Excess

Excess exists to keep you invested in avoiding small claims and to stop premiums being eroded by minor knocks. Most South African policies carry a basic (standard) excess set by the insurer, and further excesses can stack on top of it — a higher excess for drivers under 25, for an unlisted driver, for theft, or where a required tracker was not fitted. The amount that actually applies to a claim is the sum of every excess the circumstances trigger, which is why two similar accidents can settle very differently.

You control part of this trade-off yourself through the voluntary excess: agreeing to pay more first lowers your monthly premium, while a lower excess raises it. The sensible level is one you could comfortably find at claim time — an excess you cannot afford defeats the cover, because the insurer only pays once you have paid your share.

Always read the schedule for the full excess structure, not just the headline figure. The add-on excesses — young driver, no-tracker, windscreen, theft — are where owners are most often caught out, discovering the real first amount payable only when they claim.