If your vehicle has been involved in multiple not-at-fault accidents, you may be entitled to file separate diminished value claims for each incident — but the calculation becomes more nuanced. Each accident creates its own DV loss, and in theory, each at-fault driver's insurance is responsible for the diminished value caused by their insured's specific accident. However, the second and subsequent claims must account for the fact that the vehicle already had accident history from the prior incident.
Here is how it works in practice: after the first accident, your vehicle lost a certain amount of diminished value — say $4,000, dropping its market value from $35,000 to $31,000. If a second not-at-fault accident occurs, the DV calculation for the second claim starts from the $31,000 post-first-accident value, not the original $35,000. The second accident may produce a DV loss of $2,500, dropping the value to $28,500. Each insurance company is responsible for the incremental loss their insured caused. The key challenge is properly documenting each loss separately.
Orlando Auto Body's free $450 Diminished Value Appraisal Packet accounts for prior accident history when calculating the current DV loss. If your vehicle has been in multiple accidents and you're repairing the latest damage with us, we ensure the appraisal accurately reflects the incremental loss from this specific incident. Having clear documentation for each claim prevents insurance companies from conflating the damages or arguing that the prior accident already accounted for the current loss. Call today for a free assessment of your multi-accident DV situation.