What Is Car Insurance Excess

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.

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.

Anytime you file a claim that involves repairing damage to your vehicle another motorists caused you can have the excess amount reimbursed to you or the insurance company will just deduct it from the amount of your settlement.

Millions of drivers are on the roadways with no insurance at all or they have coverage that is insufficient for covering all your  repairs or medical expenses. Although it is illegal to operate a vehicle without insurance there are many people who still do it. The excess amount you have to pay may not be able to be reimbursed if you are involved in an accident with a driver with inadequate insurance coverage. Protection is offered from your insurer against underinsured or uninsured motorists any medical expenses or repairs to your vehicle not covered by the other driver will be covered by your insurer with the exception of the excess amount you owe.

It is difficult to determine how many people are actually driving without insurance but the risk is real and this creates a rise in the insurance premiums that the honest drivers have to pay.

The compulsory excess is the minimum amount that your insurer will allow you to have on your policy. The amount will vary greatly depending on your driving record, the type of car you drive, age and even the amount of experience you have behind the wheel. If you have a clean driving record and many years experience behind the wheel you could pay as little as $50 in excess but if you are a new driver you could pay as much as $500 or $1000 in excess.

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.