CCC: Mid-year collision repair trends update show more expensive claims, total losses

A mid-year update to CCC Intelligent Solutions’ 2026 Crash Course report on industry trends and repair data shows higher-cost claims, older vehicles driving up total losses, technology-rich newer vehicles, and consumers with less financial flexibility.

CCC’s report states that claims frequency was down 3.5% through September compared with an 8.3% decline through the same period in 2025.

Repairable estimates declined 5.4%, compared with a 10.4% decrease a year earlier. Total loss valuations increased 1.1% after declining 3.1% through September 2025.

Non-comprehensive repairable claims decreased 4.2%, compared with an 8.9% decline a year earlier. Total loss valuations increased 1.4% after declining 1.2% through September 2025.

CCC notes that the composition of changes in claim volume shifted somewhat in 2026, with collision and comprehensive claims accounting for 80% of total volume reduction, compared with about 90% in 2025.

“First-party filings continue to be influenced by increased deductibles, premium sensitivity, and consumers’ willingness to absorb smaller losses themselves,” CCC writes. “The result is a system processing fewer claims, but a mix increasingly concentrated toward losses that are less discretionary.”

The share of driveable vehicles deemed total losses reached 11.2% through the first half (H1) of 2026, up from 10.3% a year ago, and 6.3% in 2022. CCC writes that, historically, over 80% of all driveable vehicles deemed total losses are seven years old or older. Non-driveable total loss frequency also increased to 52.5% in H1 across all loss categories.

CCC says repair cost inflation flattened in H1.

The average total cost of repair (TCOR) reached $4,821 in H1, 0.6% above H1 2025.

“This is a significant deceleration from the 15.7% increase recorded in H1 2022,” CCC writes. “Since 2020, however, the average has still risen from approximately $3,331 to more than $4,800.”

CCC adds that average part prices remained 8% higher year over year through early 2026, while labor rates increased by 1.5%.

“The increases in average price per part are generally aligned with tariff activity, the landscape of which continues to evolve in 2026,” CCC writes. “Most notably, the White House has announced 50% tariffs on Canadian automobiles and auto parts under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, beginning January 1, 2027. If they are implemented like current Section 338 measures, they would apply in addition to existing duties, with no exemption for USMCA-qualifying goods.”

While repair inflation has normalized, CCC says the underlying cost base remains more than 40% above 2020 levels. According to CCC, 27% of Q1 non-comprehensive claims included more than 15 parts, and fewer than 32% exceeded 30 labor hours. And both measures were shifting toward less-intensive repair bands.

Higher insurance deductibles have also become the norm, according to CCC’s findings.

Repairable collision claims carrying deductibles of $1,000 or more reached 28.4% in H1, up from 25.7% a year ago and 20.3% in H1 2022.

“For consumers, a higher deductible can provide immediate premium relief,” CCC writes. “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. 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.

“H1 2026 data suggests that affordability-driven coverage decisions are becoming embedded in the claims mix rather than representing a temporary response to premium increases.”

CCC notes findings from a recent VIU by Hub Insurance survey: 67% of policyholders said covering a $1,000 unexpected home or auto expense would be a struggle, with about 1 in 5 of them (21%) calling it “a serious hardship” or “significant struggle.”

CCC says the first half of the year also brought total loss frequency to another high.

Through Q2, 23.5% of claims across all loss categories were flagged as total losses, up 0.8 percentage points year over year. Non-comprehensive total loss frequency reached 24.1%. CCC says that means both results extend the climb from the 2022 lows of 18.2% and 19.4%, respectively.

“Higher total loss frequency is partly a product of loss economics, but filing behavior also affects the denominator,” CCC writes. “When lower-severity first-party claims are not reported, fewer small repairable claims remain to dilute the total loss share. The customer implications are material. CCC’s Moments of Truth study found that 40.4% of insureds with a confirmed total loss switched carriers, compared with 7.6% following a repairable claim. As personal auto competition increases, total loss handling becomes not only an operational challenge but also a retention issue.”

The mid-year update touches on the aging vehicle fleet as well, which CCC says is now visible throughout the loss mix. CCC writes that vehicles seven years or older represented 74.3% of total loss valuations in H1 2026, with vehicles between seven and 12 years old accounting for 41%, compared with 33.4% in 2020.

“An older fleet does not automatically mean a simpler claim,” CCC writes. “Older vehicles carry lower adjusted values and can cross total loss thresholds quickly, even after damage that leaves them operable. At the same time, many still contain technology that requires diagnostics or specialized procedures.”

CCC also found that self-pay repair is becoming “a meaningful parallel market,” representing 26% of repair orders in H1 2026, up 0.5 percentage points year over year. The average ticket was $1,941. By comparison, CCC says the average repairable insurance claim was $4,821 and more than 71% of self-pay orders were below $2,000, while 75% of insurance repairable claims exceeded that amount.

The report also touches on diagnostics trends in collision repair and the hybrid and electric vehicle segments.

In Q1 2026, CCC says 74.8% of repairable appraisals included a scan and 29.9% included a calibration, up from 70.9% and 23.3%, respectively, a year ago.

Among DRP appraisals, scan penetration reached 89.8% and calibration penetration reached 40.6%, according to CCC.

“More than 83% of industry scans appeared on the initial estimate, while 47% of calibrations were captured there,” CCC writes. “For DRP claims, 93.1% of scans and 50.9% of calibrations appeared on the initial estimate. This suggests diagnostics are becoming less of an exception discovered later in the repair and more of a recognized requirement at intake.”

Regarding hybrid vehicles, CCC says they represented 9.9% of repairable claims in Q2 across all vehicle ages compared with 4.3% for electric vehicles. Among vehicles three years old or newer, the hybrid share reached 19.0%, while EVs were 9.5%.

For vehicles three years old or newer, average hybrid TCOR reached $6,415 — $435 below the EV average of $6,850. Since 2020, CCC says hybrid repair costs have increased 53.6%, compared with 16.3% for EVs. EVs remain the most expensive fuel type in this age group, according to CCC.

To view the 2026 Crash Course report, released in March 2026, click here.

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