Total losses accounted for 26% of U.S. auto claims in J.D. Power’s latest study, up from 16% four years earlier, while repair cycle times shortened as claim volumes declined.
The consumer research and data company’s 2026 U.S. auto claims satisfaction study, released Oct. 27, found average repair cycle time had fallen to 15.3 days through the first quarter of 2026, down 10 days from the first quarter of 2024.
J.D. Power, based in Troy, Mich., attributed the growing total-loss share to rising repair costs, an aging vehicle population and higher deductibles removing smaller repairs from the claims process.
“A complex mix of trends are conspiring to make this an incredibly challenging market environment for managing auto insurance claims customer satisfaction,” Mark Garrett, director of global insurance intelligence at J.D. Power, said in a press release.
Among customers whose vehicles were declared total losses and who had outstanding loans, 25% received settlements below the amount they owed.
Overall claims satisfaction remained unchanged at 700 out of 1,000. Satisfaction improved four points for repairable claims but fell 12 points for total losses, marking a third consecutive annual decline.
The study surveyed 8,261 customers from September 2025 through August 2026. Theft-only, glass-only and roadside-assistance-only claims were excluded.
Separate Ontario research also recorded an improvement in claims satisfaction.
Rates.ca’s 2026 annual study of auto insurance satisfaction found that 81% of respondents who filed an auto claim were satisfied with their claims experience in 2025, an eight-percentage-point increase from 2023.
Toronto-based insurance comparison business Rates.ca commissioned the study from Toronto-based research firm Pollara Strategic Insights. The online survey included 14,676 Ontario auto insurance customers and was conducted between Aug. 25 and Sept. 23, 2025.
Respondents were recruited through five insurance brokerages. Their insurers were identified through policy information rather than customer recall. The study covered customers’ overall insurance experience, with claims questions directed to those who had filed claims.
“Providing good service is the cost of entry in the insurance business,” Igal Mayer, chief executive officer of Rates.ca, said in the study’s January release.
Northbridge Insurance and Zenith Insurance ranked first for claims experience in that study, followed by Intact Insurance and Aviva Insurance. The Ontario results use a different sample and scoring system from J.D. Power’s U.S. study.
Canadian repair cost data released in August showed continuing differences between vehicle powertrains.
San Diego-based claims technology provider Mitchell reported average Canadian repairable claim severity of $6,645 for battery electric vehicles and $5,411 for gasoline-powered vehicles in the second quarter of 2026.
The $1,234 difference was the narrowest Mitchell had recorded. Its report identified higher total-loss frequency and a maturing electric vehicle fleet as possible contributors to the narrowing gap. Those averages cover repairable claims rather than total-loss settlements.
