What is an excess?
Your excess is the part of any claim you pay yourself. If your excess is £500 and the repair costs £2,000, your insurer pays £1,500 and you pay the first £500.
Compulsory excess
Set by the insurer.
Voluntary excess
You chose it to lower your premium.
Many policies have both parts. Both are paid when you claim on your own policy.
Why do I have to pay an excess if it wasn't my fault?
Because you're claiming on your own policy. Your insurer pays for the repair, then tries to recover what it paid from the at-fault driver's insurer.
But your insurer only recovers its own costs. Your excess is your loss, not theirs, so it isn't automatically included.
How can I get my excess back?
There are four main routes.
Claim direct from the at-fault insurer in the first place
If you don't claim on your own policy for the repair, there's no excess to pay.
Use your motor legal expenses cover
Many policies include it, or you may have bought it as an add-on. It's designed to recover uninsured losses such as your excess after a non-fault accident. Check your policy documents.
Ask your insurer to include it
Some insurers will add your excess to their recovery claim if you ask. Others won't. It's worth checking.
Claim it yourself
You can write to the at-fault driver's insurer with proof of what you paid. If they refuse, a claim in the small claims court is the last resort.
What else counts as an uninsured loss?
Your excess is often just one of several costs your own policy doesn't cover. When the accident wasn't your fault, you may also be able to recover:
Travel costs, such as taxis or train fares, while you had no car
Recovery and storage charges you paid
Personal items damaged in the accident, such as a child car seat or phone
Loss of use of your vehicle
If you were hurt, compensation for your injury and lost earnings, handled by the solicitors at NJS Law
What if I was partly to blame?
If fault is shared, you'll usually only recover the same share of your excess. For example, if the other driver is found 70% to blame, you'd normally get back 70% of your excess.
You'd normally get back 70% of your excess.
How long does it take to get my excess back?
It depends on how quickly fault is agreed.
Going direct from the start avoids paying it out in the meantime.
How Back on the Road UK can help
If your accident wasn't your fault, we deal directly with the at-fault driver's insurer, so there's no claim on your own policy for the repair and no excess to pay. If you've already paid one, tell us and we'll look at whether it can be recovered.
Call us free on 0800 820 3860 or send us your details online.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my excess back after a non-fault accident?
Usually, yes. It's an uninsured loss that can be recovered from the at-fault driver's insurer.
Why didn't my insurer get my excess back for me?
Insurers recover their own costs. Your excess is your loss, so you may need to claim it separately or through legal expenses cover.
How do I avoid paying an excess after a non-fault accident?
Claim directly from the at-fault driver's insurer instead of through your own policy.
Do I get my excess back if I was partly at fault?
Usually only the percentage the other driver was responsible for.
Back on the Road UK is a trading name of NJS Law Limited, registered in England and Wales, company number 15170704. NJS Law Limited is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA number 8006550. This guide gives general information for England and Wales only and does not constitute legal advice.