Scratch and dent cover

Everyday parking knocks, trolley dings and car-park scuffs are too small to be worth a main comprehensive claim — which would cost your excess and possibly your no-claims bonus — but still annoying and value-eroding on a newer car. Scratch-and-dent cover handles exactly this band of minor cosmetic damage, usually through a quick mobile-repair process.

Cover typically runs to a set number of repairs a year and caps the size of each (a dent up to a certain diameter, scratches up to a certain length), with structural or panel-replacement damage excluded — that remains a comprehensive matter. Crucially, claiming on it usually does not touch your main excess or bonus.

It is most worth having on a newer or financed vehicle, where keeping the cosmetics tidy protects resale or trade-in value. On an older car you intend to keep, the small monthly cost may not justify the limited benefit, so weigh it against how much the car's appearance matters to you.