The verdict in three sentences
For a firm with 18 assessors and 9,000 claims a year, a custom claims management app costs EUR 70,000 to 150,000 excl. VAT, takes 6 to 8 months to build and then needs EUR 1,500 to 3,000 a month of application support. Off-the-shelf software, billed at EUR 60 to 120 per assessor per month, stays cheaper over five years in most cases. Custom is justified when your processes (desk-based assessment, specific insurer agreements, tight turnaround tracking) save at least 8 minutes per claim more than a packaged product.
The detailed budget of an assessing app in 2026
A motor assessing app is more than a management tool: it must receive instructions from insurers through their platforms (Darva in France, insurer portals and claims hubs in the UK), work in the field without signal, connect to the estimating system and produce reports matching each insurer's expectations.
| Work package | Scope | 2026 range (EUR excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and UX | Workshops with assessors and admin staff, mock-ups | 6,000 - 12,000 |
| Insurer instruction intake | Exchange interface, acknowledgements, statuses | 10,000 - 20,000 |
| Field mobile app | Time-stamped photos, geolocation, VIN scan, offline mode | 15,000 - 35,000 |
| Estimating interface | Exchange with the estimating system the firm already uses | 8,000 - 20,000 |
| Report generation | Templates per insurer, e-signature, dispatch | 10,000 - 22,000 |
| Fee invoicing | Fee scales per insurer, reminders | 8,000 - 16,000 |
| Management reporting | Turnaround per assessor, total loss rate, owner dashboard | 6,000 - 12,000 |
| Testing and data migration | History migration, QA, training | 7,000 - 13,000 |
| Total | 70,000 - 150,000 |
The most underestimated item is the offline field app. An assessor inspecting a car in an underground car park must be able to take 40 photos and complete findings with no signal, then sync everything without loss. That often represents 20 to 25% of the budget.
Custom or off-the-shelf: the five-year cost
An honest comparison runs over five years, maintenance included.
| Item (18 assessors) | Off-the-shelf software | Custom application |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | EUR 10,000 - 25,000 (configuration, migration) | EUR 70,000 - 150,000 |
| Annual cost | EUR 12,960 - 25,920 (EUR 60 to 120 per assessor per month) | EUR 18,000 - 36,000 of support |
| Five-year total | EUR 75,000 - 155,000 | EUR 160,000 - 330,000 |
| Fit with the firm's processes | Configuration within vendor limits | Complete |
| Enhancements | Vendor roadmap | Prioritised by the firm |
| Code and data ownership | Data exportable, code not | Code and data owned by the firm |
| Time to start | 1 to 3 months | 6 to 8 months |
On raw cost, the packaged product almost always wins. Custom only pays off if the specific productivity gain covers the gap, typically EUR 20,000 to 35,000 a year for a firm this size.
The indicators that justify the investment
Before signing, measure where you stand on these indicators. The targets below are 2026 orders of magnitude observed after a rebuild.
| Indicator | Typical with ageing software | Target after rebuild |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction received to report filed | 9 to 12 days | 5 to 7 days |
| Admin time per claim | 35 min | 20 to 25 min |
| Claims per assessor per year | 500 | 560 to 600 |
| Share of desk-based assessments on photos | 15% | 30 to 40% |
| Insurer chasers for missing documents | 1 claim in 4 | 1 claim in 10 |
| Invoicing delay after filing | 15 days | 2 days |
Desk-based assessment is often the deciding argument: a claim handled on photos avoids a 45 to 90-minute trip across a metropolitan area.
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Mini case study
James, director of an 18-assessor firm in London, compares a packaged product at EUR 90 per assessor per month (EUR 19,440 a year, EUR 112,200 over five years with EUR 15,000 of set-up) and a custom app at EUR 110,000 plus EUR 2,000 of monthly support (EUR 230,000 over five years). The gap is EUR 117,800, or EUR 23,560 a year. His desk-based assessment process would save 10 minutes per claim more than the packaged product: 9,000 claims x 10 min = 1,500 hours, roughly 1 FTE of admin staff at EUR 38,000 fully loaded. Custom becomes profitable, with a margin of EUR 14,440 a year. At only 5 minutes saved, it no longer is.
FAQ
Is the insurer platform interface hard to obtain?
It requires following the platform's exchange formats and a test phase with its teams. Budget EUR 10,000 to 20,000 excl. VAT and 6 to 10 weeks in the schedule.
Can we keep our current estimating system?
Yes, and it is recommended: the app connects to the estimating system your assessors already use. The interface costs EUR 8,000 to 20,000 excl. VAT depending on available exchanges.
What does EUR 1,500-3,000 a month of support cover?
Bug fixes, security updates, changes to insurer formats and a few days of enhancements per quarter. At EUR 2,000 a month, expect around 3 days of development monthly.
How do we migrate 10 years of history?
Closed claims are migrated read-only, usually for EUR 5,000 to 8,000 excl. VAT. Only open claims, often fewer than 600, move into the new workflow.
From how many assessors does custom make sense?
Below 10 assessors, packaged software almost always wins. Between 15 and 30 assessors, with 8,000 claims a year or more, the calculation deserves to be done precisely.
Let's scope your project. Share your claim volume, your instructing insurers and your current tool: we will cost both options over five years, with scope, indicative budget and timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
