Car insurance excess is the sum of money you will have to come up with each time your car is being repaired due to a filed insurance claim. It is the additional amount that your insurer will not pay for the repairs to be completed.
Your insurance company decides what your excess payment will be at the beginning of your policy. The excess payments will usually be paid directly to the garage or mechanic that is repairing your vehicle and the insurance company will be responsible for the remaining amount.
Every time you file a claim involving repair of damage to your vehicle that was the fault of another motorist the excess payment will be reimbursed to you or it may be deducted from any settlement you receive.
There are millions of motorists on the road that do not have insurance coverage or the policy they carry is not sufficient to meet the demands of the claim you file. It is illegal to operating a moving vehicle without insurance but it is not a crime to be underinsured as long as it meets the state requirements. If you are involved in an accident with a motorist who is either underinsured and uninsured your insurer may cover the costs if you have chosen that protection but you will still be required to pay the excess amount for any repairs.
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.
A Voluntary excess is where you pay a larger excess amount even if you qualify for a much smaller one. Any agent should be able to explain the differences these excess amounts will do to your policy price and premium amount. The excess amount should be kept low enough to be affordable but not so low that it raises your premium very much.
You should understand that if you have your car in the garage being repaired for an insurance claim that the garage will not release the vehicle to you until full payment is received. The insurance company will pay the amount they are required but the final payment will generally be your excess amount. This is where it comes important to know that you can afford the excess amount you have agreed to when the time comes that you need to have it ready.
Susan Reynolds is a content coordinator for a leading South African Insurance Provider that specialises in Car Insurance Policies.