Report: Auto Insurance Total Loss Frequency Climbs, More Drivers Paying for Repairs

The share of auto insurance claims flagged as total losses reached 23.5% in the first half of the year, up slightly from a year earlier, a new report shows.

The 2026 Crash Course Mid-Year Update from CCC Intelligent Solutions shows that vehicles seven years or older represented 74.3% of total loss valuations in the first half, with vehicles between seven and 12 years old accounting for roughly 41%, compared with 33.4% in 2020.

The share of driveable vehicles declared total losses rose to 11.2%, up from 10.3% a year earlier and 6.3% in 2022. More than 80% of driveable vehicles declared total losses historically have been seven years or older.

The average adjusted vehicle value increased 1.2% to $13,594 through the second quarter, but values for vehicles seven years or older remained relatively flat. Overall claims frequency declined 3.5% through September, compared with an 8.3% decline during the same period last year. Repairable estimates fell 5.4%, while total loss valuations increased 1.1%, the report shows.

The report also shows a growing share of consumers selecting higher deductibles. The percentage of repairable collision claims carrying deductibles of $1,000 or more reached 28.4% in the first half, up from 25.7% a year earlier and 20.3% in 2022.

“For consumers, a higher deductible can provide immediate premium relief. For the claims ecosystem, it changes the economics of filing. A $1,000 (or higher) deductible makes relatively minor damage easier to postpone, self-fund, or leave unrepaired,” the report states. “That removes smaller claims from the population and raises the apparent severity of those that remain, not to mention exacerbating the share of total losses.”

According to the report, self-pay repairs made up 26% of repair orders in the first half of 2026, up 0.5% points year-over-year. The average self-pay repair cost was $1,941, compared with $4,821 for repairable insurance claims. More than 71% of self-pay repair orders were below $2,000, while roughly 75% of repairable insurance claims exceeded that amount.

The average cost of repair reached $4,821 in the first half, up 0.6% from the same period last year. The figure is up from 2020, when it was $3,331. Average parts prices were 8% higher year-over-year through the first half, while labor rates rose 1.5%.

Vehicle technology continued to affect repair claims. Nearly 75% of repairable appraisals included a diagnostic scan in the first quarter of 2026, up from 70.9% a year earlier, while the share requiring calibration rose from 23.3% to 29.9%.

Hybrid vehicles accounted for 9.9% of repairable claims in the second quarter, compared with 4.3% for electric vehicles.

The report draws on aggregated industry data from electronic appraisals, total loss valuations and claims information processed through CCC’s networks.

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