[raja8457]

HI,a few months ago I was looking for insurance for my car a vauxhall agila,which I had just bought,my dad is the policy holder and I was the named driver,after going through every insurance website and car comparison website,we opted for one which quoted at £923 comprehensive and £400 total excess.We were directed to the AA website were we paid in full,when we received the insurance documents,I just glanced at them and put them away feeling safe that everything was fine.When I had the accident a couple of days ago, and I contacted the insurance company Aviva,the agent went through the process and said that £700 excess will be taken off the claim ,I said that that when we bought the policy it said £400 total excess ,and my details had been given for the quote.
My car is only worth about £1600,and I had only bought the polcy Four months ago.So be very careful when you buy from the price comparison sites since it could cost you.

[smudger]

That is unusual, as every time I have read through my "Certificate of Insurance" the amount of excess is always made clear on the document, along with the renewal date.
Mind you, the price of the policy seemed to be a bit high in the first place, are you sure there were no cheaper options when you were searching the net?

[raja8457]

Re

The problem I had was that I had just passed my test in March,and my dad was the policy holder,we were too trusting on the Price Comparison and AA websites and after looking at a computer for Two days trying to find a good deal ,we thought we had found one,and when the policy came just filed it.

[saloon drifter]

You don't say how old you are, but on my policy the excess is £100, but if someone under 25 is driving it shoots up to £500, so you might find it in the small print somewhere although it is clearly stated on my policy document under the excess amount section.

[mikecollins]

I know this is an old post but the same thing happened to me in 2026, so not much has changed. I thought I was getting one level of cover, only to find out after the accident that my excess was much higher. IT just goes to show you have to check the final policy docs even when using sites like confused, mycompare.co.uk , compare the market otherwise you may get burnt. I ended up paying £400 extra, which left me fuming.

[olduser]

I am amazed that people would not check the documentation, after all the policy is expensive, and the consequences of not being fully covered are going to be very expensive. Terms and conditions, though never a quick read, still need to be read, else how do you know the scope of the policy, and what is not covered?

[Santa]

The problem with insurance comparison sites is that the insurers want to rank high in the list, so they quote a bare-bones policy which may well have all kinds of exceptions and caveats.

I am sure that this is the reason why so many people say that 'insurance companies always try to avoid paying out'.

I am also sad, but unsurprised that people, not just the OP, will enter into an expensive and important legal contract without even reading a summary of the Ts & Cs.