Coverage explained
How the number you choose changes both your premium and your worst day
The deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket on a covered claim before the insurer pays anything. It applies to collision and comprehensive, and to PIP in some states — it never applies to liability, because liability pays other people.
If a covered repair costs $2,300 and your deductible is $500, the insurer authorises $1,800 and you pay the shop $500. If the repair costs $400, there is nothing to claim, because the loss is below your deductible.
This is why many small dents and scrapes are never claimed at all — and often should not be, because the claim can affect pricing for years.
Ask your insurer to quote the same policy at two or three deductible levels. Subtract the premiums to find the annual saving, then divide the extra risk by that saving to find your break-even in claim-free years. Compare that number with how often you have genuinely claimed in the last decade.
Comprehensive and collision often carry different deductibles. Glass claims may be handled at zero deductible in some states or with a specific glass endorsement. Some policies include a diminishing deductible that falls for each claim-free year, which is worth checking on renewal.
If another driver was at fault and your insurer recovers its payment from their carrier, your deductible is normally returned to you, sometimes months later. Track it: unreturned deductibles after successful subrogation are a common consumer complaint.
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