What’s a car insurance excess, when would I be required to pay one and how do I claim it back?

A car insurance excess is the amount you have to pay yourself if you make a claim.

There are two types of excess:

• Compulsory excess - this is a fixed excess, set by us, which you'll have to pay if you make a claim. The amount varies depending on your circumstances.
• Voluntary excess - this is the amount you agree to pay, in addition to your compulsory excess, if you make a claim. People agree to a voluntary excess in return for a lower premium.

Here's an example to explain how it works:

Let's say your policy has a £250 excess.
You have an accident and you make a claim.
The bill to repair the damage comes to £1,000.
You pay your £250 excess towards the bill.
We cover the balance of £750 to settle the bill.

Everyone's excess is different, so to find out how much you might have to pay if you had to make a claim, please check your policy documents for more information.

If you don't use an LV= recommended repairer for your repairs you'll need to pay an additional £200 excess and we can't offer a courtesy car (if you have this cover) or warranty on the repairs.

To find out how much your car insurance excess is, have a look at your policy documents for more information.

Log in or register for an online account to find your LV= insurance documents and a full list of the cover benefits. Plus, download the Alexa Skill to make fact-finding easier.

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Yes, LV= car insurance covers all glass in your car under windscreen cover. You can find your windscreen excess in your policy documents. If you don't use one of our recommended repairers, you'll need to pay an additional excess if your glass needs to be replaced.

Need to make a windscreen claim? Visit our windscreen claim page.

Log in or register for an online account to find your LV= insurance documents and a full list of the cover benefits. Plus, download the Alexa Skill to make fact-finding easier.