Estimate review times have increased despite a significant decline in claims; the amount of time collision repair shops are waiting for insurers to review estimates remotely has grown even longer in 2026. Across the 12 insurers, the average wait for a remote desk review increased from 3.8 days in the second quarter of 2025 to 4.2 days this year. Eleven of the 12 insurers had longer average wait times than a year ago. The percentage of shops experiencing particularly lengthy delays also increased. Across the 12 insurers, an average of 14% of shops said they wait more than seven days for a remote desk review, up from 9% a year ago. The percentage increased for 11 insurers, and was unchanged for the other. The increase in remote review times is particularly significant given the dramatic growth in remote-only reviews since the pandemic.
Customer Co-Pays are on the rise. A customer choosing to use only OEM parts is the fastest-growing reason for vehicle owners kicking in a “co-pay” for repair costs beyond their deductible on an insurer-paid job. More than 1 in 4 shops (27%) said that was the most frequent cause of co-pays, a percentage that has been growing steadily since 2023, when only 9% of shops said OEM parts were the primary basis for a co-pay. Still, insurers’ unwillingness to pay the shop’s rates remains the most common cause of co- pays, according to 43% of shops responding to the survey. About 25% of shops listed either a carrier’s failure to pay for OEM procedures – or for post-crash safety inspections, in particular – as the primary factor leading to customer co-pays.
Stop Stealing Technicians. Start Building Them. Presented by: I-CAR and Justin Bettendorf on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Join us for NWACA Collision Lunch & Learn as we explore how successful shops are creating their own pipeline of talent through structured training, mentorship, and Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Programs. Every shop owner is facing the same challenge: you need technicians, but experienced techs are harder to find than ever, and the ones that are available often are not properly trained. The industry’s workforce is aging, fewer young people are entering the trade, and many who do leave the industry do so within their first few years. Meanwhile, shops continue playing musical chairs and competing for the same limited pool of experienced technicians.
We will explore:
• Why the technician shortage is expected to worsen over the next five years
• The realities of today’s technician workforce and what younger technicians are looking for from employers
• How apprenticeship programs help shops develop entry-level talent into productive team members
• How structured training and career paths improve retention and reduce turnover
• Available incentives and support programs for participating shops
• How I-CAR’s Registered Apprenticeship Program can help you recruit, train, retain future technicians, and build a rockstar team
• The benefit of training a new technician to repair vehicles correctly versus trying to break bad habits
CLICK Here to Register
The shops that win over the next decade won’t be the ones that hire the most technicians. They’ll be the ones that develop them. Join us and learn how to build your bench, strengthen your culture, and create the next generation of collision repair professionals.
