Insurer Report Card survey opens Nov. 1; why the results matter

CRASH Network’s Insurer Report Card survey opens Nov. 1, and John Yoswick filled Repairer Driven News in on how the three-minute survey garners important information for the collision repair industry and consumers.

“The key reason that we believe shops should participate is the Insurer Report Card can then help educate consumers,” said Yoswick, CRASH Network’s editor. “We get 1,000 shops participating, and the result is a free report that anyone can download, including consumers, showing grades for 90-plus insurers.”

It asks collision repairers to grade each company from A+ to F based on how well the insurers’ claims practices help ensure quality repairs and customer service.

He added that the survey isn’t just on the top 10 national insurers; it includes smaller, regional carriers, depending on where carriers do business. Depending on where insurers do business, repairers oftentimes grade 20 or 30 carriers in their respective state.

“In past years, it’s often those smaller insurers that are among the companies receiving the highest grades from shops,” Yoswick said. “It’s a tool that shows consumers that they have more choices than they may realize and reminds them that there’s something other than just price to consider when they’re buying insurance.”

Other considerations include how insurers will handle their claim.

“That’s something shops see every day and can compare one insurer to another,” Yoswick said. “We also believe the more shops that are aware of the Insurer Report Card and that participate and use the report, the more consumers will be made aware of it. That’s our No. 1 goal — to help provide a tool for shops and consumers to use to show that there are differences among insurers.”

Around 1,100 shops typically respond to the survey each year. Yoswick said the more shops that participate, the more validity and credibility the Insurer Report Card gains. More participation also means more insurers for a consumer to learn about, he said.

Yoswick noted that insurer grades aren’t reported in the Insurer Report Card until a set minimum number of shops have graded that insurer.

“Even getting just a half dozen or 10 more shops participating in a state can add one, two, or three good insurers to the report for their particular state,” he said.

Insurers pay attention to the Insurer Report Card results and often ask for details on the “why” behind the grades they receive, Yoswick said.

“All that individual information remains strictly confidential, but when shops take the time to answer some of the follow-up questions in the survey about the insurers they graded, it helps us develop some cumulative data to show, for example, that some insurers get a low grade even from their DRP shops,” he said. “We can show that some companies get a lower grade primarily because they’re parts policies or just because their claims processes are more burdensome or just because shops see them as being less responsive than other insurers.”

He added that insurers who receive the best grades are increasingly using that in their marketing. Plus, other publications and organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Money, and USA Today, incorporate Insurer Report Card findings into their own scoring system for auto insurers.

In addition to grading insurance companies specific to each survey respondent’s state, optional questions focus on parts policies, payment for OEM repair procedures, and delve deeper into insurer claims processes.

Yoswick says the Insurer Report Card findings are a tool for shops and trade associations to use when speaking with lawmakers or insurance regulators.

“I think a lawmaker or an insurance regulator might sometimes hear, ‘Well, all shops don’t like any insurers,’ and there’s a lot more nuance than that,” he said. “When shops are talking with regulators and lawmakers, they can use the Insurer Report Card report to show that there’s some insurers handling claims in better ways for consumers.”

He added that the Insurer Report Card includes regional data breakouts and state-specific reports when there are enough survey respondents.

To request a link to the Insurer Report Card survey, visit crashnetwork.com/irc/signup.php. Those who sign up will receive an emailed invite to participate in the coming weeks.

According to the last Insurer Report Card, released in February, seven auto insurance companies received an A-minus or higher. Thirty-five insurers received a B or higher, earning an Honor Roll spot. Twenty-two carriers, including six of the largest U.S. auto insurers, received a C-minus or lower.

None of the top 10 largest national auto insurers received an overall grade higher than a C-plus, while more than 60 other insurers ranked higher.

Yoswick spoke about the survey at the Society of Collision Repair Specialists’ IDEAS Collide Showcase at the 2025 SEMA Show. He said thousands of consumers, insurance regulators, and insurance carriers download the report card results every year. The survey is currently in its 10th year.

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Featured image provided by CRASH Network