 percent of the car's value before the crash. It multiplies by a damage number from 0 to 1, then by a mileage number from 0 to 1. The 10 percent cap is the formula's own choice; no statute sets it.
Over 100,000 miles, the 17c mileage number is 0, so the formula pays $0.
On a high-mileage car the formula is the wrong tool. Call us, and a lawyer tells you whether an appraisal with real sales is worth getting.
Who pays
The driver who caused the crash owes it, through their insurer. In most states your own insurer does not owe it once the car is fully repaired. The 17c formula itself comes from a 2001 court case, State Farm v. Mabry.
Your deadline to sue is one to six years from the crash, two years in 25 states.See every state.
State lost-value pages
- Texas: claim against the other driver's insurer.
- Georgia: claim against either insurer.
- Florida and California: claim against the other driver's insurer.
Getting an appraisal
An appraiser looks up sales of cars like yours and shows how much less buyers pay after a crash report. The report lists those sales, and it goes in with your claim letter.
Diminished value questions
How do I calculate my diminished value?
Insurers often use the 17c formula: 10 percent of the car's value, times a damage number, times a mileage number. A private appraiser compares sales of cars like yours with and without a crash history. The second number is usually higher.
Is it worth doing a diminished value claim?
It is worth it on a newer car with low miles and frame or body damage. On an old car with high miles, the 17c formula returns little or nothing.
Can insurance deny a diminished value claim?
Your own insurer often can; in Texas your own policy does not owe it. The other driver's insurer is a different claim. See the Texas page.
What is the 17c formula?
It is the method from a 2001 Georgia court case, State Farm v. Mabry, and its follow-up. It is not a law, and courts outside Georgia do not require it.
What to do now
Call about my figure(833) 716-6705
We answer 24/7, review your case free, and pair you with a car accident lawyer who charges no fee unless you win.
Once you agree to the insurer's number, it can be hard to undo. Most states give you two or three years from the crash to sue over an injury; the car damage deadline is set separately. Call now and send your figure or repair bill for a free review before you sign anything.