What is an excess and who pays it?

An excess is an amount that may apply and that you may need to contribute towards the cost of a claim. Depending on your policy and the type of claim you make, different excesses may apply.

An excess usually applies for most claims unless there's someone else we can recover the costs from, like the driver of another car who caused the accident. In some cases you’ll be asked to pay the excess to the repairer or supplier. We can also deduct it from any payment we make to you.

To find out which excess type applies to your policy, please refer to your policy document or view your policy in your online account.

For more general information about excesses, see our Premium, Excess and Discounts Guide.