About excess protection
What is excess protection insurance?
The excess on your car insurance policy is the amount you pay towards a claim before the insurer covers the rest.
The total excess is made up of two parts:
- A compulsory excess set by the insurer
- A voluntary excess of an amount that you choose
Excess protection insurance is an optional add-on to your policy. It refunds the excess you've paid after an eligible claim, up to the limit in the policy booklet.
Some drivers increase their voluntary excess to reduce their premium, but that can leave them with a bigger bill if they need to claim. That's where motor excess protection can be useful.
With AA car insurance excess protection you can claim back the policy excess (up to £1,000) on one insurance claim during the 12 months of your car insurance policy, for events such as accidental damage, malicious damage, theft or attempted theft, and fire.
How does excess protection insurance works in practice?
If you make a claim on your car insurance and have to pay your policy excess, excess protection insurance may let you recover that money afterwards.
It can be especially helpful when either you, an unidentified third party or an uninsured driver is at fault.
For instance, if your parked car is damaged overnight and the driver leaves no details, you would need to pay your excess towards the repairs under the main policy. With AA car insurance excess protection you can claim that excess back, so you're not left covering the cost yourself.
Remember, your car insurance covers the insured event, while the optional motor excess protection pays the excess when you claim.
So when you're weighing up the options on a new policy, compare our car insurance cover levels alongside any add-ons.
What does excess protection insurance cover?
AA car insurance excess protection covers one claim in the 12-month policy period for the total policy excess – compulsory and voluntary excess combined – up to £1,000 on eligible claims.
Yet it doesn't cover the excess for every situation. So it won't pay if the total claim cost is less than the excess, because you haven't suffered a recoverable loss under the claim. It also doesn't apply to incidents that happened before the policy started.
The excess is also excluded from claims for glass damage, personal effects, accessories, and audio or visual equipment such as satnavs or radios.
A common misunderstanding is that this cover pays your excess before you claim. This is incorrect. You always pay the excess under your main policy first, then claim it back if the claim meets the add-on terms. And it mustn't be confused with no claims discount (NCD) protection, which only protects your accumulated premium discount, rather than your excess.
Who would benefit from excess protection insurance?
Excess protection insurance protects drivers from the shock of a large excess payment after an accident or loss.
Likewise, it may suit you if you've chosen a higher voluntary excess to lower your premium, if you want more certainty over claim costs, or if you're worried about potential incidents involving an uninsured or unknown driver. It may be less useful if your total excess is low and affordable.
That balance is what makes AA car insurance excess protection a practical add-on rather than a must-have. The choice depends on how much risk you're happy to carry yourself.
