R1T - Diminished value after rear ended 2026 Dual Standard with 3000 miles on it

[dogwind]

Hi,

I have read most all comments on Riv Forum and AI searches.

BUT has anyone got help from Rivian in determining pre then post collision value that I may be able to present to Progressive for a more pedigreed claim?
Progressive is the "read enders" insurance company and so far they have been HORRIBLE to work with. They were denying the claim at first because they said I "stopped too fast" when my lane stopped on the freeway. They reversed that decision after my protestations, but now diminished value is gonna be a battle.

Thanks
Bob

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[brethartman]

Following this. My 2025 R1T is going into the body shop next week for repairs after being rear ended sitting at a stop light. The guy slammed into me going over 40 mph. I plan to file a DV claim once the repairs are done. From what I’ve heard it’s pretty normal for insurance companies to deny the initial claim. If you haven’t sign anything yet just tell them that you’ll be getting a lawyer and then they can take care of it in court. If you were rear ended it’s pretty cut and dry.

 

[Steve A.]

Hi,

I have read most all comments on Riv Forum and AI searches.

BUT has anyone got help from Rivian in determining pre then post collision value that I may be able to present to Progressive for a more pedigreed claim?
Progressive is the "read enders" insurance company and so far they have been HORRIBLE to work with. They were denying the claim at first because they said I "stopped too fast" when my lane stopped on the freeway. They reversed that decision after my protestations, but now diminished value is gonna be a battle.

Thanks
Bob

From what I understand from my independent insurance agent, diminished value claims are highly dependent upon the state you file and the lawyer you hire who specializes in such claims; fwiw, he has been in business for 40+ years and never heard of a successful one in `The People's Republic of Maryland` where I live, so I didn't bother filing one for either of my $30k or $33.5k accidents caused by other drivers.

FWIW, for my 3rd and final accident in 33 months when I totaled my 2023 R1S my insurance company generated an extremely detailed comps report which listed like 5 other comparable Rivians in the Mid-Atlantic for my final payout which thankfully covered my remaining loan since I didn't take the gap insurance (ALWAYS WILL NOW!) but I did have the *replacement cost* rider on my policy which made up the difference since it didn't factor in previous accident damages at least from what I could tell on the details of the payout report.

 

[RivAW]

Following this. My 2025 R1T is going into the body shop next week for repairs after being rear ended sitting at a stop light. The guy slammed into me going over 40 mph. I plan to file a DV claim once the repairs are done. From what I’ve heard it’s pretty normal for insurance companies to deny the initial claim. If you haven’t sign anything yet just tell them that you’ll be getting a lawyer and then they can take care of it in court. If you were rear ended it’s pretty cut and dry.

This depends entirely upon the state in which the accident happened as far as the accident responsibility being "cut and dry".

On the other point, a qualified lawyer will likely get you more return than what you pay in legal fees. Depending on location and circumstances, the legal fee may even end up being covered as part of a legal claim.

 

[brethartman]

Completely agree and forgot to mention that point.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

All at-fault insurance are terrible. Regardless of which one.

 

[dogwind]

Thanks for replies. I'm in California.
Trying to figure out how to quantify before and after value. Who is going to tell me, "I was going to offer you X for your car, but with the accident, I'm offering you X - Y. What is the Y?
Most people just flip past accident cars on auction sites.
2026 Dual Standard with 2915 miles value before and then after a 10 mph rear ending that was adequately repaired.
The industry uses a 17C calculation (new to me) that allows for a low ball $ figure to be generated. My insurance Liberty Mutual said I could push for that and not necessarily need to pursue a lawyer.
Progressive (the adversary) asked me "Why is diminished value an issue? Are you selling the car soon?
Soon? Later? Your A hole customer besmirched my car for all points forward.

 

[jackfu]

From what I understand from my independent insurance agent, diminished value claims are highly dependent upon the state you file and the lawyer you hire who specializes in such claims; fwiw, he has been in business for 40+ years and never heard of a successful one in `The People's Republic of Maryland` where I live, so I didn't bother filing one for either of my $30k or $33.5k accidents caused by other drivers.

