Claim, Accident, Excess, Fees, Policy
If you make a claim, you’ll have to cover a portion of the cost. This amount is called the ‘excess’. It's made up of any voluntary excess you chose when you purchased your policy, as well as any compulsory excess(es) that are part of the policy. You can see all of the excesses that apply to your insurance cover on your policy schedule.
As a general rule, you'll be responsible initially for the policy excess when making a claim from your insurer. However, if the accident isn't your fault and either you, or your insurer makes a recovery of your excess from the third party responsible for the damage to your vehicle, then you won't have to pay the excess yourself. Some members choose to purchase additional uninsured loss recovery (ULR) insurance, also known as legal expenses cover, which helps innocent motorists recover their excess from the other driver’s insurer in situations where the accident wasn't their fault.