All insurance policies should be understood properly by the payer. Sometimes this can be challenging because of the amount of information contained. Any thing that is not understood, should be explained by the insurance agent, before a payment is made.
The policy can be manipulated to fit a budget. The excess or deductible is the amount subtracted from the sum received for repairs as a result of a wreck. Sometimes this is presented as a percentage of the vehicle value, and other times it is a fixed amount.
A typical example to explain the importance of the amount of a deductible is the following. An applicant wants insurance on a 2,500 USD vehicle. There is an accident causing 400USD worth of damage. When the policy is checked, the excess or deductible is 300 USD. The insured would pay 300 USD, and the insurance company would pay 100USD. The insured would have to make the decision as to whether reporting this accident would be wise.
Do not jump to conclusions when you find yourself in a wreck. First you should investigate the degree of damage done the your vehicle. Then refer to your insurance policy to see how much you will have to pay according to the amount of your deductible and how much the insurance company will compensate. After gathering these facts, weigh out the situation. Will it cost you more by notifying the insurances company, or would it make more sense to keep it to yourself. Any monies that are paid by an insurance company will result in an inflation of the insured payments somehow.
By properly assessing the situation, and deciding not to report a crash, you can cash in on another benefit. This option is described by looking under the no claim bonus section of the policy. When logically not filing an accident claim, you can get compensated otherwise.
When reviewing a policy there will be several types of deductibles. There is one that is a base across the board for every insured consumer that chooses the company. The others are used as a method to raise the amount the insured is responsible for, in order to decrease the monthly amount paid.
Sometimes the choice of an additional deductible is out of your hands. When a new driver is added to a policy, the risk level increases and an extra amount will be added to the original deductible. Another example limiting the choice in this matter, is attempting to add an individual that constantly violates traffic laws, or has frequent accidents.
In summary, deductibles and excesses are explained in the policy. The option to evaluate, and change this amount to be more than the base amount, is up to you.
Graham McKenzie is the content Syndication Manager at Insurance123.co.za South Africans leading car insurance information portal