FWIW, for my 3rd and final accident in 33 months when I totaled my 2023 R1S my insurance company generated an extremely detailed comps report which listed like 5 other comparable Rivians in the Mid-Atlantic for my final payout which thankfully covered my remaining loan since I didn't take the gap insurance (ALWAYS WILL NOW!) but I did have the *replacement cost* rider on my policy which made up the difference since it didn't factor in previous accident damages at least from what I could tell on the details of the payout report.

Time for a new agent. I got DV in Maryland and didn’t even have to jump through that many hoops. Iirc got paid about 2k on 10k of work. The offending party was USAA, which handled the process pretty professionally.

 

[Steve A.]

Time for a new agent. I got DV in Maryland and didn’t even have to jump through that many hoops. Iirc got paid about 2k on 10k of work. The offending party was USAA, which handled the process pretty professionally.

Interesting, but again, from what I understand it's HIGHLY dependent upon which state you file. Did you DIY it or get a lawyer?

In my case the offending two parties BOTH had USAA; the 1st repair was $30k, the 2nd was $33k and then I eventually got a $56k payout when it was totalled @66.5k miles, but the payout would have been ~$49k if I didn't have the replacement cost rider on my policy, so I know EXACTLY what it was worth less than a year later.

 

[jackfu]

Ya definitely very state and also situation dependent. That one was my second DV process. I hired an expert the first time and diyed the second one. I pulled sales data on my car model and did some regression modeling to determine the average hit on value at sale due to an accident record. Their initial offer was a bit low so I sent in my assessment, and they came back at about 90% my number so I said good enough for the time I spent! (No frame damage, all cosmetic fixes)

 

[dogwind]

Ya definitely very state and also situation dependent. That one was my second DV process. I hired an expert the first time and diyed the second one. I pulled sales data on my car model and did some regression modeling to determine the average hit on value at sale due to an accident record. Their initial offer was a bit low so I sent in my assessment, and they came back at about 90% my number so I said good enough for the time I spent! (No frame damage, all cosmetic fixes)

But you sold the car and then determined what the hit was compared to comps? I have a 2026 Dual Standard R1T (notr many for sale!) and no current intent on selling (though I may). Should I just address this when I sell and then do comps?

 

[jackfu]

Ah the fun part of DV. Theoretically it would be most correct at time of sale to determine the amount. But the times I’ve dealt with it, it was at the conclusion of repairs, estimating the difference in market value at that point. I would scrape past R1T sales records, including gen 1 to extrapolate the impact of an accident if you wanted to diy it

 

[ksurfier]

You might consider the following for negotiation purposes:

• Conservative insurer position: $1,500–$3,000
• Reasonable market-based claim: $4,000–$6,000
• Strong claim with major/structural damage: $7,000–$10,000
• $10,000 or 18%: defensible only with strong comparable-sale, dealer-offer, or appraisal evidence

The strongest proof would be written trade-in or purchase offers showing the value both with and without the accident history, rather than relying solely on the repair amount or a percentage formula. California defines fair market value around what knowledgeable buyers and sellers would agree upon, which supports a market-comparison approach.

 

[hammick]

As a retired personal injury/wrongful death attorney I can tell you it will be hard to impossible to find an attorney to handle a DV claim on a contingent basis unless you were injured. And the crappy advertising lawyers will leave you high and dry once they settle your injury claims for peanuts. Don't even think about paying an attorney by the hour to handle it. You will be upside down so fast your head will spin.

If this happened to our R1S I would hire a diminished value expert and file a lawsuit in small claims court. These are usually limited to 5k in damages. (California is 12.5k). I'm guessing a repaired Rivian will likely diminish in value more than 5k but the rules of evidence apply in the real courts and Judges don't have much patience with Pro Se litigants.

Luckily when our Ioniq 5 was wrecked it was totaled.

OP I recommend you find a competent DV service and get your report. If it's more than 12.5k file for the max in small claims court. If less file for the report amount. If you win you will likely be able to recover your filing and service costs on top of your awarded judgment.

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