Windscreen cover

Glass is the most common motor claim there is — a stone off a gravel road or a truck on the N3 is almost a rite of passage — so insurers ring-fence it as its own benefit with a low excess and, usually, no effect on your main no-claims bonus. That structure means you can fix a chip without the penalty a normal claim would carry.

Acting early is the saving. A small chip repaired promptly is cheap and quick; left to spread into a crack across the driver's line of sight, it becomes a full replacement and a roadworthy concern. Most policies cover both, but a timely repair is far less disruptive than a replacement.

On newer cars, the windscreen often carries the camera for lane-keeping and automatic emergency braking, so a replacement may require ADAS recalibration to keep those systems accurate. Good windscreen cover should include that recalibration — worth checking on any car fitted with driver-assist features.