Car accident cost calculator

Count the true cost of a crash — and what proof is worth.

Cars

Money

Why we built it / what it solves / what the costs are based on Most drivers badly underestimate what a crash costs. They picture the repair bill — but insurance usually covers that beyond the excess. The real hit is the part nobody adds up: the years of higher premiums after an at-fault claim, plus the excess, a hire car, lost time, and, worst of all, the cost of being wrongly blamed when it’s your word against theirs. The tools already out there either spit out a single repair figure or are lead-capture forms that want your details before they’ll answer. We wanted an honest one that shows the whole picture — and makes plain what clear evidence is actually worth in a disputed accident, without pretending a camera prevents crashes or reduces your own liability. The numbers are built from your own inputs, scaled by transparent, sourced benchmarks: • Repair bill = a typical base cost for each damaged part, multiplied by a make factor (Japanese ≈ 0.9, American ≈ 1.0, European ≈ 1.35 — premium parts cost more) and a year factor (newer cars carry ADAS sensors and complex panels, so they cost more to fix). If it nears the car’s value, it flags a likely write-off. • Higher premium = your premium × a typical ~45% at-fault increase × the 3–5 years it lasts. • Excess/franchise, hire car (~$45/day), injury and admin come from your inputs plus typical figures — with a toggle for whether your policy refunds the excess when you’re not at fault. Benchmarks are drawn from the Insurance Information Institute, NHTSA, NerdWallet, Bankrate and Forbes Advisor (typical US figures, adjustable to your own car, insurer and currency in £/$/€). Every output is simple arithmetic on your inputs — an estimate to sanity-check against a real quote, not financial advice.