Car insurance excess is what you are required to pay when you have your vehicle repaired under an insurance claim. The insurance company will pay the amount above the excess to have the repairs completed.
The amount of excess is determined by you and your insurance company provider at the time you start your policy. In most cases when you have your vehicle repaired the excess amount will be paid by you directly to the garage or mechanic making the repairs.
When you file a claim where another motorist is responsible for the repairs done to your vehicle they may reimburse you the excess you had to pay or pay it their selves and deduct it from your settlement amount.
Too many drivers are on the road that have no insurance at all or coverage amounts that are insufficient to cover all your repairs or medical costs. It is illegal to drive while uninsured but this does not stop people from doing it. Your excess amount may not be able to be recovered if you are involved in an accident with a motorist who has insufficient insurance coverage. You can get protection from your insurer against underinsured or uninsured drivers and they will cover the costs that occur from the accident minus the excess payment originally agreed upon in your policy.
There are over 5% of drivers on the streets in the UK who are uninsured. The insurance companies provide protection but due to the fact they are at risk for paying for other drivers mishaps the insurance premiums continue to rise.
The minimum excess that your insurance provider will accept for your policy is the compulsory excess. This amount will change from one driver to the next. The insurer will use your vehicle type, age, experience driving, as well as your driving record to determine your compulsory excess payment. The amount will vary from $50 to $500 or $1000 depending on your criteria and the insurers guidelines.
You can choose to pay a voluntary excess to help lower your premium payments. If you have a very low excess quoted to you it can be increased and this will lower your policy price. You have to be careful when increasing your excess amount as you should be able to afford the amount if the need arises. You do want to lower your premium though so increasing it to what you can afford comfortably should give a good balance.
If you have filed a claim for repairs to be completed on your vehicle and placed the car in the garage the insurance company will in most cases pay the garage directly. They may send you a check for the repairs that needs to be turned over to the garage. The vehicle will not be released until full payment is made so you will need to pay the excess amount to the garage directly unless otherwise directed by your insurance company in order to have the vehicle released back to you. If your excess is too high this may be difficult to come up with and the garage will keep your car until payment is received and the insurance company will not pay for a rental while you try to come up with this money if the repairs are complete.
Susan Reynolds is a content coordinator for a leading South African Insurance Provider that specialises in Car Insurance Policies.
Tags: Auto Insurance, Automobiles, car insurance, Cars, insurance, personal finance, Vehicle Insurance