A waiver of excess is just like a deductible as it’s the part of the car insurance that you will have to pay when you make a claim after damage is done to your vehicle. The term waiver of excess is more commonly used in the UK while the word deductible is used in the US. If you need to rent a car in the UK then you will be introduced to a waiver of excess.
When the amount of the waiver of excess is exceeded in damages then you pay the amount of the waiver of excess and the insurance company covers what’s left over. So if you have a waiver of excess of $1,000 and an accident causes $5,000 in damages to your vehicle then you will have to pay the $1,000 up front and the insurance company will cover the other $4,000. While a waiver of excess is not included in the premium of the insurance policy you pay it is still very helpful.
In the example above you’d be better off paying the $2,000 rather than having the insurance company pay the difference and then raise the premium of your car insurance because you made a claim. If you’re a young driver you should be cautious before reporting an insurance claim as most insurance companies will increase the premium by a good amount.
Your excess waiver amount will vary depending on what insurance plan you decide to go with. The higher the deductible that you choose the lower insurance premium will be. If you are a safe driver and have very few claims then you will benefit more from having a higher deductible. However this can cause problems if you are in an accident and end up not being able to pay the excess waiver at the time.
If you have an insurance policy and find the waiver of excess to be a percent rather than a figure you should consider asking if they can get a regular figure for it. This is because the percent can hurt you if you are involved in an expensive accident and have to pay thousands of dollars rather than a set price.
The waiver of excess that you pay will go towards the damages done to your vehicle. The damage doesn’t have to be caused by an accident it can be also caused by theft or bad weather. You can increase the coverage if you have a more expensive vehicle and want to have to pay less to repair it.
A waiver of excess is not singled out to auto insurance policies. A waiver of excess is often found on health, travel, and home insurance. You should remember that if there’s damage to a rental car you may have to pay it out of your pocket and then be reimbursed by your insurance.
Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading Car Insurance portal, which helps people save on their Car Insurance.
