CRASH Network is asking collision repair professionals to take its 2022 “Insurer Report Card” survey, to help better inform consumers about their choices.

The annual survey gives repair professionals the opportunity to grade the performance of the auto insurers of their state. In a typical year, more than 1,000 repair professionals take part in the survey.

“No one sees on a daily basis which insurers really stand behind their promise to deliver top-quality repairs and customer service after an accident better than those providing that collision repair work,” said John Yoswick, the editor of CRASH Network.

“The ‘Insurer Report Card’ helps the repair industry get that unique perspective out to vehicle owners, and gives the highest-graded insurance companies another way to communicate what sets them apart from the companies that receive lower grades from shops,” Yoswick said.

Grades from the “Insurer Report Card” are now incorporated into the auto insurance rankings of Forbes Advisor, which offers independent information to help consumers with their financial decisions.

Insurers like Chubb and Acuity that have consistently received top grades tout that in their marketing and social media, Yoswick said.

Repair professionals “have an insiders’ view of insurer use of lower-quality repair parts, whether insurance companies encourage the use of proper repair procedures, and whether insurers have quick and satisfactory claims processes for customers,” Forbes Advisor tells its readers.

In the current ratings, Forbes Advisor gives Erie Insurance five out of five stars, in part because it received an A- grade from collision repair professionals. On the other hand, repair professionals’ C- grades for GEICO and Allstate contributed to those insurers’ four- and three- star ratings, respectively.

The survey asks collision repairers to grade each company based on how well the insurers’ claims practices help ensure quality repairs and customer service. By assigning insurers a grade from A+ to an F, shops can let consumers know which insurers push for quality repairs and provide great customer service when consumers have a claim – and which don’t.

This year among 75 insurers scored by CRASH Network, only North Carolina Farm Bureau, Chubb, Erie and Michigan Farm Bureau received grades in the “A” range.

“Because each state has a different mix of insurers, the ‘Insurer Report Card’ allows repairers to grade insurers specific to their state,” Yoswick said. “As in the past, we’re asking about more than 160 different auto insurance companies across the country, making it far more extensive than any similar surveys, which generally focus on just the 10 largest national insurers. The results of the ‘Insurer Report Card’ can help consumers know, for example, if some smaller or regional insurers they may not be as familiar with are really great at taking care of customers.”

In the current rankings, not one of the 10 largest companies cracked the top 40.

The “Insurer Report Card” survey, open only to collision repairers, can take as little as three to five minutes to complete (though shops are encouraged to spend time to explain why they gave each insurer the grade they did), and all individual shop grades and identification information will remain confidential.

Shops that complete the “Insurer Report Card” and provide an e-mail address will be sent the results to share with their customers, at no charge, once they are compiled.

CRASH Network suggests that the report card be filled out by any shop owner, manager or estimator who is most familiar with the claims handling practices of the insurers the shop commonly interacts with.

More information

CRASH Network ‘Report Card’: Body shops grade auto insurers’ claims behavior during pandemic year

CRASH Network: Insurer ‘Report Card’ finds bigger-name carriers weaker on auto claims

Images

Lead image: Collision repair professionals have the opportunity to grade the performance of insurers through CRASH Network’s annual “Insurer Report Card” survey. (jaker5000/iStockphoto)

This chart shows the 15 insurance carriers that received the highest grades from repairers in the most recent “Insurer Report Card.” (Provided by CRASH Network)