Guide
Diminished value claims by insurance company
A diminished value claim follows the same steps whichever company is involved, and the result depends on your state’s law and, for a claim on your own policy, the policy wording. These guides cover nine insurers. Each sets out the court decisions that involved that insurer, state by state, and points to its official claims page. One general guide covers the steps they all share.
Each insurer guide below reports what courts decided in cases involving one insurer and says which state each decision comes from. For GEICO, USAA and Liberty Mutual, most of the rulings concern totaled cars, so those guides keep diminished value and total-loss decisions in separate sections. None of it predicts how a company will handle your claim. For what the loss is and how it is measured, start with our diminished value appraisal page. If a claim has been reduced, denied or left unanswered, the guides under “When a claim stalls” set out the rules that apply, starting with why insurers deny or reduce diminished value claims. Autoloss is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any insurer named here; company names are used only to identify them.
Start here
The steps common to every insurer
Read this first. The insurer guides link back to it instead of repeating it.
When a claim stalls
Low offers, delays and bad faith
What the rules say when an insurer denies, reduces or does not answer a claim, and what to put in writing. General information, not legal advice.
When a claim stalls
Why insurers deny or reduce diminished value claims
Six reasons adjusters give, what each can mean, and the evidence that answers it.
When a claim stalls
Insurer not responding or delaying? What the rules require
Response deadlines in three states, who enforces them, and what to send.
When a claim stalls
What counts as insurance bad faith, and what doesn’t
The duty to policyholders, the limits for third parties, and two rejected claims.
Rulings in five or more states
Insurers with diminished value rulings in five or more states
Companies whose policies or claims produced appellate diminished value decisions in at least five states in our research.
Rulings in one to three states
Insurers with diminished value rulings in one to three states
Companies with a smaller set of appellate decisions. Each page says exactly which states they come from.
Rulings in one to three states
Diminished value claims with Progressive
Florida’s Siegle ruling, Delaware’s O’Brien ruling and a third-party case.
Rulings in one to three states
Diminished value claims with Allstate
Decisions from Illinois, Mississippi and Wisconsin, and how to file.
Rulings in one to three states
Diminished value claims with American Family Insurance
A Wisconsin policy ruling, a Minnesota procedural one, and how to file.
Rulings in one to three states
Diminished value claims with Nationwide
A 1965 Virginia ruling, an Ohio loaner-car case and a Kentucky parts case.
Rulings mostly on total loss
Insurers whose court record is mostly about totaled cars
Companies with few diminished value decisions in our research but several appellate or federal rulings on how a totaled car is valued. Each page keeps the two kinds of ruling apart.
Rulings mostly on total loss
Diminished value claims with GEICO
A Tennessee hit-and-run class ruling, and total-loss rulings from six courts.
Rulings mostly on total loss
Diminished value claims with USAA
One Texas diminished value ruling, and total-loss rulings from five courts.
Rulings mostly on total loss
Diminished value claims with Liberty Mutual
A Montana diminished value ruling and total-loss rulings from five courts.
Related
Tools and reference pages
Start here
First-party vs third-party claims
Why a claim on your own policy and a claim against the at-fault driver follow different rules.
State law
Diminished value laws by state
Where each state stands, with the cases and statutes behind it.
Contacts
How to contact an auto insurer
How to find the right claims contact, and what to have ready before you call or write.
If you disagree
How to file an insurance complaint
When a complaint to your state insurance department makes sense, and what it can do.
Not sure whether an appraisal will help?
The claim review is free: we look at your situation and tell you whether an appraisal is likely to help. The appraisal itself is a paid report. We help from start to finish, including a custom demand letter, and our support staff is a phone call away throughout the process.