Free Car Accident & Personal Injury Settlement Calculator
This car accident settlement calculator, which also works as a personal injury settlement calculator, gives a rough range using the multiplier method insurers and lawyers use.
A rough range, not a prediction or legal advice. No law sets settlement amounts. Real offers depend on proof of fault, insurance limits, medical records and your state's laws. Settle101 is not a law firm. Many personal injury lawyers offer a free consultation.
How a car accident settlement is calculated
- Add up economic losses: medical bills so far and expected, lost income, and vehicle or property damage.
- Estimate pain and suffering: multiply medical costs by 1.5 to 5. Higher multipliers go to more serious, longer-lasting or permanent injuries.
- Add the two together for a starting value.
- Reduce for your share of fault if your state uses comparative negligence.
The multiplier bands in the calculator split that commonly cited range by severity: minor 1.5–2, moderate 2–3, serious 3–4, severe 4–5. They are our convention, not a legal rule.
Worked example
$8,000 of medical bills, $2,000 of lost wages and $4,000 of car damage, with a moderate injury. Economic losses are $14,000. Pain and suffering at 2 to 3 times medical costs is $16,000 to $24,000, giving a range of $30,000 to $38,000 before fees.
What lowers or raises a personal injury settlement
- Insurance limits: an at-fault driver's policy limit often caps what is realistically recoverable.
- Shared fault: comparative negligence rules reduce or bar recovery.
- Gaps in treatment and pre-existing conditions are often used to argue for less.
- Damage caps: some states cap non-economic damages in some cases.
- Deadlines: every state has a statute of limitations for injury claims.
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Frequently asked questions
How are car accident settlements calculated?
Insurers and lawyers often start with the multiplier method: add up economic losses (medical bills, lost wages, property damage), then add pain and suffering worked out as medical costs multiplied by about 1.5 to 5 depending on how serious the injury is. The result is a starting point for negotiation, not a formula a court must follow.
What is the average car accident settlement?
There is no reliable single average: settlements range from a few thousand dollars for minor injuries to policy limits for serious ones. Your medical costs, the severity of the injury, who was at fault and the available insurance matter far more than any average.
How does fault affect a personal injury settlement?
In most states your compensation is reduced by your share of the fault. Some states bar recovery if you are 50% or 51% or more at fault, and Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. can bar recovery if you were at fault at all.
Does this personal injury settlement calculator include legal fees?
No. Contingency fees, often around a third of the recovery, and any medical liens are paid out of the settlement, so the amount you receive is lower.