JD Power Finds Total Loss Claims Drag Down Auto Insurance Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction with total loss claims dropped 12 points on a 1,000-point scale in 2026, extending a 46-point slide since 2023, according to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study.

By contrast, satisfaction with claims for repairable vehicles rose four points, and overall auto claims customer satisfaction held steady from last year at 700.

Overall, 26% of auto insurance claims were total losses this year, up from 16% four years earlier. The study attributes the increase to higher vehicle repair costs, drivers keeping vehicles longer and larger deductibles that push smaller repairs out of the claims process. Cost pressures also caused some policyholders to give up rental coverage or raise deductibles, making the claims process more complicated.

Repair cycle times have shortened as claim volume has eased and repair shops have more available capacity. According to the study, average repair cycle times fell to 15.3 days in the first quarter of 2026, down 10 days from the first quarter of 2024.

The report also points to major differences in satisfaction depending on how well insurers communicate across channels. Customers who strongly agreed that their insurer provided a seamless experience across communication channels reported an average satisfaction score of 804, while those who disagreed gave a score of 390.

Still, insurers delivered a seamless cross-channel experience only 54% of the time, one of the study's weaker measures. The report cited unclear explanations, the need for customers to switch among multiple channels to get answers and digital tools that did not perform as expected.

Amica ranked first in overall customer satisfaction with a score of 775, followed by Nationwide at 743 and Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA) at 740.

The study looks at auto claims experiences in order of importance: trust, fairness of settlement, people, time to settle claim, communication, ease of resolving claim, ease of starting claim and digital channels. The 2026 survey was based on responses from 8,261 auto insurance customers who settled claims within the nine months before taking part in the survey.